Show success before asking for help
2009-06-11
From 1990 to 1992 I ran the New York archives at Warner/Chappell Music Publishing.
(The music publishing business gives a cash advance to a songwriter in return for owning half the income generated from their songs. The publisher is betting that the songs will earn at least that much, whether recorded by a famous artist or the songwriter themselves.)
One day, as I walked by someone's desk, I noticed she had accidently left out the balance sheet showing every songwriter signed to the New York office, their cash advance, and how much they had earned. I quickly took it to the Xerox machine, made a copy, and put it back.
That night, reading it on the subway home, I learned a great lesson by looking at a huge difference between two songwriters:
There was one writer who was wonderful - a publisher's dream. Her songs were great and easy to pitch to famous artists. She turned in a new song every week, professional and well-recorded. She was signed to Warner/Chappell because one of the managers there heard her and believed in her, even though she hadn't had any success yet. Her advance: $15,000.
The other writer was horrible. His songs were really bad metal that'd make Spinal Tap cringe. Poorly recorded, terribly performed, sent late, and on reel-to-reel tape that nobody used anymore. (I always had to dust off the reel-to-reel machine twice a year when his new demos would arrive.) But in the 80s he'd been in a band with a major rock star, and had 1/16th of a songwriting credit on one song that was on a record that sold over 20 million copies. His advance: $500,000.
The lesson I never forgot:
You have to make your own success first, before you ask the industry for help.
You have to show that you're going to be successful with-or-without their help. Show that you have momentum, and if they want to accelerate it or amplify it they can, but it will cost them to ride your coat-tails.
If you don't do this, then even in the best-case scenario, where someone at the company really believes in you, you'll have no negotiating leverage, and will get the worst deal possible.
If you're just starting out, don't ask the industry for help yet. Make something happen by yourself first, so you have a success story to tell and momentum to show.
Is that your doggy?
-- Derek
Nope.
Yes, this is why I've invested most of my money in simply making my new CD the very best possible product AND making sure it has professional promotion. (Wish me luck!) Like they say: they don’t want you until you’ve done it yourself. Once you’ve done it yourself, you don’t need them.
Love this - this applies to IT startups for venture capital as well
so very true. and helpful.
Excellent post Derek!
"You have to show that you’re going to be successful with-or-without their help"
That quote can be woven into virtually any aspect of life (of mine anyway) What's amazing is that whenever you meet people that exude imminent success, you are drawn to them...like a magnet
"What can you do for us that we can't do for ourselves?"
--Mick Jagger's immediate response when Adrew Loog Oldham offered to be the Rolling Stones manager
whoa. true.
Very well said Derek.
I think this also translates into those people whose businesses are profitable and those that incur tremendous amounts of debt. One creates the "need" first, then sells their product when they have people banging down their door for it. The other tries to sell their product, BEFORE they create that "need."
And of course, what company wouldn't be interested in someone who already found a way to create the "need" first? That is the most expensive part for any company, because that involves a tremendous amount of risk (something that every business owner wants to avoid).
*Jared
Something we (Metal Music Promotions) tell all young artists when they approach us for help.
No matter how much you pay a mass submission service, a press release writer, even a publicist, if you haven't done anything worth publicizing, it's really a waste of time & money.
This discussion should be attached to every keyboard, guitar, bass drumkit and recording software. Go deeper man. Excellent work!
agreed - you can make better deals when the industry actually *wants* something from you, instead of just you wanting something from them (there's no leverage in that).
The question is what is success. I self produce and release my own stuff with some financial success. However it pales in comparison to selling 20 million copies.
I not only read (3 times) but also printed your post. In the past, I read your blogs silently - I would get excited about them, but I never gave back to you. It wasn't until recently that I realized you generously give and ask nothing in return. (your most powerful lesson by the way). As a fan and follower, I thought a good first step would be to at least comment on the work you do and...not that you need it...remind you that your lessons are valuable and meaningful. You're on my blogroll, because I want others to know there are authentic, transparent people alive in the music biz. Your insights about the music industry sheds light on so many topics. I suppose that you are the garden and your fans are like plants. If possible, I would like to be a petunia.
-- Derek
Deborah
Thank you, Petunia.
something could make Spinal Tap cringe?
Heh. I'm suspicious. This reminds me of politics. Not all that glitters is gold. Even a bad politician can win the Presidency. I believe in quality in content even when everyone else will pay for crap.
