Guest Post: A Guide to Streaming as a Revenue Source for Musicians

A company by the name of consumersadvocate.org reached out to me and asked if I would share their new guide on the music streaming industry which has an infographic and calculator that breaks down how much you can get paid by each streaming service. I checked it out and it looks like it is helpful and supportive to our community of aspiring artists. Below is a summary and a link to their full guide:

The following is written by consumers advocate:

A Streaming Boom

It used to be that artist’s revenue came mostly from selling records, but not anymore.

For the past few decades revenue in the music industry has shifted from album sales

towards touring, and more recently streaming. With the exception of vinyl records, which

Nielsen’s Mid-Year Report confirms have had steady growth from 2006 onward, digital

services have dominated sales. The industry is much alive, but making a living through

music has drastically changed, and artists’ strategies to monetize their work have had to

follow suit.

The current mid-year report by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA),

confirms the rise of streaming media. The U.S. music industry has seen an up in

revenue during the first semester of 2019. There’s also been a substantial increase in

paid subscriptions, which reached 60 million for the first time in history. The music

streaming market grew to $5.4 billion, which represents 80% of the overall music

revenue.

Growth, so it seems, will be the trend for the foreseeable future. Another report by

Goldman Sachs, predicts that by 2030 there will be 1.5 billion paid subscriptions, adding

up to a $27.5 billion industry. The main takeaway from these reports is that people

seem to prefer to pay for ad-less streaming over “freemium”. This begs the question:

how much of that money is actually reaching the artists? Not much.

Getting Paid

The majority of streaming services use a licensing model called "service-centric” or “pro-

rata” which calculates royalties based on the total revenue generated by the streaming

platform. Payment is based on the overall number of streams per-month for all artists.

That means that each artist’s monthly revenue represents their percentage share of the

company’s overall streams.

Many critics have voiced concerns over this system. They insist that this formula only

favors the most popular artists while neglecting independent and upcoming acts. This

might be true, as reports have shown that around 10% of the most-streamed tracks

represent 99% of all streams. Which means that 90% of all other streams get only 1% of

revenues.

What’s favored are “user-centric” licensing systems in which artists gets paid based on each listener’s

monthly consumption. For example, if you pay $10 per-month for the service and only listen to certain artists,

100% of royalties stemming from your subscription will go to those artists, a method of payment similar to the

one used for record sales.

To aid in understanding how many streams it would take for a song to become

profitable, you can use the royalty calculator in this streaming services article. Just write

a hypothetical number of streams, select a service, and click "calculate." It’s important

for artists to choose the right streaming service in which to host their music. Being part

of the correct community of listeners is an essential part of a successful business

strategy.

Reaching the Right Audience

Which service is best depends on the artists. It’s a question of what pay-rate feels fair to

them, how much control they have over their work, or what audience they are trying to

reach. For example, if an artist works classical compositions, Idagio is their best bet.

They pay royalties on a play-per-second basis, basically, the time users spent listening.

Play count might work for short pop tracks, but listening-time clearly favors longer

compositions.

YouTube is still the go-to for artists with audiovisual strategies. However, YouTube

Music ranks towards the bottom of the per-stream rate pool. It allegedly pays only

$0.00074 per-stream. Put into perspective, that’s $740 dollars for a million plays. That

same amount of streams would represent close to $6000 on Apple Music, which pays

about 0.0060 per-stream. Apple’s is the second best per-stream rate after Tidal which

currently reports the payment at 0.0125 per stream.

Tidal advertises itself as a platform “by artists for artists.” Part of their strength is using

its owners’ industry insight and contacts to highlight up-and-coming artists not yet

signed with major labels. All the same, the best industry rate is Napster’s, which offers

0.019 per stream. Unfortunately, Napster has no artist programs with which to upload or

submit music for consideration. Instead, they choose to work directly through music

distribution groups.

Some of the most popular streaming services offer less competitive rates but have great

music discovery algorithms. For example, Spotify’s data analytics and predictive

features have become pretty much standard for streaming platforms. They use a

process called “collaborative filtering” where user’s tastes are combined with those of

similar listeners. However, Spotify also ranks on the lower spectrum of pay charts at

0.0044 per stream.

Similarly, Pandora uses its Music Genome Project, considered by many the best music

discovery algorithms. It is extremely valuable to musicians as it plays their work to a

meticulously tailored audience. Pandora allows artists to submit work for evaluation

through their AMP program. Their rates, unfortunately, sit just above YouTube’s, at

0.0013 per stream.

Different to the other per-stream practices, SoundCloud, employs an advertisement

monetization strategy. The platform has made a name for itself by jumpstarting the

careers of many Rap, EDM and Lo-Fi music acts. They advertise that their revenue

share “meets or beats any other streaming service”. Artists need to have at least 5,000

plays a month to qualify for the program in which they receive 55% of the total revenue

garnered through advertisements.

For now, most artists can’t yet depend solely on streaming as a source of income. Even

so, streaming services can offer a steady compliment to their work portfolio and greatly

improve audience reach. Current rates might not be enough for an artist to stop touring

or to abandon their retail offerings, but growing numbers also show great potential for

the industry as a whole. Hopefully, in the near future, this will translate to better rates for

content creators which at the end of the day are the backbone of any streaming service.

for a much more in-depth look at streaming services go to https://www.consumersadvocate.org/music-streaming-services#toc-fairness-in-royalty-payments

Full Transcript of my interview with Jazz Educator and NEA Jazz Master Jamey Aebersold

Jamey Aebersold on The Mindful Musician Podcast

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

Hi, everybody, welcome to the Mindful Musician podcast. Thanks for listening. I'm going to keep the same format that I've been doing lately where we will get right to the interview because I want to give our focus to our very special guest. Next week I'll put out a mini episode where I'll do some more personal reflections and talk about things that I learned in this interview. So many of you know our special guest is Mr. Jamey Aebersold. And for all his biographical information and Website, you can check the show notes. I was fortunate enough to talk to him right after his 80th birthday and after his legendary summer jazz workshops concluded this year and they've been going on for over 40 years. He's an internationally known saxophonist and authority on jazz education and improvisation. Many of you know him from his jazz play along series where there's almost 130 volumes. And then there's a lot of other supplemental books and different resources for developing improvisational skills. So if you're like me, you've used those play alongs many, many times. Some of the awards and honors he's received are:

00:01:44

In 1989, the International Association of Jazz Educators inducted him into their Hall of Fame at the San Diego Convention. And he shares that distinction with Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong, among others. In 2007, he was awarded the Indiana Governor's Arts Award by Mitch Daniels, the governor of Indiana. In 2014. Jamey Aebersold was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Award. That's the nation's highest honor in jazz. Also, in 2014, he received the A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Award for Jazz Advocacy, which is given to an individual who has contributed significantly to the appreciation, knowledge, and advancement of the art form of jazz. As I said, his summer workshops are legendary. When I asked our community for questions for Mr. Jamey Aebersold most people just expressed to me that they wanted to pass on their gratitude to him for making their practice more effective, more fun, and more practical. I certainly share that sentiment. So with gratitude, I present Jamey Aebersold on the Mindful Musician podcast.

00:03:19

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

So, first is just general questions about jazz:

00:03:22

How do you define jazz? Is it based on music from a certain time period? Is it a certain way of playing together? How do you define it?

