Hey, we have to talk...
A disclaimer before we continue: I am not a perfect human, and Lord knows there are people out there who think poorly of me, but having witnessed, experienced or committed these acts of bad manners myself, I feel this is a conversation worth having.
Basic manners:
Say "please", say "thank you", hold the door for people coming through right behind you... did you learn these things?
Musicians, we have a code of conduct to uphold. It is one of decency and respect towards one another in the workplace. Does this sound much like an HR policy? Well, it should. This is our passion and our job-- no matter whether you work in an office or work as an indie musician, you have to have some professional manners.
Here are some helpful pointers for working musicians:
DON'T BE A DICK. I figured I'd get this out of the way. Some people don't know how much talent they have, but some people are afflicted with a seriously inflated view of themselves and their talents. Whatever high (or low) view you have of yourself, make sure nobody knows about it. Keep that to yourself. The music business has a pretty competitive nature to it-- so if you are a serious competitor, practice good sportsmanship. Be gracious. Do your thing, and do it well, but be a nice person.
BE UP FRONT ABOUT MONEY. Yes, music is a passion for all of us. Yes, we're all friggin' poor and we all love music and are in it together. But at a certain point, you have to act professionally about it. Music-- the passion it is-- is also a service rendered. It's time, it's effort, it's talent. We all deserve the professional courtesy of at least having a conversation about money. This doesn't apply to everything, but if you ask someone to play on your album or ask someone to join you on a gig that will take a fair amount of prep time and effort, at least talk about money, even if you can't pay, or pay much.
Even saying that, I sometimes refuse to let people pay me-- I have my set of projects and people I will always play for whether they pay or not, but the thing is, I work with those people because they pay when they can and no matter what, I know that they respect me and my contribution... and it doesn't hurt that I love making music with them.
Anyway, just talk about it. Money isn't really the point here. It's the courtesy of knowing that we all deserve to get paid for what we do professionally, and that we respect one another's professional time and effort.
USE OFFICIAL PROMOTION TOOLS AND RESOURCES WHEN AVAILABLE. Why give yourself more work when it has already been done for you, and probably better? If a larger organization has kindly booked you for a show and has provided ample official press and promotional materials for you to use that lists the show info and the lineup, then don't launch a counter-campaign with your name in capital letters (I'm looking at you, people who make facebook events for literally everything). This divides and confuses fans, hurting your campaign and the official campaign and both of your branding. Also, it's annoying.
PUT YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD. Communicate clearly and professionally. Confirm things. Keep all parties involved in the loop. If you are running obscenely late for a gig, or know it'll be a tight squeeze for schedule, let them know as soon as you can. Update your website. Promote your show or event (appropriately- see above). Shower and wear deoderant. Check your batteries before the show. Don't bleed over on your time slot-- let another band have their moment to shine. Share big gear like drum kits when you can. Make sure everyone who made the show possible knows that you appreciate them and what they do-- publicly thank the venue, whoever put the show on, talk about the other bands on the bill and show your fans some love. Tip your bartender. Don't get wasted before you play. PLEASE. These are so simple, yet it is amazing how many people forget stuff like this.
SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER. This is paramount. We're all doing the best we can and we're all in this together. So much of being an indie musician is fending for yourself, it seems. This can lead to some pretty self-centered and bad behavior. While you are out there promoting your own brand, trying to navigate the overgrown, hostile wilderness of the music business, it is important to remember that you are not traversing this territory alone. You may not know everything and you may have a hard time, but everyone around you has either been there, too, is right there with you, or will experience what you feel, too. You are far from alone in this community-- so embrace it. Connect with one another, ask questions, give advice, lend a helping hand, express interests in others' projects, tell people about their new albums, etc. and --whenever you can swing it-- go to see someone play. Congratulate them on a great show. Every musician everywhere appreciates this. You want to be known as the person who supports others, plus it feels good to get involved. Love your community and they'll love you back.
Sometimes it is really hard to focus on the good parts of being in this business... but there are communities everywhere filled with people with good manners who work hard, wish each other well, and will bond with you over a shared love of music and community.
