The music business geek.

You may not know this about me, but I'm something of a music business geek. I don't mean that I know all about the inner working of major labels, or who big name producers are, but that I do a lot of reading and watching around the subjects of independent music. That is, I watch videos, read blogs and listen to podcasts on independent music marketing, mixing and mastering in home studios and other musician's release strategies. There are some superb resources out there if you are into that sort of thing.

The main problem I'm having lately however, is that it seems that every independent 'success story' is coming from someone who was either dropped by a major label or left a major label for whatever reason. They talk about how hard it's been, how brave they are, what a risk it was to try and release a record on their own. And in a sense they are right. It is harder than having a massive label doing it for you. But you have already had a major label push once. Everyone has heard of you. Your marketing plan consists of sending a message about your new album to the mailing list you gathered while a major backed you, with thousands and thousands of names on it.

I get that these guys are going at things in a more difficult, risky way to what they are used to, but it irks me that these are the 'independent success stories' that are peddled to us, when actually these guys have had a lot of help from the old guard, even if their former contracts have expired.

It's great that independents can be seen to be flourishing, and its also great that someone who doesn't quite make it under a major label can carve out a career for themselves, but they can't really be held up as a champion for those of us who don't have, or don't want, major label backing.

Some of these resources are great. If nothing else, music marketing blogs make you think about making ' to do' lists and planning releases properly for maximum exposure and impact, but when the advice it just 'email the thousands of fans on your mailing list', you're not really helping me at all.

Moaning about moaning

I love musicians. I am one, I work with them on an almost daily basis and almost all of my friends are them. And it's definitely a tough 'gig' (excuse the pun). Piracy, streaming royalties, venue closures, cutbacks, 'the economy' and live music fan apathy has all made our job harder over the past few years. But if there is one thing that I hate about the whole thing, it's musicians who moan about it.

Regardless of how much harder it's got (was it ever easy?) there still seems to be a general consensus that this is the best job in the world. It's something I agree with, and something I tell people often when they ask about me and my chosen career path. Every time I read or hear from another disillusioned muso grumbling about how hard it all is their argument always starts with 'we love doing this BUT...'

Just take a pause from typing or talking there and think about what you are going to say next. Yes, the music industry in its 'semi old-fashioned semi new-age' model is very difficult to 'crack' in the traditional sense. No, you probably aren't going to become an overnight sensation, because not only does nothing happen overnight in music but also the sensation ship has kinda sailed. But yes, moaning about it, regardless of how right you think you are, will always make you come across self righteous.

So you will never hear me complain. I'll campaign for fairer royalty payments and performance rates and protest about the way the arts is treated and funded, but I'll never complain about having the best job in the world.