Academia.

I have a bone to pick with academia. A college education, in my mind, should prepare a student for the real world... a market.. a job. I think that many arts degrees don't fulfil that obligation. I read a statistic that over 70% of music majors don't make a living using their degree earned skills. In fact, that population is making the bulk of their daily living doing something completely unrelated.
Shouldn't it concern universities and colleges that they are offering degree programs that are putting young people in debt for education that is not utilized to even pay off the debt, let alone make a profit for the purpose of living?
What really gets my goat is that there is promise for teaching young people who decide to go into arts fields how to survive using their art...it's just NOT being done. What kills me is that there is no practical thought process being passed down along with the passion for art. What irritates me is this ancient attitude of "die for your art". (Which is totally ridiculous.)

After experiencing the typical "struggling artist" bit myself (and, no, it is not some kind of initiation), I have come to the realization that the reasons I struggled were 1) I believed that talent was all I needed and 2) my instructors didn't tell me I should believe anything else.

I'm here to tell you young people... you need something else than just talent and just ambition. You can't live on ambition and spagettios for very long. Take it from me. You need marketable skills. By this I mean, skills that will keep you working...somewhere.. anywhere.. while you try to become rich and famous. Does that mean that you have to get a business degree that you don't want? Maybe. Does that mean you should double major or take a minor? Maybe. Does that mean that you should take a medical billing course or a CNA course at the local technical school during summer... perhaps. See, those things make you a marketable worker immediately... your talent makes you an artist. You don't even really need the university degree to get the "artist" title. But, you might need a certification to teach school or do medical billing or be a nurse in order to eat.

Now, as for you, academia.... get with the program and teach kids how to make a real living using their talent. Teach them about unions and church jobs and contracts. Teach them about buying their own benefits and making/producing their own music to sell for commercial use. Teach them about working in combos and booking small gigs. Teach them how to produce marketing materials and use social networking to promote themselves cheaply or free. Teach them how to make money so they can finance their own art instead of starve for it.

Thank you and goodnight.

For the New Singer

I was browsing the LinkedIn networking site the other day. I am a member and it's a great place to meet other professionals. Members on this site are given the space to create specific groups according to their special interests or professional sub-divisions. I am also a member of several of these groups. In one of these group newsletters I came across a question from a beginning artist in the industry. She wanted to know the basics. How does a singer begin in the industry? What are the first things to do?
I'm going to share with you what I suggested to her, in short.

First, make sure that your talent (or product, as I call it) is solid. Know what it is you want to present to the audience. To be quite honest, this is the most difficult part. But, don't let it be your stumbling stone. The great thing about art is that it can change as you grow. The important thing is to have some sort of vision for continuity before you go bouncing out into the industry. If you don't have a vision for what your product is, neither will anyone else. Customers want you to tell them what they are buying...even in an artists' world. Also, in reference to your talent, make sure that it is the highest quality that you can achieve...in other words, give it your all in education and work... no half ass attempts at singing, acting, or dancing should be accepted by you or anyone! Acceptance of below par talent is what makes the quality of every show you see go down (yet the price go up!) So, take some lessons, don't be the ears and eyes that judge you, and never settle for less---even on a bad day. That is what makes a good performer.

Second, I suggest that any singer who wants to break into mainstream pop, hiphop, country, or folk/indie type of music needs to write, write, and write... write anything. Attempt to write. Learn some basic chords and just start. Write something every week, everyday even. If you think you just are of minimal talent in that department or would work better in a team situation, then find partners who are good at it. And write more. Just make sure that your name is on the copyright papers when you are working in a team! You need those credits.

Third, perform live. Performing live is the way to make the money, people. Albums will not make you money in the future. In fact, they are not really making money now. What makes people money is live performance and other products...like T-shirts...and where do you buy T-shirts? At the concert. So, one of your biggest assets will be to be a great show. And, in order to be a great show, you need to practice! A note about those originals you just wrote... you don't need an entire set of those. Especially if you are performing in a medium to large size venue where people what to party... you need some covers to keep them happy. It's okay to slip in a couple of originals to let them know you are you're own man/woman, though. If you want to spend a night performing originals only...go perform at a writer's circle performance. That's a great way to get all your own songs heard and even get some advice on song writing. I digress....
Anyway... point is... perform, perform!

Start with that... and if you feel you need a recording to put on myspace or what have you... then buy a $200 mp3 recorder or a decent USB microphone to use with a digital software package... they will work great for making a quick recording at home. You might even be able to get a live recording from a venue! It will be all you need to start. No need to spend hundreds of dollars before you've had time to really polish up.

Best!