00:03:30

Jamey Aebersold

Well, I define jazz as being improvised music. There are lots of recordings of things that are in the jazz category, but in my opinion, aren't necessarily jazz. Jazz is when you improvise. For instance, long ago they had the stage band arrangements, stage bands in high school and so forth; maybe some places they still do. They would play the arrangements that were jazzy, but then nobody really ever improvised. So that's how I got the combo camps going. I worked at the big band camps and at the end of the week, only a couple of people got to stand up and take a solo and I thought that was kind of a shame. But anyway, I define jazz as improvised music. And of course, it uses spontaneity, uses imagination, your creativity, which often is not used a whole lot. If you looked at us historically, jazz started down in New Orleans. You know, like a hundred and fifteen or so years ago on crude instruments and it was actually kind of march type music for parades and things and then gradually evolved as it spread around the world, but primarily here in America. And it became our popular music. Some people call jazz our classical music. Yeah, but the improvisation and spontaneity are the two things that I think of first. But you can't have an organized solo that makes any sense unless you've got some diligent practice and listening behind it. A lot of people use the scales and the chords when they solo, but they don't necessarily swing with the rhythm section because they're playing it like a classical piece, so to speak.

00:05:21

That usually tells me they just haven't listened enough to recordings over and over and over and tried to emulate the feel and the actual sound. You know, they're making that sound like something that's written on a piece of paper. So, I guess that's a general outline of what I would call jazz. But the improvised part and using your imagination is the important part for me.

00:05:43

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

Yes. Yes. And then you mentioned the thing about like the rhythm. And so, are you talking about groove in general or the swing feel in general or just in general being able to lock in with a rhythm section?

00:05:56

Jamey Aebersold

I think in general, to be able to lock in with a rhythm section.   You keep time.

00:06:02

And when you play your eight notes, which we play more 8th notes than anything, do they swing with the accompanying rhythm section?

00:06:10

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

Yes. Yes. So and you are already reference the history of jazz and I'm curious about that, too, because you know that jazz is so global now and I've heard you say that your play-a-longs at any given time, are being played by someone, somewhere around the world. Do you see anyone as owning jazz or the cultural kind of underpinnings for jazz came from and just say because it's often referred to as an African-American music. Who owns jazz and how does that cultural heritage play in?

00:06:49

Jamey Aebersold

I'm not sure. It’s a mix of cultures.

00:06:52

And I think an overarching word that would describe jazz is freedom. Of course, with freedom, in order to really know what freedom is, you have to have been enslaved, so to speak, or tied up at some point and now you know what it's like to be free. I think the freedom that people express from the very beginning in playing jazz, even if they only knew 10 songs and 6 of them were in the same key over and over. When they played, it was fresh and they probably were not playing exactly what they played the day before. I think that part right there was the beginning of the mysticism. The constant NEWNESS. Improvising all along, you know, how can they do that? They don't have any music stands and they don't have any music? And I can tell that that is not a memorized solo. So where is this coming from? Of course, it's coming from their mind. They wouldn't be doing that if they didn't have the facility to play certain scales and chords.

00:07:55

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

Yes. So, I see. So, you're talking about it like a language, like there's an agreed upon language that you break down so well in the play-a-longs into scales and chords and progressions but then there's this other intangible piece that's the freedom of expression and the individualism. So, I was going to ask, how do you teach that intangible, that mystical part? Where does that come from? You've been teaching for 50 years plus, What's the mystery behind that?

00:08:28

Jamey Aebersold

I think when I listen to people play like at our workshops, several weeks ago, I heard various people play and I can tell right off the bat if they're far enough along in their soloing and they're not just groping for the right notes, if they're actually kind of playing, I can tell if they've been listening to records or not because it's a tradition that’s oral and has been passed down. I can tell those who have listened a lot and I can tell those who have not really started listening. So it's a tradition and I don't think it would make any difference if the person were from the Philippines or France or Afghanistan or wherever they played their instruments for several years and I'd listen; that listening is going to creep into their playing and I'm going to detect it because I've listened a whole lot. If they haven't listened, then it's probably, in my opinion, not gonna sound very jazzy. It will sound pretty rudimentary, elementary, and probably will not swing.

00:09:29

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

And you're talking about listening to the classic kind of jazz records? What kind of listening is the most helpful?

00:09:43

Jamey Aebersold

Well, I think all of the eras. When I started out, I was listening to Duke Ellington and Kid Ory and Louis (Armstrong) and Dixieland stuff but I quickly kind of felt there was something else a little more modern, is the word I’d use today. So, I leaned towards Sonny Stitt and Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie and some others. Dizzy Gillespie, I couldn't understand because he used a lot of chromaticism. It swung but I could never hope to play like that. So, I put the emphasis over on people that I thought I could maybe emulate a little bit, even if they played another instrument like, say, JJ Johnson. You know, some of the West Coast players, Lenny Niehaus, the guy who played with Stan Kenton. I loved his playing on Cherokee and I played that over and over and over. And even today when I playCherokee I'm sure I will play two or three licks that I learned sixty years ago off of that record. I think the listening is extremely important. That's how I learned how to play and thousands of other people. Then I came along with the books and probably reduced their listening time because it put more on the page to look at with their eyes.

00:10:54

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

Yes.

00:10:56

Jamey Aebersold

The books were supposed to speed things up, but they didn't necessarily do that.

00:11:02

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

Right, because written music can be used as a crutch?

00:11:05

Jamey Aebersold

Oh, yeah,

00:11:08

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

That takes you out of that oral tradition of hearing and playing back. Do you find that there's new players that people are listening to and resonating with in that way and imitating? Or do most of the students you're working with, do they tend to refer back to that classic jazz time period?

00:11:27

Jamey Aebersold

Well, I'm sorry to say that most students I work with and have worked with haven't listened very much so if you ask them who their favorites are, they may say something like Maynard Ferguson, you know, a big band or someone or they might mention a Michael Brecker track that they like. But oftentimes I don't think their breadth of listening is very deep and they don't follow the famous players so they really don't know; They don't know who to listen to. That’s where I help them out by directing them to the masters.

00:11:54

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

We're so inundated with modern pop and digitized music. Is that what people are coming to the table with? What kind of foundation are you finding that people are coming with?

00:12:04

Jamey Aebersold

Well, I haven't really tracked that down, but that would be a great question. Well, actually, if I looked at the pages that people filled out at our camp, that would be five hundred and fifty people probably, and underneath the question, "Who do you listen to?" that would be a good one to check out who they're listening to. Some are right on the money. They're gonna put down Charlie Parker, Lee Morgan, J.J. Johnson, Wynton Kelly, etc. Others are gonna put down something like Kenny G. Or maybe other people that I've never heard of. So, there's a wide variation of the people that come into my camp and those are the ones that I have the most dealings with nowadays since I don't really give private lessons or teach at a college anymore. I think it's really vast and we just have to keep informing students to listen to  the players that made this music what it is.

00:13:04

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

Yes, and I don't intend this to be a bleak question, but I'm curious with the jazz listening audience so small and people less exposed, how do you see the future of jazz and keeping it alive? It seems like people are flooding to your workshop and they're still interested. But how do you see the future of jazz in jazz education and sustaining that interest in that kind of freedom and improvisational music?

00:13:33

Jamey Aebersold

I think it rests with your band director at the college and the high school and middle school levels. What they show their students is what the students are probably going to listen to, especially if students respect the teacher. If the teacher plays his instrument and demonstrates things during the class, there's going to be more respect and they'll pay more attention to what he says. And when, for instance, he says, OK, today before we play anything, you can get your horns out, but I'm gonna play a Blue Note record by Hank Mobley called "This I Dig of you." It's got Wynton Kelly on the piano, Art Blakey on the drums, so-and-so on the bass. I want you to listen to several things. Listen to the sound of a saxophone, see if like the melody, listen to the bass and then listen to the way they play their solos. Are they using bits and pieces of scales? And then I would play that track and others for five or six weeks. If they do something like that, that helps to train them in what the band director thinks is important and they may follow him.

00:14:32

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

Yes, I can personally attest to that. That's what one of my teachers did early on, and it really made an impression. I mean, it got me hooked on all those Wayne Shorter and Miles Davis records.

