Rising Above The Bar

Nothing changes your opinion of a friend so surely as success — yours or his.
Franklin P. Jones, Saturday Evening Post, 29 November 1953

I’ve had the opportunity in my life to make some amazing friends inside and out of the Music Business™. It’s been said that we become the average of our five closest friends- financially, mentally, even physically -so much of my own successes and shortcomings can be traced to those with whom I interact. My drive and ambition are owed in no small part to those around me who set the bar fairly high. Conversely, I’ve known plenty of well-intentioned people who simply suffer from the wrong outlook on life, hindering both their future and my own.

One would think that people working in the expressive, soul-freeing art of Music would have nothing but positive enthusiasm for those trying to make a living this way. Any sign of success should be a reason to raise a glass and toast, but the human animal loves to bitch. Case in point, here are some excerpts from blog comments and bulletin boards about my line of work:

Most musicians trying to do it full time after a while either have to go the [garage band]/cover thing or teach lessons…The best bet is to hook up with a rich girl or even better to be gay and hook up with a rich guy.

I’ve just recently discovered how much wedding bands make. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but that seems like it would provide for a pretty decent standard of living and technically it is still music.

But what happens when music becomes ubiquitous and everyone is making it and the price for music drops to zero? That’s the future. For all the arts. Sad but true.

And yet here I am in the middle of a recession making music full-time. I’m not rich (or even middle-class) yet, but I’m selling more tracks and subscriptions than ever, working my way up without playing weddings and Bon Jovi covers. Would you rather associate with the experienced-yet-jaded souls whose only view of the future is warming up with “You Give Love A Bad Name” or those who are making progress, inch by inch, towards a greater goal? Personally, I choose the latter.

The reason I moved from Nashville to Boston was simple: vision. The Music industry, well-entrenched though it may be, is dying in the Music City because the grand vision has moved elsewhere. That vision has become scattered among the collective efforts of independent artists worldwide. Innovation follows vision, so even a deep-pocketed, established industry will fail if they lose their vision. Here in Boston, I have found people with vision, innovation, and a dedication to making something work outside the traditional mindset.

When my friends and colleagues find success, at first I’m a little jealous. Then I try to do what they’ve done, if it fits with my fans and my style. I don’t try to find a reason why they will fail, I try to find a way to make their success mine. In this business you can either jump over that bar or shut the fuck up and go home.

Update: This isn’t to say that people who play cover gigs aren’t successful, but that isn’t success for a songwriter. I know many artists for whom success is playing someone else’s song perfectly- whether it’s Led Zepplin or Rachmaninov -and creating something new from music they didn’t write. I couldn’t be happy doing that for the rest of my life, but God bless the people that can.

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