on Nov 9th, 2007Building Relationships
It’s Not Only What You Know, But Who You Know. “The best executive is one who has sense enough to pick good people to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.” Theodore Roosevelt
Over the years of working with many different people I have found that building relationships with people is an art. Just like a painter uses many colors or different mediums to create his work. So too is a palette of different colors (relationships) necessary when building a successful music business. Many artists that approach me never seem to catch on to the idea that building your music business is about building relationships. You never know if the person you meet today will be someone to help you many years down the road. It is just amazing how often people that I met years ago somehow come back into my life at just the time I need their advice, input, or support. And first impressions are imperative especially when wanting to build business relationships. As an entertainer you are always “on stage.” It is always “Showtime!” A flippant remark or an off-color joke, (at the wrong time), can do a tremendous amount of damage to a perspective business associate. And everybody you meet is a perspective business associate! Timing plays a large part in the growth of a career. So, if you are in a bad mood or don’t feel well - reconsider going out in public. It may not be “time” (at that moment) to build relationships.
As a teenager getting started in the music business I followed and patterned my group after a national touring group that, in my eyes was bigger than life. I dreamed of someday attaining that same level of success. There was a member of that group that always attracted my attention because of his musicality, business savvy, and ability to make things happen. As I watched he seemed to always be on the cutting edge of the business, a visionary, and a leader. For years I would go to his concerts to make sure that I would talk to him, but never seem to make any in-roads. Then I moved to Nashville and one of the first people I got to work with is this same person I dreamed of working with years earlier. His name is Joe Moscheo and when I met him he was with an amazing group called the Imperials. Joe sang and played piano with that internationally renowned group. And before that, Joe was singing background for the King. Yea that’s right – Joe Moscheo worked with Elvis Presley! Now I talk with him often and he has been very supportive of everything I am doing in the business and his ideas and input are priceless!
Years ago (when I was not even old enough to drive) I heard that there was a very good band playing a couple of miles away from me in the next town. Not able to find someone to take me there I decided to walk. Now in those days for a young man to walk miles to see a group perform was nothing out of the ordinary. Although the trip was a bit exhausting it was one that would lead me to a friendship that flourishes today. That young man I met so many years ago is Royce Taylor. He was singing an effortless tenor with a group called The Chords. Where is Royce today? Singing with another group that backed up Elvis called the Stamps. Synchronicity? You bet!!!
Building relationships is not just only for connections in the music business but also for creating lasting friendships on a personal level. This is what helps you make it in the music business. Networking. We need these pillars of friendship to lean on when we just need to talk or vent. Having someone to bounce ideas off of or just to make sure you are on the right track is priceless. And I have been fortunate enough to have made relationships with some of the most talented individuals in the entire world – don’t worry, dear reader, there will be more “name-dropping” later. LOL
How do you make the contacts you need to make? This was answered at a conference I attended in Nashville. During this conference I felt that it wasn’t going anywhere and was just about ready to leave. When they introduced the next speaker I started to listen, and the man on the stage was making me think about what I was really doing. He said if you want to make it in the music business you needed to be either in New York, Los Angeles, or Nashville. These cities are important because this is where the business is happening. I thought for years that I could make it in the music business from Ohio. I remembered that the Beatles were discovered in a small town in England called Liverpool. Why couldn’t my “Brian Epstein” find me in Hubbard?? It’s not totally impossible to get it done in a city other than the ones mentioned, but it is improbable and highly unlikely you will meet the right people. Every day there is something going on related to the music business. This is where you can build the relationship you are looking for. When you live in one of these cities you can make contacts and meet musical impresarios at any time. Living hundreds of mile away makes this impossible. So if your intention is to make it as big as possible you will have to relocate or at least visit one of the aforementioned major cities on a regular basis. If you are content to be a Big Fish in a little pond – that’s fine too – then make the best out of building relationships with the local radio station personnel, trade papers, booking agents, venues, recording studios, and everybody else connected with the music industry in your town.
