8/11/23 Taking the Scenic Route

Mostly because I’m old, students often ask me for advice.

It usually boils down to: What do I need to do to get better known and be successful in music?

What should I practice? Should I focus on certain types of projects? Should I just practice more or focus on the business? Should I reach out to certain people? Should I go to more jam sessions?

Unfortunately, the answer is usually different for every student. That’s because it depends on your world.

But here’s my two cents worth of music biz advice advice (which, it turns out, is basically the same as my music playing advice--more on that soon.) 

1) listen/pay attention--keep your ears and eyes open

2) be agile—be ready to shift course

Pay attention to what’s going on around you. If you want to be part of a conversation, first listen to what the other people are saying.

This applies to playing music but also to the business. Pay attention to what’s going on around you in the musical world.

What are people posting about? What are artists/bands/people you respect talking about and listening to? Where are the thought leaders headed?

Pay attention to what’s going on and keep your ear to the ground. Familiarize yourself with what’s already going on, either to model them or to intentionally do something different.

And then be agile—be ready to shift course, open to whatever opportunities you happen to see.

Opportunities often come up suddenly and demand immediate action or they slip through your fingers.

More often than not, your opportunities won’t be for your dream gig. You may be tempted to pass. But if they are better than whatever you’re currently doing, they may very well lead you closer to the dream gig.

This is one of the most important keys to success--to move forward even if forward isn't directly where you want to go. Build relationships everywhere you can, even when they are a little off-target, because other people change their jobs as well, and a friend in one place may soon be able to help you in another place.

The path is never straight. It will probably take you all over the map, the proverbial scenic route, to get to your ultimate goal.

But that’s OK. That’s your journey. That’s your story, the part that makes you more interesting 

Most aspiring musicians try to avoid the “scenic route” and want to make a direct line to their ultimate gig. But that’s not even what will make you a better musician. Or a better human.

You can learn as much from working with the wrong people as from working with the right ones—what not to do, how not to act. There is something to learn from every gig. If you got a music degree, the scenic route is your post-graduate education

Be grateful if it takes you every which way other than straight. That’s what really makes you a more complete human and a better musician.

Groove on!

--Tracy