I feel so dirty. As a musician in this new age of the internets I'm constantly having to market my music. It very difficult to know where to draw the line sometimes. The artist in me wishes he didn't have to do all this tedious work. I would much rather be working on music than typing this blog but this blog might be the one thing that causes you to buy our album. It's all about exposure. If you don't expose yourself to people they won't buy your product. Would you like for me to expose myself? I bet you would.
I'm a very private person. You probably would have never guessed that from reading my blogs. I like my privacy and doing this kind of work doesn't allow you to have a private life. It's disrupting. It's disturbing. I don't like it.
And at the same time I love it. I love the music. I love the thrill of playing before a crowd. I enjoy mingling with the fans after a good show. (mingling after a bad show is just kind of depressing....rather go home and cry in a beer) But it's really the making and performing of music that thrills the artist - it's not marketing. However, we are forced in this new economic climate to market ourselves.
Please forgive me. I beg you to forgive me. I'm a recording artist and I really don't know the first friggin' thing about marketing and advertising. I'm guessing as to what will work and won't work. I'm experimenting. And I have absolutely no concept of what's too little or what's too much. I'm not a graphic designer, I'm not a website designer, I'm not a professional advertising agency, I'm not a booking agent, I'm not a major record label - I'm a musician. But if I ever want a lot of people to hear my music I have to learn to be all of the things I previously listed. I have to adapt and learn. It's the only way to make it in this business.
If you are a fellow musician and you're trying to learn more about how to whore yourself out to the masses I would recomend you read a book by Martin Atkins titled Tour Smart: And Break The Band. I think I'm in the third of 4th chapter but it's been a great read so far. This guy really has some insight on what you will face on the road while touring. It's mostly about touring but there are some good things in there about whoring yourself out for the almighty dollar. Martin seems to understand that a band won't make it in the business if they aren't willing to adapt and become a filthy little whore willing to do any job that has to be done. You have to be willing to work in order to make something of yourself and most musicians don't seem to grasp that concept.
MMMMM ..... rim job.
I felt that after a rant like that it's only appropriate to include the following clip of The Who performing My Generation on the Smothers Brothers show. Good god I want to blow up some friggin' drums. But it's more my style to just set them on fire.
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