Why All Indie Musicians Day Dream

photo by tim caynes

I clearly remember day dreaming about playing in front of 10,000 people, rocking to an outside arena with all 10,000 singing along to every word that came from my mouth. I was dreaming everyday for that elusive record deal – stalking John Janick on Myspace, at industry conferences and watching his every move (I wanted to get signed to Fueled By Ramen – if you missed that). And while those days are long gone for me (it’s been almost 3 years since I’ve written something new), I still see the day dreaming fazes by indie musicians all around the world.

Why do indie bands still long for the record deal?

The reason for the record label dream goes back to something I teach to aspiring young entrepreneurs. There is a belief that working for a machine, a corporation – creates stability in your life. This stability allows you to put food on the table, rent checks in the mail and gas in your nice car. It is also there to provide support in the form of a boss (tells you what to do), office staff (to help out with things you don’t know how to do), place to visit every weekday morning (otherwise it’s PJ’s and cartoons till noon) and something to tell your friends and family that you do.

This sense of security is a deeper route to what many musicians want. It is also the reason many have a 9-5 (or some other form of income generation) and are scared to break the mold and really jump into starting their passion and turning it into a business. Ah-hah! That last sentence is what fuels the day dreaming and rests us assured that the major label is the way to go.

Starting a business??!?

Musicians do not want to start a business, they want to create art and have people love and appreciate it. They see a business as a distraction, meaningless paperwork that blocks creativity. In a business there is accounting, marketing, manufacturing, distribution, employees, deadlines and headaches that take time away from making your music.

Is it lack of knowledge or laziness?

Getting a record deal, much like staying in the corporate world, is essentially taking the easy way out. It’s easy because you now have a paycheck (although it may not look much like one), a boss, staff to help with marketing and distribution and press, and a story to tell mom, dad and your friends from back home. The label deal also gives you structure, deadlines and people to please.

The dream of being on a major label often fades quickly. If you are in the music business, you know more artists who “almost” made it, than muscians that did make it. You hear everyday about artists wanting releases, crying about lost royalties and lack of ownership of something they created. We open up blogs, magazines and news stories that SCREAM – the major label business model is dead. There are no stations to play videos, radio is losing the local market feel and stores are taking away space once reserved for an extensive music catalog in exchange for video games, DVD’s and other electronics. Labels are suing fans!

5 Things to Day Dream About Your Future in the Music Business

Trust me, day dreaming about being a star is a great thing to do. It gets you motivated, gives you something to work towards and creates subconscious goals that tell you about your wants and needs. Here are 5 things to think about and consider when dreaming about your music career.

1. Dream about the fans. Who are they? What do they look like? What do they do at your shows? How do you communicate with them? How do you interact with them?

2. Dream about after the show. What do you do? Who do you talk to? How do you make money? Where do you go?

3. Dream about the people involved in your career. Who are they? How did they get there? What do they contribute? What is your relationship with them?

4. Dream about your family. How does your music affect them? Where do your finances stack up? What do you provide and bring to the table? How is what you do in your career shaping their actions and emotions?

5. Dream about your best day. This is something I learned about a year ago and is a great motivator. What does your best day look like? When do you get up? What do you do? Who do you spend it with? What do you eat?

By dreaming about physical things and accomplishments, you are putting in place the vision of where you want to be as an artist. The next step is looking at where you want to be and figuring out the steps to get there.

What do you dream about?

-Greg Rollett

P.S. Label 2.0 is now open and accepting new members. I hope you check it out.

Tags: music business