However, speaking to the heart of the matter, I will say that the concept of showing up at the right time, is what separates most people. Lots of people have great ideas, it's the one that applies them who makes it to the headlines. Most of the time "being there at the right time" is what "success" takes. Had the horrible writer not shown up on that day in the '80s to record that song that sold over 20 million copies, the 1/16th of a songwriting credit on one song would never had followed. In the end, show up. The luck will follow.
hmmm i get the message, but as for the actual story, i wonder where those songwriters are now? it's obvious that the woman cared more about her job than the guy. if one was to go by the messages in this blog, then the person with a more professional work ethic definitely came out better in the end.
we all have to start somewhere, and usually without any leverage... even though she was at first low on the totem pole, maybe THAT was her foot in the door to more success? part of her creating more demand for herself?
I remember a quote you made a long time ago Derek...
"don't be afraid to exclude people"
Believe me... GP-101 & MadMouse Records is an anomaly on the Electronica map and scene and that was easy to do considering where we live and operate. At the same time,however,it displaces us from asking for any real help from the industry anyway. Obviously we haven't quite made the success we want yet,but we're still moving forward anyway. The successes we have had so far have been hard-fought and earned by GP-101 and the people who assist MadMouse Records.
Many thanks goes to you for CdBaby. That was a great choice for us to use as an avenue to get us global. Tony Lindsay of Santana and D'Layna Dixon have been great moral support as well. DJ Colette has been a great friend and inspiration as well. We met Fatboy Slim in NY in 2006. And he was quite impressed at the quality of our music compositions considering we've been loners since our beginnings and of course where we hail from...the hills of southern Ohio !! Recently over the last year, Rhapsody has been really decent to us...especially the category in which they placed us....21st Classical Electronic Composers...we really appreciate that placement and it really defines what GP-101 is all about!
Our ultimate goal is to create a variety of music for Movies and TV.
Some of the emails we've been getting at the website really defines what your blog is about here. They see we've done on our own without "begging" anyone to give us a chance. Some old ways still exist in the industry...the "magic hand" we all seek as artists and labels that would take you to the level you seek still prevails. Eventually if you persevere and keep doing what you believe in as an artist and improve your musical skills,"Someone" will see your improvement and maturity as an artist and realize your potential in a bigger picture per say, and achieve what you set out to do to begin with! and that is to entertain everybody with your very best that willing to listen!
BigDaddy L of GP-101
MadMouse Records
"Electronica from the Hills of the MidWest"
In my experience, artists don't want to do the work. They just want an "easy" life making music or they'd have gotten a real job like lawyer, doctor or something that requires real work and years of schooling. There are some gems out there but few and far between. Love the comparison though - not about talent but the "proof is in the pudding" as they say...
This is a terrific post! I'll bet that first songwriter will find her success too with that kind of consistency. But names do sell music, so it's worth remembering if you're in the music business!
P.S. That's the cutest dog!
Derek, the lesson in your post title is excellent and consistent with your usual blog posts. If you show success, you have at least a little of it. Having a little success, you detach from wanting it, so more comes easier. Plus, you have something to build on with confidence.
However, I also wanted to point out how your post is another example of the way decision-makers in major music companies too often don't have a clue what makes for good music and artistic integrity. Paying a guy a half-million dollars because of a 1/16th song credit on a hit album is way too much, no matter what the more consistent writer got. Sure, if he showed previous success, they can have more confidence in his writing... but $500k's worth??
Here's a question:
did the $500k advance translate into that publisher pushing the bad writer's bad songs so they could try to make their money back? or did the consistent $15k writer's songs subsidize the other's $500k advance?
I'll guess the former happened more often and that's why we got the Milli Vanillis and Vanilla Ices of the 90s.
LL - you're right. It's a different lesson-learned, but the $500k amount seems to show that the company got tricked - that they expected he would continue writing songs on mega-platinum albums. Maybe it seemed like a good deal at signing-time, but not in hindsight. So that seems to prove what negotiating leverage he must have had at the time, convincing Warner/Chappell that his songs would be worth $500,000. -- Derek
This is a welcome reality check and certainly food for much thought; very relevant advice for me right now as I am considering an opportunity to manage an unknown artist. Thank you.
