On social media apps like Instagram, we often see users put up a whole bunch of photos accompanied by a caption of “Photo dump,” sometimes adding “from this weekend” or “from my vacation in (destination).” For me, this week’s blog is a notebook dump, as there have been a lot of observations accumulating that I’m ready to share with you, in no particular order.
For those of you who’ve followed me long enough, you’ve heard me say either on the weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast or read me stating in one of my weekly blogs (or, heck, I’m pretty sure I even included this in one of my eBooks) that it’s not a good look to be drinking (beer or other alcohol) on stage when you’re performing. In this day and age when everybody is conditioned to think they could very well easily get discovered, saying from the stage, “I’m (or we’re all) hungover” is certainly a no-no too. Yet, I see/hear it being done and think, “Well, presumably that person doesn’t care who (of industry importance) might be in the audience.”
In the same places as noted above (podcast, blog, eBook) I’ve shared in the past about singing at your smartphone or tablet rather than to the audience. Sadly, I’m fighting an uphill battle as I continue to see performers with such a device attached to the mic stand. Can we at least, then, agree that using your phone for the lyrics to a song that every performer should know the lyrics to by heart has just got to stop? While you might make a case to me that, “I just have it there for when someone requests a cover song that I don’t know” or “It’s just there for the chords, not the lyrics,” I have to insist that classics just flat out must be memorized. How do the audience members sit and sing along because they know the words by heart, yet you are on stage scrolling through them on your phone as you sing? As they say on ESPN, “C’mon, man!”
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It dawned on me that playing in a writers’ round is somewhat comparable to podcasters trying to promote their show to other podcasters in a Facebook group. By this I mean, that’s not your audience. Granted, I realize there’s a difference here in that writers’ rounds are very popular in some places and you never know who might be in the crowd, but it’s just ironic to see, say, four songwriters on stage, and lots of folks in the audience are writers who just came off stage, writers who are waiting to get on stage next, or writers who came out to support you because you’ve done co-writes together. They’re not real likely to download your music, unfortunately.
Not unlike “I’m (or we’re all) hungover,” it also doesn’t help you make a good impression to an important music industry person that might be in the crowd when you look just like everyone else on the stage. Meaning, guys, can we do away with the ball caps? For openers, the lighting isn’t doing you any favors with the shadow that gets cast over your face, making it tough to see what you look like. I’m a huge sports fan and have lots of Tampa Bay Rays, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Tampa Bay Lightning hats (along with some others), but there’s a time and a place for them. I recently saw a writers’ round with four guys on stage and all of them had a ball cap on. ‘Less is more’ definitely fits here. I realize it’s about the song, but, if you’re trying to present yourself as an artist too, you need to do everything possible to not turn someone off.
Sadly, you actually need to spell your name when you’re on stage and there’s the slightest chance of someone getting it wrong who is only listening, meaning, not looking at somewhere that you or the venue might have it printed. If your first name is Jon, meaning, no h, then while you’re talking on the microphone say that “It’s spelled J-O-N.” While I always advocate for something that audience members can take home with them (or a standup banner on stage), there’s no guarantee that everyone is going to walk up there to see what you have. So, put yourself in the best possible position for new fans to find you anywhere they look.
TikTok is making a strong case with me for becoming one of the “big four,” or, I guess it would become “big five.” I’ve always said that if you’re trying to have a career in the music business you need to be on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. I am strongly considering amending that to also include TikTok, whose popularity has not seemed to dwindle. I keep waiting for the novelty to wear off but am not seeing it. I talked to an artist last week who has more than 90 thousand followers on that platform and posts three times a day. Now THAT is someone who is taking it seriously. Everything is all about video these days, so, you should strongly consider an app that is centered around (short form) video.
Are you reading some of the above – or entries from weeks prior – and scratching your head, saying, “I know, but”? Do you have questions or challenges that could use some insight from someone that has been working with indie artists across the U.S. for 18 years now? Book a private, one-on-one, online video consultation with me and let’s tackle those so you keep moving forward. Our session is completely confidential and will consist of what you need/want, not a pre-determined itinerary.