This new daily Hypebot feature will be 90% practical and less than 10% philosophical. Enough people have already told you as artists, indie label staffers and new music industry professionals that "it's time for a new paradigm" and "remember the fan is king".
This five day a week column will profile free and affordable artist services, offer actionable suggestions and solve problems suggested by readers. But this first installment is a bit philosophical and yet infinitely practical. It's a philosophy that has guided my entire career: Become A Student Of The Music Business.
When I first started, that meant reading Billboard cover to cover and asking questions of any one in the industry who I might have something to teach me. It meant..
internships and working for free. It didn't matter if what I was learning was about a genre of music I liked or not. It didn't matter if it was about music publishing or the Latin market and that I was working first in radio promotion, then music ad sales, then at a punk club, the as a booking agent. It was all the music business and I needed to know everything.
Now I scan 60-100 blogs daily and still ask questions of everyone who crosses my path. It's led to an incredibly diverse agency roster from George Winston to Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band. It's what led me to start Hypebot. I saw the music industry as I knew it changing and started writing to share what I learned with our artists and then the industry at large. Not only has this led to opportunities for the artists we represent, but also to consulting work and next week I'm off to France to MidemNet as part of its Visionary Chair Committee.
For you as an artist and entrepreneur being a student of the business might prepare you to co-write with a songwriter out of your genre, have a more intelligent conversation with a new industry contact or just better understand where you do and don't fit in.
Consider making the Daily. D.I.Y. and Hypebot a part of your studies. - Bruce Houghton
