News Flash: The economy has tanked. And the effects of this recession have now begun to severely impact the music entertainment business as we know it. Musicians who have had steady work for years, even decades, are finding large gaps in their schedules. Venues are closing permanently, and others are simply cutting or eliminating their entertainment budgets as a way to reduce costs.
Now, there is no denying that times are bad. But there is also no denying that this country and this industry has weathered tough times before. We can do it again -- we just need to be smart and proactive.
My opinion is that the most direct effect of a recession is to radically amplify existing problems in a business. Things like overspending and poor bookkeeping become drastically more obvious in bad times than in good -- this is true in every business and everyone needs to reign in spending and track every penny right now.
But in the music business, there is really one thing that catches up with us in the down times (and the good): FAILURE TO ADAPT. Here are some ideas that I think we should all be considering right now:
1. Be Flexible with $$$
We are ALL in a recession right now, and that includes venue owners. Regardless of what we were being paid two years ago in a venue, we need to adapt to this economy and realize that we might be getting paid less. But being paid less is better than not being paid at all.
I'm not saying we should be marketing ourselves for $100 a show...for most of us that would be running at a loss which no business can survive doing. I'm saying that playing for $25 or $50 less than in the past might be an appropriate way of keeping yourself working. It might not be as profitable, but remember -- everyone is in the same boat and trying to weather the same storm.
If we are stubborn and not flexible, we will have a hard time booking and will find ourselves scrambling for work.
2. No More Freebies as part of "the deal".
If venues are suffering, and they are taking a capital risk to hire us, it would just add insult to injury to demand or request freebies as part of the deal.
Of course, there are venues that will always offer to buy us dinner and a couple drinks now and then...that is cool, but instead of the lobster dinner, and Maker's Mark or Glenlivet, why not just have a draft beer or a soda that costs them virtually nothing. Yes, I would rather have that Glenlivet -- especially when someone else is buying -- but remember, it is coming out the pocket of the person who is already paying us. It is easy to end up tacking on another 10-15% of a performance rate via food and drink -- and trust me, venue owners remember that.
3. Concentrate on "Recession Resistant" venues
No venue is recession-proof. But there are venues that are more suited for weathering the bad economy than others. It should be easy to tell which of our current venues fall into this category...we need to concentrate on keeping that gig and booking as many into the future as we can.
But we also need to work on booking into more of these types of venues. This might mean traveling out of our normal geographic "comfort zone" to seek out new possible places to book. But again -- working for less profit beats not working at all.
There are many venues who simply can't afford to pay for music right now...lets not write them off forever, but don't waste time by trying to book into them. Getting the gig might pay our bills for the week, but it will do more damage than good in the the long run and will reduce our odds of being rehired in the future when times are better.
4. Break Routines
When times are good, it is easy to fall into routines. But when times get tough we often make the mistake of trying to fall back on those same routines. The problem is that rules of the game change constantly.
Now is the time to be learning 5-10 new songs a week and bolstering our repertoires. It is also a good time to evaluate how hard we are really TRYING to improve and adapt. Instead of just singing a song for the thousandth time, we should try to sing it better than we ever have. Maybe even practice! Record your shows and listen to them the next day.
We should evaluate and update our performances, stage presence, our interaction with the audience. Get out of the routine of just accepting that we're doing everything right, and start making sure that we're giving the best we can give.
5. Work Harder at the small things
One of the prime rules for any musician is to respect the venue, the clientele, and the staff. Especially the staff...they are the ones who's opinions will keep us employed. It is a small detail, but this just might be the single most important rule in this biz.
We need to get as many people to gigs as possible. Call them, email them, tell them that any support they can give -- even if they just come and don't spend any money in the venue -- would be greatly appreciated. There is perhaps no greater insurance for a regular gig than measurable "draw". If, at the end of the night the people who are there stayed to listen to us, then we have done our job and the venue will remember this.
Why is it so important to work harder and adapt during this downturn in the economy? Because venues have dozens if not hundreds of people constantly hounding them for gigs. If we don't make ourselves stand out, we will be passed over for someone who costs less.
I could go on and on...but hopefully I've gotten my point across. It is not time to panic, it is not time to act desperate. It is time to step back, evaluate what it is that we can do to weather this storm, and take proactive measures to do so.
This is not just about the music business...it is a concept that can be applied to any business. The irony of the recession/depression cycle is that while it might be devastating for some people, it is the start of OPPORTUNITY for those who stay focused and positive. Those people -- whether they are seasoned and smart, or ambitious and just starting out -- treat this as a market as one with no peak in sight...the only way to go is up, and the potential is virtually limitless.
The next few years could be the beginning of major growth, and with some smart business-sense we can be position to ride that wave into a prosperous future.
-J
--