00:14:45

Jamey Aebersold

And, you know, I'm sure you know this, but it doesn't take a whole lot of records. I mean, two or three and one kid catches on to Kind of Blue, another one catches on the Giant Steps, another one catches on to Wes Montgomery with Wynton Kelly or whatever. You know, all they need is one to kind off reign them in and then when they play their solo on the blues, or Maiden Voyage or Cantaloupe island, or Satin Doll or Perdido or whatever, the director encourages him in certain directions, tells him how to shape their solo, how to make the change from the first scale to the second scale - "let's try that again." And once they get to the point where they feel like they're actually creating something that's worth listening to for themselves, not only the band director and the other kids in the band, then they're probably hooked on this fantastic music. You know, this is something they're gonna pursue.

00:15:33

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

It sounds like it's sort of a mentor model of someone kind of saying, here's what it is and here's how you understand it.

00:15:33

Jamey Aebersold

Yes.

00:15:42

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

Ok. So, to transition to the play alongs specifically - I find like there's another fascinating story of how the "play along" went from something that you created to be helpful for yourself from what I understand, from listening to other interviews with you, and then suddenly millions of people are using them. So how did how did it go from something for yourself to something for so many people for so long?

00:16:13

Jamey Aebersold

I think I just happened along with that idea and with the finances, which was probably about five, six hundred bucks to start with. I actually put it out and then promoted it gently, you know, in Downbeat with two sentences or something way back in the back there. And then I went out and did a lot of clinics. I took my record player and I took the LP with me and I demonstrated to people how you could practice the scales and build a solo. So, you have 20 people at the clinic - "Okay, let's go around the room we're going to hear everybody play eight bars." You know, kind of like cramming it down their throats. By the end of the session, and at the same time, I'm would have a box of jazz records, jazz LP's in the trunk of my car, which I would take in and sell for a dollar and a quarter. And I think that did as much good as anything else, because once you sell them something like a brand-new jazz LP, and I was basically giving them away at that low price. They listened to a lot of really great players and started their jazz record collection. Again, we're back to the listening portion, catching their ear and kind of catching their imagination. Like "what in the world are these people doing?" You know? "That's not a written solo. I don't think I could ever do that." But then a month later, it might be, "oh, I think I figured out what that first four bars was" because they got their first chance to transcribe a little bit of Freddie Hubbard. "That wasn't as hard as I thought it was."

00:17:31

Jamey Aebersold

But I say all along, if you get them kind of hooked just gently at first on the jazz sound, the recordings, they'regonna go ahead and grab the whole thing. And I don't think you ever have to worry about them doing drugs or this or that. Forget that dead-end because they're caught on music, jazz and using their imagination and playing their instruments.

00:17:52

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

Yes. So, you're showing them the product - the recording, but you're also showing them that they can improvise, showing them they have this ability that seems magical to them until you break it down.

00:18:06

Jamey Aebersold

Of course, of course.                                                             00:18:27

A teacher is the one that guides the student to be the best they can possibly be and to reach their creative goals as quickly as possible.

00:18:47

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

Yes. So, you're saying the message is "do as the teacher does" and it's not about the worshipping of the teacher. It's doing the methodology that made them what they were?

00:19:00

Jamey Aebersold

Exactly. Exactly. I think that's why we've had so many people come to the jazz camps over and over because myself and others that I've hired as faculty are working to bring out each student’s creativity. That's exactly what we're doing. We talk about something. We demonstrate it. We say now you try it and then we'll coach you along the way, gently critiquing you. Now let's try it again. Try this. Now, when you go home, listen to this record. Come back next week and we'll dive in right where we left off.

00:19:25

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

Yes, so Then how did you go from one play-along to so many? What was the thinking that led to the growth of the play-alongs?

00:19:35

Jamey Aebersold

Well, that's an interesting story, which I'm sure you probably read. But actually, I think I may have even put the first record out. It may have been out. I said to myself, "I need to write a book." I kind of doubt that, but it may have happened that way. I just can't remember. Anyhow, before that, before we actually got it going, I realized I needed to put a book showing people how I use this record because they're going to be upset with me and the music store if they buy this because there's only piano, bass and drums and accompaniment. There was nobody soloing. So, I wrote the book. That was the hardest thing I ever did. Then I revised it many, many times as I've learned things. And I figured if Volume 1 is successful and if it helps people, then Berklee School of Music who at that time was publishing jazz materials would take it over., Well, they never did anything with the play-a-long idea. So, then I say, well, let's do one on the blues thinking that would be the end of it. Yeah, we did that. I think Dan Haerle said, well, why don't we do II V I(two-five-one)?. And I'm thinking, uh oh, wait a minute. And I'm thinking "who's going to want to practice with that in all twelve keys?" You know, that's not what I had in mind, although I realize it's one of my best ones and I've practice with it as much as I've practiced with any volume. So, we put it out (Vol.3 The II V7 I Progression) and all of a sudden we were into pedagogy. Number four, was supposed to be the last. Number four was me and Dan Haerle’s songs. And they were very difficult. And we even advertised it back then, "Only for the Brave." And there's a trumpet player, who's also a comedian…Jack Sheldon! That’s his name.

00:21:14

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

I'm not sure.

00:21:21

Jamey Aebersold

Anyway, he called me one day while I was eating lunch. "Hey Jamey, this is Jack Sheldon. "I see your downbeat ad here for Volume Four Only for the Brave. Do you think I can play on that one?" Of course, he could. But I suspect that the tunes were different than what he was used to playing because we didn't use standard-type chord progressions. So, we did that Volume 4 and we realized "Oops, those tunes are too hard for the average person." So, then we put out Volume Five Time to Play Music just to get back to basics. And then we're up to nine years later, 1976. And I go to New York and record with Ben Riley on drums, Kenny Barron, and Ron Carter and we do Charlie Parker songs. Then we come back home here and do Miles Davis, and then we do Sonny Rollins, then Woody Shaw, about that time, probably 78 or 79, Woody was doing some of my jazz camps with me. "Hey, Woody, let's do some of your tunes." Next thing you know, The Woody Shaw Quartet is in my basement with him playing the melody softly on track four. And that leads to my good friend David Baker, I was playing with him a lot at that time. We did his tunes and then we did Herbie Hancock and then Duke Ellington, Cannonball Adderley, Benny Golson, and then we did Lee Konitz. But,I went to New York and recorded it and Lee was there with Ron Carter and, I'm drawing a blank. I think maybe Kenny Barron and I can't remember the drummer- oh, Grady Tate, But, that one sunk because Lee Konitz's wife at the time, objected to something. So, I had to go and write a bunch of contrafacts. You know what that is? A contrafact is a new melody over an old (progression). LikeGroovin' High and Whispering both use the same harmony.

00:23:23

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

I see, so same changes. Just a different melody because you can't get the rights to the original melody.

00:23:31

Jamey Aebersold

Yeah. How High the Moon chord progression is the same as the chords to Ornithology by Charlie Parker.

00:23:38

But Charlie Parker just wrote a new melody. Much more complicated than How High the Moon. But the harmonies are the same. So that's how they got started. And my add in Downbeat. This is an interesting thing. I had just a little ad in the classified section: Volume 1 six dollars including postage, LP and book. When volume 2 came out, I added it right below volume 1, but I sold more volume 1. When volume 3 came out, I sold more volume 1 and 2. So that's the way it worked for a little while. And for a long time, we had a full-page ad. I think that's what started it. There was a play-along Book/LP that Music Minus One had that actually started with Clark Terry and some of the other maybe NBC music people. Clark Terry was on one MMO that I'd heard. He would play a chorus and then you'd play a chorus and then he'd play another chorus and you'd play a chorus. Well, when I heard that, I said, "gee, that's a great rhythm section, but I don't need Clark Terry playing because I got all his records."

