Introduction

This article was written by

Scott James

Welcome to the Independent Rockstar Blog. My name is Scott James. I’m a musician/web designer who studies business and marketing. Having spent much of my life in independent bands, I understand what it’s like trying to make sense of it all when you’re on your own. As I’ve begun studying business and marketing for my own business, I’ve quickly realized how relevant these principles are to the world of independent music. The problem is that very few artists understand the principles of marketing the same way that successful marketers in the business world do. This spells HUGE opportunity for musicians who are willing to embrace this side of their craft. If you learn how to think like a savvy marketer then you will be MILES ahead of the other artists who are essentially sleepwalking through it.

I’m not interested in dictating to you how I think you should operate. What I’d like to do is to make you more conscious of what’s going on and what you’re really doing and communicating. I want to shed some light on some of the hidden underlying structures that will play a significant role in your success or failure.

You are the CEO of your own career. You take in input and then make your own decisions. Only you can decide what approach is best for you to take. All I can hope to do is to help bring about some awareness and discussion so that we can all learn how to get better results and be more effective CEOs.

To start, let’s explore what “Marketing” really is.

The tricky thing about marketing is that everyone thinks they know something about it. Everyone has ideas about marketing, but for most people, those ideas don’t have a solid foundation. They’re based on untrained intuition.

Consider this; I heard a great definition of marketing recently from a guru named Eben Pagan. “Marketing is the science of finding prospects and turning them into profitable customers for your business.”

How many musicians do you know that consider their marketing to be anything that even remotely resembles a science? There are other angles of marketing too. I do believe that there is an art to it. I believe that you are ALWAYS marketing. The way you hold your guitar – that’s marketing. The way you talk to a fan after a show – that’s marketing. The car you drive – that’s marketing. The biggest opportunity though, for independent artists, is to shift their thinking more towards the science side of things. If you can learn how successful business people think, then you will have a HUGE advantage in running your business.

In case you weren’t aware of it, if you are an independent artist, then yes, you are running a business. It is to your benefit to start thinking like it – at least if you want people to come to your shows and buy your music.

The goal here is to find more fans and learn how to optimize your relationship with them so that you can grow your “business” and give back more. More fans, better shows, more money, better recordings, more options, better lifestyle, more clarity, more contribution.

Most musicians like to stay on the right side of the brain. That’s certainly my natural inclination. Creative people like to create and don’t like to conform to structure or principles. If you want success, however, then I think it’s a good idea to step outside your comfort zone and consider learning a thing or two about the structure of how business and marketing work.

Believe me, I know what you’re thinking. It sounds like math homework. It’s not. For years, anything to do with business just confused and frustrated me. I always just figured that I was just a creative person and that this just wasn’t my thing. In fact, I applied this thinking to many areas of my life. What I eventually found out was that that kind of thinking DOES NOT WORK. If you buy into the myth that because you were born creative, you can’t learn anything that has to do with structure, then you will be forever trapped. You’ll always be floating in the breeze, depending on other people, probably broke and/or profoundly unhappy. The good news is that the myth is a bunch of bullshit and you don’t have to buy into it.

A lot of creative people tend to idealize other creative people who died as young tortured artists. Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Layne Staley, the list goes on and on. By idealizing them, you’re just re-affirming your own beliefs that there is some kind of virtue in rejecting structure and logic. It’s the nature of the ego to always find ways to confirm that you and your thinking are right. This tendency keeps many people trapped for their entire lives.

The reality is that you can do and learn all kinds of things that you’ve probably never thought were even possible. I’ve heard about how circus elephants in some cases, have been tied to immovable structures at a very early age. They become trained that the rope means that they can’t escape. These elephants, as adults, can be tied to a wooden chair, but will not even try to escape, because in their mind they are certain that they can’t. I’ve heard that elephants have actually died in fires because of this. Think about that for a minute. We are all doing that to some extent. We’re all tied to imaginary limitations. You don’t have to buy into everything that you think. Challenge yourself and become aware.

What I want to do is to present some of the things that I’ve learned, in a way that’s easy to digest. I want to open up your mind. I want to earn your trust and I want to help you achieve clarity.

This blog is for musicians who want to reach more people, sell more music, play better shows, have more choices, enjoy life, wake up feeling good and ultimately help more people. This blog is not a one way street. I encourage you to comment, write to me, call me, start your own blog, discuss these things with your friends, whatever – just participate. We’ve all got a lot to learn. You’ve got a unique set of experiences and ideas that we can all benefit from.

Take control of your career and your life. Knowledge + Clarity = Power.

Welcome to the Independent Rockstar Blog.