A disclaimer before we continue: I am not a perfect human, and Lord knows there are people out there who think poorly of me, but having witnessed, experienced or committed these acts of bad manners myself, I feel this is a conversation worth having.
Basic manners:
Say "please", say "thank you", hold the door for people coming through right behind you... did you learn these things?
Musicians, we have a code of conduct to uphold. It is one of decency and respect towards one another in the workplace. Does this sound much like an HR policy? Well, it should. This is our passion and our job-- no matter whether you work in an office or work as an indie musician, you have to have some professional manners.
Here are some helpful pointers for working musicians:
DON'T BE A DICK. I figured I'd get this out of the way. Some people don't know how much talent they have, but some people are afflicted with a seriously inflated view of themselves and their talents. Whatever high (or low) view you have of yourself, make sure nobody knows about it. Keep that to yourself. The music business has a pretty competitive nature to it-- so if you are a serious competitor, practice good sportsmanship. Be gracious. Do your thing, and do it well, but be a nice person.
BE UP FRONT ABOUT MONEY. Yes, music is a passion for all of us. Yes, we're all friggin' poor and we all love music and are in it together. But at a certain point, you have to act professionally about it. Music-- the passion it is-- is also a service rendered. It's time, it's effort, it's talent. We all deserve the professional courtesy of at least having a conversation about money. This doesn't apply to everything, but if you ask someone to play on your album or ask someone to join you on a gig that will take a fair amount of prep time and effort, at least talk about money, even if you can't pay, or pay much.
Even saying that, I sometimes refuse to let people pay me-- I have my set of projects and people I will always play for whether they pay or not, but the thing is, I work with those people because they pay when they can and no matter what, I know that they respect me and my contribution... and it doesn't hurt that I love making music with them.
Anyway, just talk about it. Money isn't really the point here. It's the courtesy of knowing that we all deserve to get paid for what we do professionally, and that we respect one another's professional time and effort.
USE OFFICIAL PROMOTION TOOLS AND RESOURCES WHEN AVAILABLE. Why give yourself more work when it has already been done for you, and probably better? If a larger organization has kindly booked you for a show and has provided ample official press and promotional materials for you to use that lists the show info and the lineup, then don't launch a counter-campaign with your name in capital letters (I'm looking at you, people who make facebook events for literally everything). This divides and confuses fans, hurting your campaign and the official campaign and both of your branding. Also, it's annoying.
PUT YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD. Communicate clearly and professionally. Confirm things. Keep all parties involved in the loop. If you are running obscenely late for a gig, or know it'll be a tight squeeze for schedule, let them know as soon as you can. Update your website. Promote your show or event (appropriately- see above). Shower and wear deoderant. Check your batteries before the show. Don't bleed over on your time slot-- let another band have their moment to shine. Share big gear like drum kits when you can. Make sure everyone who made the show possible knows that you appreciate them and what they do-- publicly thank the venue, whoever put the show on, talk about the other bands on the bill and show your fans some love. Tip your bartender. Don't get wasted before you play. PLEASE. These are so simple, yet it is amazing how many people forget stuff like this.
SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER. This is paramount. We're all doing the best we can and we're all in this together. So much of being an indie musician is fending for yourself, it seems. This can lead to some pretty self-centered and bad behavior. While you are out there promoting your own brand, trying to navigate the overgrown, hostile wilderness of the music business, it is important to remember that you are not traversing this territory alone. You may not know everything and you may have a hard time, but everyone around you has either been there, too, is right there with you, or will experience what you feel, too. You are far from alone in this community-- so embrace it. Connect with one another, ask questions, give advice, lend a helping hand, express interests in others' projects, tell people about their new albums, etc. and --whenever you can swing it-- go to see someone play. Congratulate them on a great show. Every musician everywhere appreciates this. You want to be known as the person who supports others, plus it feels good to get involved. Love your community and they'll love you back.
Sometimes it is really hard to focus on the good parts of being in this business... but there are communities everywhere filled with people with good manners who work hard, wish each other well, and will bond with you over a shared love of music and community.