Is your attitude up to the required level for gigging?

It never ceases to amaze me how some musicians work really hard on their playing only to lose gigs or are not asked to do gigs due to their attitude. Do not get me wrong, I am not for saying for one second I am perfect - I have learnt many lessons the hard way.

Lets look at what is involved in doing a gig:

For a local gig in one's home town the band might typically play two sets of forty-five to fifty minutes each. That is around two hours total (give or take) of playing. In order to do the gig the band must know the material which means rehearsal etc. Once at the gig there is setup time; lets say thirty minutes or more. Then the break in the middle of the gig is usually twenty minutes (despite saying we will be back in ten minutes! ha.). Then there is the pack down and maybe a beer after the gig to wind down and talk about the gig. If we consider all of this we can see there are many more hours of interactive time between band members than playing. All this interaction is greater when touring or doing a gig out of one's home town.

It is common sense that people are only going to book those who they know can play the music and are easy to work with. No one wants to work with someone who is difficult or unorganised or is plain and simply troublesome. Being a musician and making music is hard enough as it is.

Recently I had an experience with a difficult musician who was way out of line. The silly thing is I was about to offer this person some gigs - but won't be now. So if he had been cool, that particular gig we were doing would have been better, and there would have many more dates for his diary.

I have learnt many lessons about attitude. Recently I had someone (different person) who was difficult on a gig. I could have confronted this person for being a dork but decided to remain calm and let it go and deal with it another day. In the mean time I happened to stumble upon someones comment on facebook which was 'it is better to remain friends than to be right'. So I decided to say nothing to this person and to let it go. This was the best thing to do.

Here are a few ideas to consider that could make life easier for all:

1. Turn up on time and with the required gear. In fact I would recommend being early.

2. Learn the music. A great attitude won't get you anywhere if you can not do what is required.

3. Be nice to everyone. Many times the guy or girl who is playing next to you will end up becoming the band leader ... or he / she might end up recommending you for future gigs ... or he / she might stop you getting future gigs!

4. Stay focused at rehearsal. If you are playing then focus on that, not your smart phone (no facebook, txt etc unless you have a break or are tacet). I know one band leader who gets extremely annoyed when people txt / facebook / email during rehearsals! This person has a long memory.

5. Pay attention. Do not noodle when the bandleader is talking!

6. Say thank-you when people help you. e.g if someone pays you a compliment, or offers you work, or gives you a ride, or recommends you etc. Seems simple but many people do not do these things. Pay people back for help - consider recommending them for gigs.

7. Be nice to everyone. I know I have said this previously but it needs repeating. You never know where someone is going to end up. The guy who is pouring drinks behind the bar might end up running it one day and might have the power to get you gigs.

8. Never complain about the money. Do not take the gig if you are unhappy with the money offered. If you accept it, then you do so for the amount agreed. However, you have every right to complain if you do not get paid what was agreed.

9. Do not bad mouth people. I know, I know, it is easier said than done but sometimes this gets back to the person... and as I said earlier - you never know where people are going to be, or how they might be able to help you. The only time it is ok to bad mouth someone is if people rip you off. Then spread the word, to ensure others are not getting ripped off too. Even then, often it is best to let it slide and put it down to experience (just don't work with them again!) - besides karma will get them.

10. Make friends. One of the best things about the music industry is the cool people you will meet. Make friends with people. The music gets better. Everything gets better. I have met and are friends with some amazing musicians both locally and internationally and am very grateful for this.

Visit www.nickgranville.com for lessons, free music, videos, news and more... 

Why Spotify is great and sucks.

Spotify: the company people love and hate. When I first heard of Spotify I was excited. I decided to become a musician because I love music and the idea of having access to any music I want is amazing. This generation do not know how good they have it; or maybe that makes them value it less? 

Spotify states on their website - 'Spotify gives you millions of songs at your fingertips. The artists you love, the latest hits, and new discoveries just for you. Hit play to stream anything you like.'  So surely this a good for people who love music? This is why Spotify is great. 

Spotify is a smart company. They have figured out what people want and provided this, making money in the process. The issue seems to be that Spotify is paying a pittance to use this music, which is integral to their business. I have seen people post photos on Facebook of bank cheques for less than a dollar for a huge amount of streams. This is why Spotify sucks. 

I have heard many people say the record companies are making money from Spotify due to making a little bit from each of the large number of artists they have on Spotify. Maybe this is true, but it does not makes sense to me. One only has to think back to the days when record companies actually made money from music to see that this business model is one of diminishing returns (many record companies are closing down!). 

I have also heard many people try to claim Spotify is no different from YouTube and other similar websites. I would argue Spotify is unlike anything else so really can not be compared. YouTube is essentially a community: a social network of sorts. Spotify gives access to music to anyone for free, or for a small subscription and is designed to replace CD's and tradition mediums. 

