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Be Taken Seriously
The other day, I was working with a singer / songwriter who introduced herself
to the musicians in the room and then promptly said “This really isn’t my best
song – you’re all probably going to think it’s terrible”.
What!!?? How come I’m wasting my time providing my services
for this awful song? I suggested to the writer that she
needed to always maintain an upbeat front, reminding her that there are a
million others in the industry who have mastered the art of self-promotion.
I think I said something like, “Never give anyone the chance to agree
with a statement like that”.
So with that, I present “Ten Suggestions for Being Taken Seriously”.
- Present yourself as someone who is worth my time (or
the time that the other professionals in the room are giving you).
Self-deprecation is okay, but don’t trash yourself or your craft – I make my
living helping you with your craft. Don’t trash my profession.
- Be on time and ready to work – a simple and easy way to
make a great first impression, or develop and maintain a reputation for
professionalism. If you’re a drummer, allow enough time to be
setup for the anticipated downbeat time; if you’re a singer, arrive warmed up
and watered.
- Know what you’ll need to bring and have it with you.
If you’re a musician, don’t bring every piece of equipment that you own –
then you look like a homeless person with a shopping cart full of worldly
possessions. If you’re a singer / songwriter, print your lyrics in
a large font and bring a few copies of each song (one each for you, the engineer
and the producer). Bring water; don’t bring all your friends.
Have a business card ready.
- Engage opinions. Don’t allow yourself to
be seen as someone who knows everything and doesn’t trust the people who do it
every day. While it may seem contradictory, asking for opinions
shows an intrinsic acknowledgment of others’ expertise.
- Ignore your cell phone. Using it during
your session offends those you’ve hired, because they’re ignoring business calls
out of respect for you.
- Have a normal voicemail greeting. Sounds
strange, but it’s a real turnoff to hear crazy / cutesy / unintelligible
voicemail greetings. On that same subject, check and maintain your
mailbox frequently, and return messages promptly.
- STOP WORKING FOR FREE! (and ask a fair price).
If you are wanting to be taken seriously, start charging a fair market
price for your services. If you are touring band, you have
expenses that the promoter/club/church needs to cover. You deserve
a clean bed/hotel to sleep in, not the floor of the van, or some distant
friend’s basement floor. People are taken seriously when they show
that they are worth the money. This is the single biggest reason
why musicians, performers, songwriters etc. end up broke and starving – too many
sell themselves short. Buyers begin to expect that a drummer is
just dying to pack up their drum kit, schlep it 30 miles, load-in from the end
of the driveway and play the 3 hour set for $50. Put a price on
your services and be prepared to justify that price, rather than cave in.
- Personal Appearance/Hygiene. Recently I
was doing a gig with a guitar player that was quite talented. I
let him know I appreciated his tone and feel, and asked if he was doing a lot of
other gigs. I soon found out that he primarily was working as a
guitar tech, and was having a hard time moving from tech land to player land.
I believe that part of his problem was that he LOOKED like a guitar tech,
not a guitar player. You need to look (and smell) like a
professional in your area of expertise.
- Organization. It always makes me nervous
to come to a session or rehearsal where the session leader (singer or band
leader) walks into the session with charts falling all over the place, wrinkled
paper, nothing is really in any type of order etc. Their date book
is falling apart, and they can’t seem to find the rehearsal CD they made for
you. It’s hard to take that person seriously.
- Preparedness. As a musician (singer,
instrumentalist, whatever), strive to come into a session, rehearsal or
performance knowing AND understanding the music better than the other musicians
on the job (you TOO, drummers!). That means really understanding
where the chorus actually begins (that might not be where the chart says it
starts, too), whether there are odd-numbered phrases etc. If it’s
a sight-reading date, know your equipment, its sounds, appropriate musical
styles and be ready to suggest a course of action if anyone asks for your
opinion on things.
Simple, simple stuff. But you’d be amazed at how many
unorganized, poorly-dressed, self-deprecating singers are out there who work for
free (or tips), and can never manage to find the correct charts for their show,
but have a really cute voicemail message that leads to a full mailbox.
How frustrating it is to work for someone like that.
Don’t be that person. Take yourself seriously and others
will, too.
© 2010 Advantage Music Production