00:24:44

I said, what I need is just that background for five minutes on the blues, for instance. So that's kind of where I got the idea of cutting out the soloist and just making it background. That became very, very popular.

00:24:57

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

And were there actually soloists in the session off, you know, off mic for them to play with or did they play as if there was a soloist?

00:25:05

Jamey Aebersold

Sometimes, yes, I would play and we put it on another track or not record it at all. And then other times I remember I would go in the booth and sing along, scat the melody, and then do four or five, six choruses. But then after some of the guys got used to doing it, they didn't want to hear me scat and there was no need to take my alto. They got the hang of comping, which was another factor that people really don't talk about but the play-alongs have been an excellent example of how to comp for piano players or guitar players.

00:25:39

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

I think you had books that had all the comping transcribed in some cases, is that right?

00:25:44

Jamey Aebersold

Oh yeah. We've got four or five or six of those. I remember the first one was my Volume One. A fella in Louisville, David Leonhart, he transcribed it. It took him about a year. And I think about two weeks ago I ran across his original manuscript here in my room, but I remember him handing me the manuscript of all the tracks of my copying and saying "Jamey, I don't want to ever hear you comp again."

00:26:09

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

Those are so valuable to me because comping was the most mysterious thing on the recordings because it was so hard to hear all the notes. To see them all on the page was so clarifying. I think I did the Maiden Voyage one, and I think some other Herbie Hancock songs.

00:26:27

Jamey Aebersold

There was a fellow in California, I think he might have had perfect pitch that transcribed several of them, like maybe the Volume 54 Maiden Voyage. And Volume 70 Killer Joe that I am on. And he may have done some other ones, too.

00:26:40

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

Wow, Amazing work.

00:26:42

Jamey Aebersold

For piano players who don't know how to play without having that root in the left hand - my voicings on these and other people’s voicings written out in bass and treble clef have been extremely popular and helpful.

00:26:57

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

Yes, I certainly found them helpful. And on the business side, were there any challenges or snags in terms of copyright or like packaging or distribution that you had to learn because you were kind of like a record company too?

00:27:16

Jamey Aebersold

Oh yeah. Well, I had to pay copyright on the printed songs. I still do twice a year on songs that other people wrote like George Gershwin and Cole Porter and so forth. Those are controlled by maybe Hal Leonard or Alfred or other companies and every six months I count up what we sold and pay them a royalty. Oh, way back there when we got the volume six and seven and eight with Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins tunes.

00:27:44

I consulted with some lawyers and if you don't record the melody, you don't pay a royalty because chord progressions are not copyrightable.

00:27:55

And that has stayed the same through the years because the next argument is, well, if they are, who gets a royalty for the blues?

00:28:05

You know, so we've passed around the various II V I's (two-five-ones.) And cycles and sequences that have become so popular in American popular music over the last hundred years that there's no way you could define things. I mean, there's things like Giant Steps by John Coltrane. That seems to be fairly unique but if you look at it carefully, it seems like it kind of came from that bridge to Have You Met Miss Jones? It's a give and take in the harmony world and the melody world. But back to your question about people using them and so forth and how did they get started? I think they got started little by little. And then, that's how a lot of people learned how to play. I still have people today that come up to me and or they write and they say, "Jamey, I've got your volume three back in 1972 and that's the best thing I ever did. I had no idea what was going on and that clarified a lot of things. Then I went and listened to records. I can hear those same sequences happening. And I felt like I was making some progress."

00:29:02

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

Yes. So, speaking of getting them to more people - Some of these questions came from the community. This one I remember who it came from, this is from Nick, who is the trombone player for the Carole King Broadway show. He asked "The streaming model is very popular right now. What do you think of it? And would you consider making your playa-long tracks available on streaming platforms?"

00:29:25

Jamey Aebersold

Well, actually, we already have it, but we haven't advertised it to the public yet. We've been working with the jazz camps and other things this year. And now we're through our jazz camps - we're two weeks past it. It's just about time to do it. (Also, we are launching Aebersold E books and audio! We already have some available on line. Added 8-28-19.)

00:29:41

We've got about, I'm going to guess and say 1300 tracks, 1400 tracks, you know, everything. You can buy them now for 79 cents. And we're also right now, as we speak, we're working on e-books for all the titles that we own. And the next thing would be to come to an agreement with the copyright holders for the standards. You know, like Summertime and There Will Never Be Another You, etc. And then clarify that. And then we would probably have all the eBooks, all the play-alongs, and all those supplementary books that we publish, which are probably, I don't know, 50, 60, 70, 80 books, you know, basslines, piano voicings, this, that, and the stuff that we publish and put all that online.

00:30:27

And I suspect that it would be a big, big help for people who want learn to play music.

00:30:33

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

Yeah, that's unbelievable the amount of people that will then be able to access it and the new generation of iPads, phones, etc.

00:30:40

Jamey Aebersold

A new generation, that's for sure.

00:30:43

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

Yes. So just one just one more question about the recordings: You've work with so many legendary jazz musicians and have played on these play-alongs. Is there something that in common with them that makes them particularly great at improvising?

00:31:02

Jamey Aebersold

I would say enthusiasm, number one. Enthusiasm for spreading the word about jazz education, because when I started way back in 1967, jazz education was just getting started. And this whole idea, like my Volume 1, on the very first book, I didn't even have transposed parts. I just had everything in C, I had the chord progression to All the Things You Are in C, but I couldn't write all of it out because they wouldn't give me the copyright - wouldn't give me permission. So, I wrote the introduction of eight measures to All the Things You Are. And then I couldn't even write out the changes. Then finally I wrote the changes, and finally I just dropped the track altogether. But I was going to say, enthusiasm by the people that were making these play-alongs, because I think they realized, especially for the first 10 years or so, that they were becoming part of jazz educational history. By the time we got to 10 years later, I was probably writing the scales out for everybody. And there were some jazz professionals who felt like, "Jamey, that's not the thing to do. They're supposed to learn this by ear." And by that time, I was already using at my camps an overhead projector and screen and putting transparencies up of the songs that the people were playing on. I can still remember one and one piano player saying "Jamey, I wish you wouldn’t do that. What are you talking about? Oh, putting that screen up - it's very distracting." I said, "well, look, if it's distracting to you then you just play and shut your eyes.

00:32:47

Okay, because I'm leaving it up on the screen for all those people that have no idea what's going on. I think speaking about and answering your question about the legendary musicians that are on the play-along with their creativity and their professionalism plays into it. It's like they didn't get up and play like, "oh, man, this is just an old educational  track for five minutes. I'll just play the same line on the bass over and over and over and over. None of that ever occurred." Or I think I probably would have spoken up and said, "pardon me, are we all awake? You know, you have you cashed that check yet?" I think also these people that I hired, they all knew something about the history of jazz and they'd all grown up listening so they could realize while they were doing this how valuable this was going to be. Just think, they're making a record in New York City or they are in Jamey's basement. And within five or six months, maybe less, this LP will be in Afghanistan. It'll be in Singapore, Hong Kong or who knows where. And the booklet will be copied on that early copy paper. I forget what they call it. It's kind of purple like stuff. And this book is going to be copied all around the world and passed around for people that can't actually buy it. Of course, nowadays it's just once one copy is out there and somebody puts it out, and scans it and puts it on(line) it's free for everybody. Yeah, and I don't approve of that. That's terrible.

00:34:18

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

Yeah. The books and so much of music has changed because of the MP3 being able to be copied like that as well.