My friend Andrew London raised an interesting point the other day during an interview for Coast Radio. Andrew has noticed a few changes in the buying habits of people at his gigs. In the past people who liked the gig would come racing up in big numbers - in a  buying frenzy if you will. He has observed a decline in the number of people who now do this. Maybe this is because people are aware they can get the music afterwards for free so why buy it?! 

Here is the key - artists need to control how their music is made available to consumers. If you do not like Spotify then do not use it. You have choices. Streaming is here to say. It is not for me to say this is a bad thing; this is being driven by what the people want. Artists need to learn how to operate in this environment. Use Spotify for what it is. 

I have a new CD coming out soon and will not be using Spotify, iTunes or any similar websites to sell my music - I will be controlling this rigourously. I might loose a few sales from people who might stumble upon my CD but I think I will gain by those who really want the music going to one place for it. I have past CD's on Spotify and will be leaving them on there - using Spotify to my advantage (hopefully). I will be making this new CD only available on Bandcamp and a few physical copies for selling at gigs. Click here to go to my bandcamp page. 

I truly believe there has never been a better time to be a musician. (Click here to read my first blog to see why I say this). Remember there are still people doing well in current times - try to figure out what are they doing differently. It is most likely they are thinking differently and using the ‘services’ to their advantage. 

Keep in touch:

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/nickgranny

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/nickgranvillemusic

... and you can download my latest album from:  nickgranville.bandcamp.com/album/home

The State of the Music Industry

I hear many people complain about the state of the music industry. At times I have been one to complain too. Only recently have I changed my opinion about the state of the music industry. The most common complaint I hear is that the music industry is not what it once was. Correct, it is not what it once was, and never will be again.

I have done a lot of thinking about this lately, and have come to the conclusion that the only way to think about the music industry is to think positively. In many ways the music industry has never been better. Lets look at the positive:

1. It has never been easier to promote ones work. Almost everyone on earth uses the internet. My four year old uses the internet and from the age of three years old had an iPad completely figured out. Most things on the internet are free to use e.g Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc and can potentially reach many, many people. So letting people know what you are up to is easy and in the hands of the artist nowadays.

2. Websites like bandcamp.com mean musicians no longer need a record label in order to sell their product to the public (labels are good for many things, I'm not knocking them). Direct to fan sales via websites like bandcamp will grow. iTunes is fine, but bandcamp is a much better model for the artist. (my bandcamp page is here).

3. YouTube is amazing. As I write this blog I am listening to a live concert of the Pat Metheny group on YouTube. I can't keep up with all the amazing content. My guitar playing would be different if YouTube was around when I was learning. It has many benefits for promotion, learning, research and more.

4. Recording music has never been easier or cheaper. I have a Mac Book Pro and with this computer and software (I use logic pro X) I have the technology to record professional quality recordings with ease. Logic cost me $250 NZD (approx. price). I remember a time when logic was $1000+.

5. Great musical equipment is getting cheaper all the time and is more accessible. Living in New Zealand it can be tough to get good equipment due to the shipping costs - this has changed in recent years and is continuing to improve.

One major negative of the music industry in it's current state is the theft of product e.g. file transfer sites, downloading etc. However, if one is to thinking positively, then this negative could be a positive and emerging artists can use these websites etc to spread the word about who they are easily, and create a name for themselves. Look at Lorde the Kiwi artist who's original intention was to give away her music, then once it had been downloaded x amount of times she started charging for it. She won a grammy yesterday and is the first New Zealand artist to win that award.

Following Lorde's lead we can see the best way to think about this is that the music industry has changed, and to work with it, not against it. If people continue to do things the way they did 20 years ago then they will be left behind.

Many argue that there are less gigs than there once was. This is true... but there are many other ways to do gigs that people don't think about. Again, following on from that idea of working with trends not against; live broadcasts on YouTube could one idea worth pursuing and constitute a gig, right?

Some people are doing really well in this current industry. They are doing lots of great gigs, earning a decent living and making great music etc. Try to figure out what they are doing differently, often it is the way they think about it all.

Someone once said to me to take care of the music first and foremost and the money will find its way to you. I do not do gigs or anything in music just for the money. I know people who do and they are unhappy people. I am not saying I do not need to earn money just that it is not my primary motivation. So, if one considers the art to be most important then it is a great time to be a musician due to how easy it is to create that art, to spread the word about it and to discover other peoples art.

In my opinion there has never been a better time to be a musician or music listener for that matter. Change is a good thing and is the one thing you can guarantee will happen. So, go forward, and create the music you want, working with the industry.

Keep in touch:

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/nickgranny

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/nickgranvillemusic

... and you can download my latest album from:  nickgranville.bandcamp.com/album/home