Doesn't it look like what say say about Traction on VentureHacks? I guess it does. But the traction topic sounds a little bit more reasonable as an argument, compared to that one trick pony show. And I don't say, that one trick ponys can't build on their single success. They do it everyday. The other party is just sometimes too stupid to see, that one success can't be a real evidence of coming successes.
organic traction and success goes along way outside of marketing dollars and forced success. Thanks for the great article.
That's true. The investors just want to earn money, they ride on your success.
I don't know one person, who really wants money. I know many people, who want to have the success that goes hand in hand with much money, who want the respect from their companions, the beautiful women, the nice cars and boats they can buy from money and last but not least the possibility to lay back and enjoy their live without thinking every day how to pay the bills. Investors are people, too. But if you really know people, who just want the money, please tell me about them!
I think this is absolutely a fabulous truth! WHY? Because every mentor who advised me, every career opportunity I received was because I worked at the thing I wanted FIRST or FOR FREE, and then someone offered to help with the rest of the journey. The axiom that the harder you work the luckier you get is so true. I am ever grateful for everything I was able to experience or accomplish and as I matured in my journey as a musician, I realized it was not my lone effort, but an invisible web of helping hands that came forward AFTER I put in the work to aspire to the success I dreamed of having. Whether you believe in the law of attraction or not when you gather momentum from your efforts, and continue moving forward, you will get those who look at the road you have traveled, the things you have done, and decide to help or add to the story. I had one music industry record company person tell me that "you should create enough smoke until you can actually light a fire and people will come just to see what all the commotion is about!" One of my mentors called me, after receiving word of one of my endeavours and offered an important door-opening introduction and said they did so "because it looks like you're just not gonna give up, so I realized I might as well help you!"
The writer in your example who had a fraction of input on the mega-million dollar making song and received the bigger advance is a staggering example of perceived bankability creating the POSSIBLE/PROBABLE scenario on which to build a negotiation. Obviously smart lawyers, and it's true by your example that perception is reality.
But, I digress. My inclination for responding to this great blog thought of yours Derek, is in my present work teaching college music students, so many want a successful career, and want the magic pill or prescription for success. I tell them to "get busy making your story, create your own success, and then the rest of the journey will reveal itself." 90% of the them think I'm crazy. The 10% who get it (or got it) are all enjoying sustained careers in the music business.
This sounds like one of those Catch-22 situations. You don't have leverage unless you have success, but in the case of this gal, what were her choices, really, except to take the $15K, hopefully write a hit song, and THEN have leverage with another publisher down the road.
If we all wait around for some stroke of grand luck to give us that $500K deal, we may never get anywhere at all.
Years ago, I made a big mistake in not going with a smaller publisher because everyone told me my songs were so good that I would undoubtedly get a bigger, better offer. Needless to say, that offer never came, despite a Critics' Choice pick in Billboard, which also included me in a later cover feature about NYC's best unsigned acts.
My advice is to seize a good opportunity instead of waiting for a great one. In the case of this bad songwriter, his stroke of luck in co-writing a hit is akin to hitting the lottery.
The music industry is brutal, as we know. If you get offered the $15K, take it, and start building your career. Please learn from my mistake. I certainly have.
Remember, this was an advance. The woman who got only $15k may have already paid it back a long time ago and banks all that comes in now.
The major labels today will only sign an artist when said artist has managemnt, a good booking agent, packed clubs, and respectable album sales. And the irony being at this point, the artist does not need the label.
I value ur input greatly. Im South African. Somehow US artists enjoy the bulk of air play on our radio and tv stations. How do they do it? Yet, Im sitting with mind blowing upcoming artist demo's and the top dawgs are just not interested. What am I doing wrong or what am I not doing or what am I doing that puts them off?
Great advice. I am trying to build success as best as I can as an Independent artist and not be concerned about any big advance. Thanks for all the tips for success.
Did that dog eat that muffin?
So how sucessful were the "Beatles"
before they got signed?They weren't
wre they?
Bevan , have you heard of a band called Seether?, South African rock band that packed it up and moved to the states once proper management was established.
The opportunity to be have a career playing rock music in SA is very limited, many bands are touring Europe trying to establish a fan base and maybe a deal.
Brilliant post! A reminding epiphony.
Very inspirational article for the people who loose heart and hopes in difficult times.
This is a test of your character and strength.
How mentally you are strong and how much stress you can take.