00:34:29

Jamey Aebersold

But I think that's where our senators and representatives have really not taking care of business, because I think it was 19--, excuse me, it was 2012. They had a bill about copyright. I couldn't wait for them to get in session, but Wikipedia and some other big sites shut down for the day in protest as though to say, "how dare you, senators, trying to stop us from giving Jamey's stuff away." That was the end of that. Nobody said anything, it has been seven years. They've ruined my business and not only mine, but hundreds of other people to.

00:35:04

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

So, what are musicians to do these days? You know, our main product in the past of intellectual property and recordings and books are losing their value, people won't pay for them. What should the next generations of jazz musician, do, given they're in a totally different financial atmosphere? How can we prepare for that and deal with that and have the music thrive when it's so hard to be compensated for it?

00:35:33

Jamey Aebersold

I think they should do what their parents told them to do: "don't steal." Yeah, I mean, that's the simple answer. Don't steal. But of course, in today's political climate with, pardon my French, the worst president in my memory, lying, stealing and cheating is part of the normal thing and it's going to take even longer to dig out. If music, publishing, audio and print ever digs out of this - I don't know.

00:36:05

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

It seems very hard to undo once it's been done. So yeah. I hope there is some way to do that. On Mindful mediation podcast we often talk about personal growth practices and spiritual practices of the people we interview. And in your bio, it says you're very much interested in metaphysics and spiritual pursuits as they apply to the growth of the individual. I was going to ask you if you could say something about that and what that means.

00:36:37

Jamey Aebersold

Well, I. I think I was about 5 years old. A neighbor took me and my two brothers to a Methodist church here in New Albany, Indiana. And then after several months, I think my mom and dad started going to that church. They owned a florist shop and were open on Sundays. So, my dad closed up the shop on Sundays and we all went to church. So, we kind of grew up in the Methodist church. Once I got married back in 1961 and started checking out metaphysical things - Edgar Cayce, Paramahansa Yogananda, Unity with Charles Fillmore. It was a different way to think. It was still what I would call, what would you call it? I was going to say Christianity, I'm not sure that's right. Spirituality, I guess. Where the emphasis was on doing right as opposed to doing wrong and ending up in hell. So, for a long time I had heaven and hell in my mind. And then finally I gradually erased both of them. And I think today I'm celebrating my 80th birthday a week ago Sunday. So, today, I'm thinking more of how about what goes on today with Jamey Aebersold. So that what I'm responsible for, the past is over, and the future is not here yet. What can I do today to enhance planet Earth? So that's sort of the way I think. I still go to a discussion group over at UNITY of Louisville, which is just about 10,15 minutes from my house in Indiana. There is a very good speaker/leader. It's a discussion group. Gerry Boylan leads and he's been through a lot of things in his life, a lot of drugs, a lot of addictions.

00:38:20

And he was raised Catholic. So, there was a lot of boundaries that he had to cross. But he's an excellent teacher and I look forward to going over and being inspired by him each week. And I think this sort of rolls over into the music because jazz is truth. It's also freedom. But boy, you can't shuck and jive. You know what that means? Well, when you're shucking and jiving is when you're trying to fool other people into thinking that what you're doing is the real thing. You can't shuck and jive when you're playing jazz. You are keeping your place, you're playing with a good sound, and you're following the harmony, and you're also playing what you hear in your mind or you're not. And when you're not then what are you playing? "Oh, I'm playing gibberish." What does that mean? "I'm just letting my fingers go loose. I'm playing high, I'm playing loud, I'm playing a lot of notes." And pardon me, sir or madam, why are you doing that? "Well, it's jazz and I've heard people do it on the radio." I said, "well, show me the example and let me check it out." So, of course, when I listen, I say, "ok, could you hear that that's the E minor scale there? Going to an A seventh? Right there. Hear that note? That's a sharp nine. That's there on purpose because that person is hearing in their mind. What you're playing you're not even hearing in your mind. So, what you're actually playing is not yours because you couldn't begin to repeat it.

00:39:42

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

Yes. So, there's a unity of expression and sincerity of expression.

00:39:48

Jamey Aebersold

It's like, well, Art Blakey said it best. I think he said it to a tenor saxophone player. He said something like, let me see if I get this right. "Play what's there. People don't want to hear you lying'." I read that once and I said, oh, boy, that sure applies to all of us at some stage in our lives, you know, "play what’s there, don't people don't want to hear you lying'." And that's what good solos are, truth. And that's what the musicians are thinking and playing at that moment.

00:40:17

You come back 10 minutes later and ask him to play the same tune to take the same solo, take another solo over the same harmony and it's going to be completely different. That's the neat thing about it. What's the word they use? It's ever-new. Like every instance is new. In Metaphysics it’s called Bliss.

00:40:35

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

Yes. Yeah, beautiful. Yeah. So, there's a sincerity to it and there's a presence to it. There's a connection in the present moment where it's sincere yet it's always changing and always new.

00:40:48

Jamey Aebersold

You had one question here, if I could just bring it up, it said:

00:40:51

How do you see the relationship between composing and improvisation? OK, I see that as being the same. Because you're composing when you're improvising. And if you sit down and write a tune, you should be, and usually are taking what you're hearing in your mind. Putting the harmony to it, putting a melody to it, putting some rhythm with it. And you're deciding what the bass player should play, what the drummers should play and what the piano or the guitar should play behind the melody. Of course, once the melody is stated, then you're improvising across the harmony that you designed yourself. But I feel like composing and improvising is - when people are improvising, they are composing and when people are composing, they are improvising.

00:41:32

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

And what about the aspect of composing that you're cultivating something like you're changing it, you go back to it. It happens more over time instead of in the moment?

00:41:45

Jamey Aebersold

Are you thinking now of composing where you are writing the stuff down on paper?

00:41:49

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

Oh, yeah. Yes.

00:41:51

Jamey Aebersold

Ok. The paper stuff. Yes. Things can definitely get changed. I hear a great melody or harmony or something or phrase. Soon as we end this conversation, I go over to the piano, I get my paper out, write it down, play it on the piano. I come back later tonight and it may be completely new to me. And I say, oh, wow. Now that should go this way and this - in other words, my composing is changing because I hear it differently than I heard it when we were talking on the phone. Nowadays when I write a tune, I usually sit down and just kind of write it and within 10, 15 minutes, I probably have it written out. But I've been doing this a long time too.

00:42:29

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

So, it really is an extension of improvising. It's almost instant in the how it comes out.

00:42:35

Jamey Aebersold

Yes, it's definitely an extension of improvising. Yes. I'll tell you one other thing - I can't overstate how important the piano is in composing and improvising and theory and understanding harmony and just having fun playing music and being excited about the next time I get to play with a rhythm section is without mentioning the importance of the piano. The piano, I started when I was five years old. I took lessons every week for five years and at age 10, I went to the lesson. She stopped me as I started to play, and she said, "Here, here's your money back. You go on home. You'll never be a musician. You don't want to practice." And I avoided piano then for probably a year because I was afraid if I expressed interest in it, my parents would have me back practicing every day on it, you know, but the piano is the master instrument for me in everything that I do.

00:43:29

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

Yes. So the piano is like the whole the whole ensemble in a way...

00:43:34

Jamey Aebersold

Yeah.

00:43:35

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

Yeah, as a pianist, I can totally relate to that. The last thing I wanted to ask is kind of a silly thing but we all know your count-offs so well. We've heard them hundreds of times, if not thousands. Would you mind giving us one of your famous medium-tempo count-offs?

00:43:51

Jamey Aebersold

I'd love to. Are you ready?

00:43:55

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

I'm ready.

00:43:56

Jamey Aebersold

One, two, One, two, three, four ----

00:44:01

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

That's great. Thank you. When I asked the community for questions, there were just such an outpouring of gratitude for everyone saying they wore out your play-alongs and the books and it demystified, something that was very mysterious and exciting and it really aided to all of our journeys. So, I just want to pass that on more than anything. Thank you for supporting so many of us in our journey of learning music and jazz.

