Some Constructive Criticism & Helpful Ideas

This Fall I have finally been forced to accept the fact I am, like it or not, back in "the music business" for good. This was inevitable for many reasons, mostly personal, but let's address three of them here.

First up: I spend a lot of time trying to help aspiring artists with basic questions. Not a profitable hobby but not something I can seem to stop doing, either. I try to make a difference where I can, but I also try to bear in mind that those of you who won't feed yourselves won't make it very far in this life. There are lines, though I do aim to fudge them on the side of being kind and polite.

Second, and much more interesting, is the behind the scenes conversation around the First Annual Vermont Hip Hop Awards. The heads who want to help have been huge assets, full of great suggestions and important questions. (Thanks especially to Rico James, David Phair, ILLu, Wes The Best and of course, Jibba "The Gent" and Brad Vazy.) In addition to changing how I understood the concept, that conversation has also generated some important ideas that are much bigger than any award show.

That all ties into the third reason: "the music business" is the biggest missing link for the 802 scene. We have tons of talent, multiple generations of artists cooking up product, and some professional grade producers and engineers ready to make that product sound as good as anything else out there.

But the business of music is not a talent show. Never was, never will be. Nobody is going to "put you on" when they can invest that same dollar in artists who already put themselves on, artists who have proven they are ready and able to take on managing those responsibilities by themselves. Management comes up a lot, in both senses. As the Billboard textbook on the subject puts it: "Maybe you don't need a manager, but you sure need management."

Closer to home, talented young firebrand Rivan C. put it just as bluntly in a recent interview: "In my opinion, Vermont will never be able to consistently put rap artists on the map, because there are not enough people invested in the music business of hip-hop here. I’ve been looking for a qualified manager for like three years..."

So what does that actually mean? A qualified manager, in a short sentence, won't tolerate you continuing to half-ass any aspect of your career. And they will treat your music like a career.

They are sitting down with you, again and again, to help define your goals and work out a roadmap to get you there. They are documenting your entire catalog and getting you set up with a PRO after explaining that process to you and helping you choose the right one. They are setting up a password protected repository of all your digital assets: your photography, your videos, your studio sessions, your final mixes. They are making sure that anyone who looks for you on Google or Facebook or Spotify finds you, and finds accurate, up-to-date information there, too.

All that is just the beginning of a much longer list. You may have noticed that all of these steps involve time, and many involve money. Cruel but true: if you're not making money off your music, you can't afford a manager. This is why most artists settle for "managers" who are willing to work for free, whether because they see the potential for future income or because they want to use you as a learning opportunity.

This is not a bad thing at all, let's be clear here. In fact, that's how a ton of artist managers got started, especially here in the greatest country on Earth.

But: it's how a ton of artists burn bridges, too. Just because your friend wants to help you out doesn't mean they have the table manners & basic common sense to do it. Effective managers manage their own lives first. If your friend struggles with drugs, drunk posts on social media, has been in a fight during the past year of their lives, or has never-ending relationship drama with their exes, these are all reliable red flags, bud. So is "not having a car or a job."

The reason management is so necessary is because there are so many details to keep track of. With or without a manager, these details have to be managed or you're going to drown. I'm not about to lay all of these details out here because that's a short book, but I will be addressing them, piece by piece, over the weeks to come. Today, just a quick tour and catalog of hopefully helpful ideas.

One of the potential categories being discussed for the Awards is something along the lines of "best venue." This led to the idea of building a directory of hip hop friendly stages with honest, supportive ownership. There is clear potential for problems & politics here but I think this is worth pursuing. It would also give new artists a better sense of what to expect from these venues -- and just as important, what those venues will expect from them. (Promote your fucking shows.) I'm happy to organize, execute and host this here. If you want to help, get in touch.

One of the most important assets most 802 artists are missing is good photography and good design. If you're paying for bargain basement covers, nobody can really help you there, but I definitely think we can fix the photography problem at scale. Pool some money, find a sponsor, and hire a professional to run a Photo Booth Day event where artists can come through, dressed for success, and get a dozen or so shots emailed to them. Boom: in one stroke, we have enhanced the careers of a great many struggling entertainers.

One of the biggest gaps we're facing, in every aspect of this conversation, is simply building a connection between those of us with the experience to teach, and new artists with the hunger to learn. Me writing about it here on the dot com is not going to be nearly enough. These really do need to be conversations, and we need to create something new to accommodate that, whether informally or as a series of events, or a regular podcast, or ... there's options, here.

One of the easiest ways you can help yourself and help the scene is by taking song and album credits seriously. This is good for your career, good for your collaborators, and good for everyone else here, too. It makes you look more professional, honors the work of those who helped you, and provides a referral system for other artists looking for beat producers, for mixing engineers, for mastering techs, for graphic designers, for session musicians, etc. Start doing that today, and maybe fix up your back catalog, too.

One of the most interesting points that's come up during the Awards discussion is that this is going to be an infomercial for the scene just as much as it's a celebration. We're going to be packaging a sprawling, chaotic mess and providing a window for the outside world to look into ... this thing of ours. As much as it's "for" those of us involved, it's going to be seen by a much bigger audience.

What that means, well, I ain't quite sure yet, either. I'm giving it a lot of thought and I recommend you do the same. In the meantime, if there are specific questions, subjects, or problems you want to see addressed, let me know. Thank you.