The 10 Commandments of the Independent Rockstar (Pt 1)

This article was written by

Scott James

One day the God of Independent Music called Moses to the top of Mt. Rockmore and gave him the 10 Commandments of the Independent Rockstar.  He issued a stern warning that breaking the laws set forth by him would result in poor sales, low attendance, burnout, disappointment, disillusionment and no money – and that would be a bummer.  So without further ado..

Behold! The first 5 Commandments of the Independent Rockstar:

1. 1) Thou shalt not polish turds
2. 2) Thou shalt not envy other bands
3. 3) Thou shalt not chase carrots at the end of sticks
4. 4) Thou shalt not get complacent
   
5. 5) Thou shalt be clear

Alright, so let’s get serious and dive in to what these all mean.

1) Thou Shalt Not Polish Turds

You’ve got to bring the goods.  No marketing advice will matter if your music isn’t great.  Sometimes you just need to turn off the computer and practice.  No joke.  Marketing bad music is like trying to conduct electricity through dirt.  It’s a very frustrating, inefficient and ultimately pointless exercise.  Start with the fundamentals.  Get your music right.

2) Thou Shalt Not Envy Other Bands

It’s very easy to get caught in the trap of judging yourself based on comparisons to other acts.  When you focus on the fact that others have what you do not then you’re putting yourself in a powerless position.

They key is to focus on what you do have and where you can go.  This concept really hit me when I heard a man named Sean Stephenson talk about it.  Sean is about three feet tall and confined to a wheel chair.  He has a rare bone disease that caused nearly every bone in his body to break upon birth.  It would be easy for him to spend his life being bitter about the things that he can’t do.  Instead he chooses to focus on the things that he can do.  He’s a board certified Psychotherapist, a motivational speaker and author who has worked for President Clinton, testified before congress more than once, dated beautiful women, appeared on tv many times and much more.

You may not play guitar like Eddie Van Halen or sing like Aretha Franklin, but neither does Bob Dylan and that didn’t stop him!  Music is an art, not a sport.  Develop your art and your own unique voice.

The point is to develop the strengths that you have, focus on them and expand from there.  As my man T Harv Eker likes to say ‘Where attention goes, energy flows and results show’.

3) Thou Shalt Not Chase Carrots at the End of Sticks

This one is very much related to the second commandment.  It’s important to focus on and be grateful for the good fortune that you already have.  Give the proper love and attention to the people who are already in front of you and build a stronger band, a more loyal fan base and a solid foundation for lasting success.

The opposite of this is to chase a false promise or illusion at the expense of the people who are already in front of you.  Success requires that you be present and that you maintain a commitment to deliver a great experience for your fans every time.

I’ve see a lot of bands make poor decisions because they think that if they play a certain club or get enough people to vote for them in some online popularity contest that someone out there is going to give them their big break.

The truth is, it’s about building something over the long term, not chasing something that will magically propel you to success and make all of your problems go away.  It doesn’t work like that.

In L.A. there are hordes of bands who take bad deals to play in well known venues that they’re not ready to play.  They end up performing to a half empty room at best, to people who paid too much and often they’ll end up going on late or having their set cut short.

Acts who do this are not thinking about how to deliver the best experience possible to their fans.  They’re likely thinking about the imaginary A&R guy who’s going to hear their music and sign them to a lucrative deal while forgetting about the very people who really have the power – the fans.

What can you do to make sure that your fans have the best experience possible at your next show?  If you consistently ask this question then you will be in the right mindset to grow your audience.

4) Thou Shalt Not Get Complacent

Though it is important to stay grounded and to give your best to the present moment, this does not mean that it’s a good idea to remain stuck in the status quo.  Growth doesn’t come from doing what’s comfortable over and over.  Growth comes from challenge and from getting out of your comfort zone.  You need to push towards the edge to expand what you’re capable of.

This means challenging yourself as a performer and a songwriter.  Don’t settle for your current limitations.  Seek criticism and new experiences in order to grow and improve.

Stagnation is unattractive to your audience.  Momentum, progress and excitement will make people want to come along for the ride.

This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be patient and persistent, it just meant that you need to have a plan and you need to make your move to the next level when the time is right.  A great example is a band here in L.A. called Steel Panther.  They started playing at one of the smaller venues on the Sunset Strip called the Viper Room.  They played there until they became well known for packing the house every Monday night.  In due time they moved on to play the Roxy every week, and then the Key Club which is a little bigger, and eventually on to the largest club on the strip, The House of Blues.

Your audience can feel when it’s time for you to move to the next level.  If you don’t make your move then they’ll start to look at you differently.  Don’t let them down.

5) Thou Shalt Be Clear

As they say in marketing, ‘The confused mind always says no’.  Get rid of conflicting messages in your marketing, or anywhere else that affects your band for that matter.  You need to be clear on who you are and what you want and then align all of your decisions accordingly.  You need to present yourself in a way that people can understand if you want to be memorable.  Look for ways to eliminate friction and confusion so that you can move forward more efficiently.

At every step, you need to be clear on what you want your fans to do and your fans need to get that message.  If you’d like to sell them your CD then don’t be vague or shy about asking them to.  Come right out and ask.  If you want people to download your new single then go ahead and put it right in the middle of the home page of your website.  Don’t make people dig for it.  Know what you want and make it easier for that to become a reality.

Another area where clarity is important is in the way that you describe your act.  What do you tell people when they ask what you sound like?  Is it clear and compelling or vague and confusing.  This may be more important than you realize.  Have a great answer!  Here are a couple videos from Derek Sivers and Ariel Hyatt that can help you come up with your quick pitch:

Click HERE for part 2