With the new era of the internet, self-promotion and marketing have reached new levels of affordability and accessibility. Now anyone can have a website (like me!) or a “fan page” (me again) and can appear to be a “player” or a big time artist. How do we tell the difference, and how do we distinguish ourselves as the real thing in a world of pretenders? Or is there any difference?
These days there is endless promo out there for “how-to” music business seminars from myriad presenters; all of them purporting to give an “insider” view of the “real” music industry. All of them have lists of affiliations that sound pretty important, with glitzy graphics and claims of how attendees will learn how to break into the business.
Then there are artists who are “setting the world on fire” and producers who have worked with virtually “everybody” yet you’ve never heard of them. Everybody is somebody.
What they do? The Name Droppers
Generally, lists of credits and affiliations are meaningless in today’s world, because so many people exaggerate, embellish and outright lie on their promotional material. Here are some “trigger” words and phrases that make this seem more likely:
- “Shared the stage” with someone could mean they performed in the same place as some famous person. (Thanks to my friend Jon Chalden for reminding me of this one)
- “Opened for” somebody. Again, name-dropping with no actual affiliation. Often these are free gigs forced on the headliner by somebody with connections. (done a lot of these, and they don’t really count.)
- Long lists of obscure artists, especially rappers with initials… “G-Crust” or “Lil Pistol” etc. (sorry if these turn out to be real; I made them up) You’re supposed to say, “I must have heard of them” since you don’t recognize the name.
- Hyperbole in the “about” material such as “genius,” “legend,” or “worldwide” that mean absolutely nothing in terms of actual skill and achievement.
- Subjective descriptions such as “infectious grooves” “sought-after” or “soulful” don’t tell me anything either.
- “Award Winning.” Unless the actual award is listed, such as Grammy, Tony, Emmy etc. It means very little, and is used to pad-out the resume.
- Product endorsements with companies nobody has ever heard of. Endorsements are supposed to be advertisements for products; a famous musician might endorse a particular guitar and get paid to do so, because they might increase sales due to their notoriety. If you have never heard of the product, it is more likely a “vanity” endorsement that incurs no expense from the manufacturer.
- Billing themselves as “President” or “CEO” of some fictitious label or company.
- ADDENDUM 9/22: If someone famous drunkenly sat in with your band, that doesn’t count as “worked with.” Same goes for if you drunkenly sat in with them. (or even if nobody was drunk)
- and meeting or hanging out with somebody famous is also not “working” with them. We all know what a real gig or session is.
All Dressed Up
Another area that I notice getting out of control is the “fake-it-till-you-make-it” method of being important. The plan here is to look so much like a star that people assume you really are one. Dressing every day like it is a big gig, or going deep in debt to buy the most expensive gear without the gigs to justify it are examples.I see completely unknown performers with full entourages and requisite ego, yet I can find no recordings or credits. it’s all about looking important. Generally, the more somebody crows about themselves, the less impressed I am.
On the Other Hand
What I have noticed about the very best and most accomplished people I meet is that it actually hard to get them to talk about themselves; they prefer to talk about doing things and learning. As a matter of fact, I usually notice they tend to down-play their accomplishments in favor of “shop talk” about concrete things.
These people are too busy actually doing things that they don’t want to take time out to promote themselves. I also notice many unknown but talented performers that carry this attitude as well; they really want to be something rather than appear to be something. For me, I always wanted to be the real thing; and that takes actual work.
Cred
What do we really want to convey in our promotional materials, and how can we impress people in a way that moves our career forward? The first thing is to understand and accept that we are where we really are, and to be OK with that. Joining the ranks of the fakers and representers won’t really help you in the long run. It will only work on people who have even less going on than you do.
Instead, first and foremost, let your work speak for you.
- Have demo material ready. In the old days, I carried cassettes of my demos (I know) Then it was CDs, now it is probably best as an online portfolio. I use SoundCloud as a place to send clients. it has players that work on computers and mobile devices, and you can create “sets” of material that play sequentially.
- YouTube videos of your gigs or compositions, especially live performances. It’s hard to fake a real gig (though it is possible)
- A website (not just a facebook page) that has links to all your demo material, pictures, and a short bio. I use WordPress, because it allows constant, interactive updates, and it is user-configurable. (no web designer needed)
- A Facebook fanpage, with links to your real website.
- A list of real clients or credits. Don’t worry if it is minimal, just avoid “hyping up” your accomplishments, because it won’t work. If you don’t have a lot of credits, don’t worry, and by all means, don’t lie or exaggerate.
- It’s still cool to have business cards. Don’t put everything you do or would like to do on there. Mine say “Composer, Pianist” and have contact info. They can look nice, but keep them clean and simple.
- If you make CDs, always have some around. I keep some in my car, in my gig bag and in my office.
- Avoid name-dropping and talking about yourself.
The Bottom Line
Here are a few ways to check on somebody’s industry presence:
- allmusic.com is one music industry credit-listing website. This is how the Recording Academy (Grammys) verify credits for voting members. The individual doesn’t create the listing.
- Does this person have a discography that actually exists? This is relatively easy to verify.
- Do they have any reviews in real publications or major websites?
- Are there any references you can check? I have had many a fake reference fall through when I called to verify.
- Most importantly: do they actually sound good? If they are a performer, can they actually perform?
Questions:
- Have you encountered the fake “big shots,” and were you able to tell the difference?
- Do you have real demo material available so others can verify your real skills?
- Is your promo material honest and accurate?
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