00:44:35

Jamey Aebersold

Delighted to do it. I tell you.

Find more about Jamey Aebersold at:   

Website featuring Books and Bio:  http://www.jazzbooks.com

NEA Jazz Masters page:https://www.arts.gov/honors/jazz/jamey-aebersold

Find more about The Mindful Musician Podcast at:   

http://www.mattoestreicher.com/themindfulmusician

Matt Oestreicher(Host)

http://www.mattoestreicher.com

An Essential Music Career Skill: ASKING FOR WHAT YOU WANT and LEARNING TO DEAL WITH REJECTION

If you intend to get what you want, at some point and in some form, you will have to ask for it.  You can become almost anything if you consistently ask for it and show up ready for it.  If you haven’t expressed that you want something and you wait for it to come to you, it will take forever if it even comes at all.  You have to ask. and keep asking.  You’d be surprised the number of opportunities that go to the person who is there to take them rather than the most qualified person.  

A GUIDE TO ASKING FOR WHAT YOU WANT and for DEALING WITH REJECTION:

1. REFRAME WHAT REJECTION MEANS AND CHANGE YOUR EXPECTATIONS:   aim for 100 rejections.  That way, I am expecting rejections and it’s a bonus if I don’t get rejected.  Of course, this does not mean to give up before you start or to ask in a defeated way.  

2. REJECTION IS NOT BAD:   remember that every rejection brings you closer to an acceptance.   

3. REJECTION IS NOT PERSONAL:   Untie rejection from your self-worth.   Rejection means that you don’t have whatever that particular gatekeeper is looking for at that moment.  It doesn’t mean that you are a flawed person and it doesn’t mean that you are bad at what you do.  

4. APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN:  rejection is a chance to refine your pitch/ product.  It’s a practice.

5. RESPOND WELL WHEN YOU ARE REJECTED:   you never know if the same person who rejects you now will need your services in the future.  Thank them for taking the time to answer you and be gracious.  

6. BROADEN YOUR OPPORTUNITIES:     if you are to practice asking for what you want you may not want to ask for the thing you most want first.  Try to pick at least 10 things that you want but are not attached to.   You can start by asking for these. If your confidence grows after the first one or two then go for what you most want.

7. PLAY THE LONG GAME i.e. DON’T GIVE UP:  it’s often those who hang around long enough i.e. keep trying who become successful.  They eventually become the person that people know and call when they need that particular service.

8. FOCUS ON WHAT THE PERSON YOU ARE TALKING TO WANTS:   remember to think of what they are getting from the situation.  If you are asking to play at a venue focus on what you are offering them.  What kind of audience can you bring, what is special about your performance.  Remember, the interest of the venue might be completely different than your interest - some venues will take chances and be supportive of great original music but many of them will have an overriding need to sell drinks and that’s really what your job is. If you want the job, how can you help them do that?  

SO START REACHING OUT TO PEOPLE IF YOU HAVEN’T BEEN ALREADY! 

Here’s y(our) homework: 

what will your next 10 reach outs be and when will you reach out to them?  

LEARNING FROM FAILURE

Most of us are taught at an early age that failing at something is bad/wrong/shameful.  

Let’s dispel that myth right now.  Failure is a necessary part of success (at least for 99% of people.)   Part of a recipe for success is the willingness to get right back up each time you fail.  

A personal example: 

I have recently failed: On the first post of this blog I stated that my goal was to release my music EP by April 1 2018.  I ended up releasing it on September 14.  I missed the mark by a whole 5 and 1/2 months.  Why?  Sure sometimes things take longer than expected.  Maybe it’s hard to schedule with the guest musicians, maybe the mastering engineer is backed up for a few months.  In this case, none of those things happened.  Sure, I could make the excuse I was busy opening a show on 42nd street (http://smokeyjoescafemusical.com) but even that is not a valid excuse.  The music was done for April 1st.  The one and only thing that stopped me from releasing it on time was fear.  I thought that maybe I could get a better vocal take, I could EQ the guitar a little better, - but I did none of that.  Here are the lessons that I take from this failure:   

Your first creative release(s) are not likely to be “perfect” but at some point you have to let them go.  Here are the benefits of letting them go on the sooner side: 

1. you learn from the experience of releasing them and getting feedback on them

2. you clear your palette to create something new

3. you have a chance to create other opportunities

4. you begin to or continue to create/add to your body of work  

In summary, if you are waiting to release something that you made and you are not doing anything to make it better STOP WAITING AND LET IT GO! 

FAQ: WHEN AM I READY TO START PERFORMING AS A MUSICIAN/SINGER?

WHEN TO GET OUT THERE AND START SHARING YOUR CRAFT AS A MUSICIAN

As i’ve switched my focus from producing, arranging, and accompanying, to performing as a solo artist I’ve had to ask myself “when is it time to get out there and start performing?”   Although I’ve performed all over the world as an instrumentalist it doesn’t mean that I get to go right back to those same venues and perform as a vocalist/songwriter. In a sense, my new presentation demands that I start back at the beginning.  One question I’ve had to ask myself is “when am I ready to start performing?” Here are my thoughts around this:

New endeavors, especially ones as vulnerable as singing for a crowd, can inspire fear. If you listen to this fear, the right time to start will never come. You will keep delaying until the pain of not starting becomes greater than the fear - and that may never happen.  So how do you decide when it’s time? While the jist of my advice centers around starting on the sooner side - I want to add that starting too early can work against you. It can discourage you from wanting to try again or it can burn bridges with booking agents, venues, or audiences.  That said, here is my answer:

1. EXPERIENCE IS THE BEST TEACHER.  You will learn more and improve a lot faster from going out there and performing than you will from rehearsing and/or from practicing.  Also, the more you are out there performing, the easier it will be to hone in on the things that you need to practice the most.

2. TAKE HALF A STEP INTO THE RING.  You can find partial ways to start performing (ex: open mics, sit in on other peoples performances, perform for friends and relatives.)  

3. PREPARE YOURSELF AND MAKE YOUR NEXT STEP EASY TO VISUALIZE.  If you want to perform at a certain venue go there and watch someone else perform there.  See what the audience is like. See what the stage is like. This will allow you to have the clearest vision possible of what it will be like when you perform there. Sometimes just seeing it is enough to make you feel prepared to do it yourself.  

4. GET FEEDBACK.   Find 1 or 2 trusted friends or family who will give you honest feedback that can help you.  Be careful to choose people who support you on your goals and mission.

5. TRUST YOURSELF.  The timing will never be perfect.  Don’t expect to be perfect in the beginning.  Bands like The Beatles and Phish played hundreds or even thousands of shows before they built the audience that they ultimately reached.  You will have to go through a learning curve no matter when you start. Start when you are ready or even a little before you think you’re ready.

FAQ: IS MUSIC A GOOD CAREER CHOICE FOR ME/MY CHILD?

IS MUSIC A GOOD CAREER CHOICE FOR ME/MY CHILD? 

Should my child become a professional musician?   This is the question I get most often from conscientious dads/moms who want to make sure their child chooses a field that will enable them to have stable income and employment.   

My answer:  No. 

Here are the reasons:

1. If you are looking for economic stability in your chosen field, music is probably one of the worst fields to choose.    

No explanation necessary, this is the very reason why people ask this question. 

2. When something you love becomes your profession you will have to do a number of tasks that do not relate to your passion. 

 A successful music career involves spending a large part of your day on non-musical tasks. For example:  

curating social media content

updating your website

booking performances/ scheduling with musicians

researching venues, music blogs, music services, 

promoting your performances

and the list goes on and on and on

Popular advice right now is to spend 50% of your work time on music and the other 50% on the business side of your career.

Question if you would be better served by keeping music as a hobby where you can focus on only the parts of it that you like.  

3. Revenue streams are drying up:

How many CD’s have bought lately?  How much music in general have you and your friends purchased lately?   When I was growing up, every spare cent was allocated towards the newest cassette or CD purchase at Tower Records, Coconuts, or Sam Goody (none of which exist anymore - hint,hint)

4.  It’s very difficult to become established as a solo artist:

The sheer amount of individuals and groups putting out original music now makes it very difficult to cut through all of the noise and to get heard in order to build an audience.  A vast majority of people who attempt to make a career of their own music do not succeed.    It’s hard to find accurate statistics, but surveys like the following suggest that over 90% of artists are “undiscovered.”

https://www.musictimes.com/articles/3563/20140121/youre-musician-chances-totally-undiscovered-new-study.htm

Here are the reasons to go into music: 

1. Perhaps your stability job isn’t that stable after all: 

Every day there are new stories in the news about other fields that will be destabilized by technology -  truck drivers, lawyers, cab drivers, food service workers, retailers, have already felt the changes.  You may end up choosing a job for security only to realize there is no security to be found - now you have the worst of both worlds.    

2. New revenue streams are being created:

Sites like Patreon, Indiegogo, Kickstarter, Pledgemusic, and more are allowing music to connect with fans directly for support.   

You can make passive income for years with songs that are streaming on platforms like: spotify, tidal, apple music, and pandora.

3. If the idea of reading this and making a pragmatic decision about whether to go into music or not makes you furious and nothing can dissuade you.

Use that passion to fuel your career in music everyday and will your way to a successful career.  

4. If you can’t do anything else:  you think of, dream of, music all day every day and you believe that it’s what you’re put on earth to do.  

There’s nothing stopping someone who will not be denied from having success in the music industry.  If you show up hungry every day and do whatever it takes you will succeed.  However, don’t expect that you will succeed immediately.  You need to be able to give it at least a couple of years. If you don’t find the success that you are looking for in 6 months and are discouraged, perhaps you don’t have the passion that you thought you had for it.  

FAQ: SHOULD I AUDITION FOR AMERICAN IDOL OR THE VOICE (or another similar kind of show)

Many aspiring singers that I know have asked me about auditioning for American Idol or The Voice.  

Here are 6 things that TV shows like American Idol and The Voice teach you about having a career in the music business that are not true:

1. Vocal acrobatics are more important than melody or lyrics.  

No.  A song can be powerful without unnecessary vocal embellishments.   Meaningful lyrics, an expressive voice, or a pleasant melody can be enough to make a performance great

2. You have to be young to succeed in music.     (This is particularly related to American Idol that has had an age cap of 24 and 28)

In an age where the gatekeepers of the music industry are largely gone, people of all ages can release music directly to the public allowing anyone to build a fan base.  

3. Every song has to have a big dramatic moment  

Also No.  The song with a quick intro/verse and then a huge dramatic moment with lights and explosions is a good TV device to keep people watching but it’s a very over-the-top way to bring energy to a song.   

4. Great artists need to be liked by a majority of people and by “judges” 

No.    Many singers/artists have successful careers by appealing to a very specific fanbase or niche.  You don’t need millions of fans to have a successful music career.  Many beloved artists are polarizing - they are loved by some and hated by others.  

5. Music is a competition 

Music is not an olympic event.  Ask a great musician or singer what music is to them and why they do it.  The word competition is not likely to come up.  

6. If you win your career is all set and you are guaranteed long-term success     

You don’t have to look far to learn that many past winners of these shows are struggling:  Here are some articles:

https://www.thelist.com/86123/american-idol-winners-cant-find-work/

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-voice-success-for-winners_us_5a0b545ee4b00a6eece4e116

If you do want to do these shows - heres a positive way to approach it:

1. Don’t think it’s your golden ticket

You will have to work hard and work consistently regardless of what happens on this show.

2.  Know that even if you win you might lose    

There are contestants who purposely tried not to win as the finale came nearer due to the restrictive contract that they would have to enter into.  

**article for reference: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/american-idol-winner-files-bold-767088

3. Look at it as one event in your career and as a chance for exposure and not as something that defines you.  

4. Keep doing you

 If you are not a singer with a big and dramatic voice don’t become that for the show.  The people who see you and like what you do naturally will be true fans that you can keep well after the show is over

It DOESN'T Get Better

  We love movies with stories that move forward towards a goal or towards a great achievement.  In our careers and personal lives we work towards goals believing that they will bring us happiness.  

What if what you are doing now is as great as anything that you will accomplish in the future?  

What if wherever you are in your life and career right now is essential and inseparable from whatever you will achieve in the future?  

What if this part of the journey is as important and as great as any other part?  

What happiness can be gleamed from the simple fact that you are on the path* right now?  For example, what if playing music today for a few people in a small bar is as great as playing for thousands of people in a stadium?   In my experience it can be.  The gift and joy of being able to express ourselves through our art does not necessarily change or get better as ones career progresses.  You don’t need to look for happiness at the end of the rainbow.  To be on the path at all is a cause for great happiness and appreciation.  

*The path refers to any path of growth, self-actualization, self-realization, artistic development

Essential aspects of a career in music: Focus and Commitment

  Until they become the same, keep a balance of work for livelihood and work for your dream. 

Maybe in the beginning its 90% livelihood work and 10% passion work.  In music usually one can start closer to 80/20 because it’s already a luxury if music pays for your livelihood at all.    You can gradually shift that percentage towards 50/50 and then, hopefully, beyond that. 

You are competing(for lack of a better word) against people who are able to put 100% of their time into their music so your 20% must be focused and consistent.  Short consistent practice beats occasional marathon sessions.  The 80% of your work may eat up a lot of your energy but if the 20% is taken (at least) as seriously as the 80% then you will see results and progress.

Making an album from the artist perspective vs. from the marketing perspective.

Making an album from the artist perspective vs. from the marketing perspective.

The artist mind will begin working on an album asking: How can I express myself and my creativity?

The marketing mind will begin working on an album asking: What audience am I making this for?  

They are opposites.  Artists wants to express their inner vision,  the marketing person wants to make something that reaches a group of people.  

To only listen to your inner vision can be naive.  

To only think about the target audience can be shallow and calculated. 

 Strike a balance.  

Many artists are repulsed by the idea that their album should be calculated.  

Marketing people don’t take people seriously who say their album “doesn’t sound like anyone else” or is “totally original.”   

A middle ground must be struck for the artist who is conscious about building their career.  

Separate your ego from your product:  Of course it won’t encompass everything about who you are as an artist.  Live concerts can showcase aspects of the artist that is not captured on the studio recordings.  

The album is a product while the artist can be a process. 

Frequently Asked Question: Should I make my album by myself or should I collaborate?

Should I collaborate or should I do it alone?

Think about the song man in the mirror by Michael Jackson. It was a #1 song.  People listened to it and said “Michael Jackson is great, I want to buy his cd/go see him in concert.” Meanwhile, look at the credits:

• Written and composed by Siedah Garrett and Glen Ballard
• Produced by Quincy Jones
• Co-Produced by Michael Jackson
• Michael Jackson: Solo & background vocals
  • Featuring Siedah Garrett, The Winans and The Andrae Crouch Choir
• Ollie E. Brown: Clap
• Dann Huff: Guitar
• Greg Phillinganes: Keyboards
• Glen Ballard, Randy Kerber: Synthesizers
• Siedah Garrett: Background vocals
• The Winans: Carvin, Marvin, Michael and Ronald Winans
  • Andrae Crouch and his Choir: Sandra Crouch, Maxi Anderson, Rose Banks, Geary Faggett, Vonciele Faggett, Andrew Gouche, Linda Green, Pattie Howard, Jean Johnson, Perry Morgan, Alfie Silas, Roberto Noriega
• Rhythm arrangement by Glen Ballard and Quincy Jones
• Synthesizer arrangement by Glen Ballard, Quincy Jones and Jerry Hey
• Vocal arrangement by Andrae Crouch

Michael Jackson only sang on it and co-produced it yet the average listener hears it and will give all the credit to him.  Of course it's not their fault, the radio DJ will only say "That was Human Nature by Michael Jackson." Spotify will only say "Human Nature by Michael Jackson."  There are some of the worlds greatest musicians/producers listed above but people are used to giving all credit to the person whose name is on the album.  Because of this, most people who hear your music for the first time won't know or care who played what. They'll only be deciding if they like it or not. That's why you have to hit them with the best possible product.  If you can get someone to play bass (or any other instrument) who is been devoting their whole life to be great at that instrument and it sounds even 1% better than you playing the part yourself then it may be worth using that person. 

Frequently Asked Question: I want to learn to record myself. What gear/equiptment do I need?

Here is a list of gear for a first home recording setup.  There are virtually infinite possibilities when it comes to choosing/adding recording gear.  An important principle is to make the most of what you have and to add as necessity dictates.  

1. A computer:   a computer will allow you to record digitally 

2. Recording software - otherwise known as a DAW(digital audio workstation.)  A DAW allows you to record music with maximum flexibility for editing and postproduction.  

    Most popular DAWs: Logic, Pro Tools, Ableton, Garage Band

3.  An interface:    an interface connects the computer with musical instruments or with microphones 

    three examples of (relatively) inexpensive interfaces:  Focusrite Scarlett, Apogee ONE, NI Complete Audio  

4. A Microphone -  3 (relatively) inexpensive options:   Shure SM57, Shure SM58, Audio Technica AT2020

5. Microphone Stand  

6. A pop filter - a pop filter eliminates annoying pop sounds that can occur when singing or speaking

7. Cables - USB cable for interface to laptop, XLR cable for microphone to interface, 1/4 inch cable for instrument to interface 

8. Headphones - so you can hear the music back and so you can avoid “bleed” (when sound is unintentionally picked up when recording.)

Frequently Asked Question: I want to record my music(single, EP, or Album) for the first time, what do I need to know?

The recording process is traditionally divided into three stages: 

1. PREPRODUCTION:  this includes writing the song, being able to perform it properly, choosing how and with whom to record it

2. PRODUCTION: this involves actually recording the song.  You may record it one instrument at a time or with a group playing simultaneously.  Each instrument will be on its own "track" so they can be individually adjusted.  

3. POSTPRODUCTION: this involves editing, adding effects, mixing, and mastering

What is MIXING?:  The blending and balancing of the tracks together. This will involve adjusting each individual track to help it to fit into the whole.  

What is MASTERING?: after the individual tracks are mixed, the mix as a whole can benefit from certain adjustments  (for example - adjusting overall volume, compression, noise reduction, stereo width)

While you may get the best results from using one mix engineer and a separate mastering engineer for their recordings, to save time and money people often have the person doing the mixing also do the mastering.  Another alternative is to use new software(such as landr) that will “master” the song for you.    

This can all be done on your own laptop with a microphone or an interface or it can be done at a studio.

Get To Know The Players

PURPOSE: When you are starting as a musical artist, how do you get a clearer sense of your path beyond knowing that you want to be "successful"?  

BLOG:

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. There may be some unique things about you as an artist but in all likelihood, there are some other artists that you are similar to in important ways.  Here's an exercise to help you to get to know the territory.  Who are 5-10 well known artists that you are like?   Let’s call that the “A” group.

Now pick another 5-10 artists that are similar to you who are a level of popularity below that.  Let’s call that the “B” group.

 And one more time pick 5-10 artists who are a level of popularity below that.  Let’s call that the “C” group.

Naming and defining these 3 groups will help you get to know the map of where you are going:

You can research things like: 

what venues are those artists playing at?  

Which artists are they co-billing with?  

How do they use social media?  

What are their fans like?  

While the A group might be inspirational, the C group will more likely show you what your next steps should look like.  

most likely, everybody recognizes some of the names in the A group but if you can’t name and are not fans of artists in the B and C category then you don’t have a map for your next steps.  In addition, you have a much better chance of connecting with and learning from the artists in your B and C groups. 

APPLICATION: Who are your A, B, and C groups?  What can you learn from them? For example, What venues are the C artists playing at?  What sort of image do they project through their website and social media? 

Understand that there is a difference between Music and The Music Business

PURPOSE: a piece of wisdom that I wish someone told me when I was getting started in music.  

BLOG:  

In the world of professional musicians everybody is good.  Not everybody is having financial success.   Music and the business of music are two totally different things.  One can be an amazing musician and not have any financial success or one can be a decent musician and have tremendous financial success.   If you go into the music business thinking that you will make money just because you are a great musician, there is a good chance that you will be very disappointed.   If you look around and realize that you are as good as most of the successful musicians out there but you are not having success yourself, then music is probably not the skill that you need to hone.   Start to look at the business as it’s own entity.  As someone wise once advised me: “Wear your musician hat sometimes and wear your business hat other times, but never let them in the same room.”

APPLICATION:  Make a study of the business of music in a similar way that you study music itself.  

A Blog about the music business for aspiring performers, writers, producers, etc.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

I’ve been very lucky to have lived out my dreams as a musician.  I’ve had the chance to play with and work with many of my childhood musical heros. Music has allowed me to travel the world many times spending time in the Middle East, India, China, all over Europe, and North America. As a youth I didn’t know anyone who was successful in the music business - I had to learn everything by trying, failing, and trying again. I have treasured and made a study of this learning process.  As a person with a love for teaching, I’m often asked for advice from aspiring musicians.  If the person wants to be an instrumentalist, this advice is easy to draw from my own experience.  However, more and more I’ve been asked about advice for aspiring singer/songwriter/artists.     I have certainly worked with many singer/songwriters but I have not pursued that path myself.  In the spirit of Gandhi who would not give advice unless he himself had direct experience in the subject, I will attempt to take steps on the singer/songwriter path.  I will lay out every step that I take and the philosophy behind it.  I will also add some of the most valuable lessons that I have learned in the past.  This blog is for anyone who is taking sincere strides to add positivity to the world through sharing their art.  Though we live in a culture that is competitive, I believe that it is best for all and most true to our nature to freely share wisdom and knowledge.  

#1 Make Something

Wisdom piece:  A quote from producer Brian Grazer “It doesn’t have to be great, it just has to exist”

you have to make something.  It doesn’t matter how good you are if people have no way to hear or to know what you do.   Let go of any perfectionism at the point.  Most people don’t love their 1st albums, 1st composition, 1st whatever.  Put out something and then continue to develop your artistry.   You will learn far more by taking a project to completion than by waiting for for perfection.  Nothing on this earth is perfect.  

Put stuff out. Let me rephrase that: be good, and then put stuff out.  Focus on consistent strong releases.  It used to be that a musician could put out an album every few years and build a career.   That time is over. The power is continuing to move away from the big record companies into the hands of the individual artists.  Get on a regular schedule of releasing music, blogs, videos, and whatever other content you create.  

Application:  Albums used to be the standard format for releasing music.  Nowadays its more common to release an EPs (see below) or singles(single songs.)  

Definition:  An EP (short for extended play) is a musical recording that contains more music than a single, but is usually too short to qualify as a full studio album or LP.  An EP typically has 3-5 songs.  

Personal Goal:  Release an EP by April 1 2018

What is YOUR goal for a release?