Yes!! I think of the "looking for a guy in finance" girl often. Fame blew up overnight and signed with a label... but then with no true "substance" and art ready, it falls flat fast. I think labels should invest more in artists that have been slowly building their following and craft rather than one hit 10 second trend on an app that's going to collapse in on itself in the next few years. Thank you for sharing this - never thought of a restaurant analogy before!
Also, I love this, and it ties in with Eno’s “scenius” theme, which has popped up twice for me this week. I’m really trying to break out of my chronically online existence this year and build a community around my music and the studio we call home. I dig it! Keep ‘em coming 💕
Essentially the "genius" of a creative "scene," a sort of implicit or explicit ethic toward collaboration that leads to the emergence of mutual artistic flourishing.
As someone who’s worked in and around restaurants for three decades, which includes ownership - I can say with ease that there is so much crossover between the music and restaurant industries, with ample learning opportunities from both sides. Music could use a good dose of hospitality and restaurants could use a reminder that their art and craft must evolve in order to be sustainable.
"Do you have systems in place to make it easy for fans to support you?" - such a key point in all this, and such a bummer to see so many folks link to Spotify and hope they get a million plays to make a .25 cents.
While I really like the concept of my music as a restaurant, it also comes with some difficulties if you’re not living in a major city. If you open a, let’s say, vegetarian restaurant with tibetan cuisine in the area where I live you simply won’t survive. People won’t come because people in rural areas are different and much less diverse than people in a city. You will only survive if you offer bavarian, italian or chinese food (with a lot of luck maybe sushi).
The only live musix that exists here is cover bands. Rock Classics or Top 10 Hits. There are no locations for something else. So to me the internet was always a chance to finally reach an audience. I guess there has to be a way to turn your restaurant into a delivery service if you live in an area where people simply are not interested in tibetan vegetarian food and be able to deliver to areas where people DO want to eat the very own special and tasty food you want to do. Without toxic social media.
I really enjoy your posts, because you show that there IS a different way than social media.
I guess there are a lot of musicians hiding in Normieville and also there is an audience there. An audience that in parts propably doesn’t even know that it would love „far out music“, because there is no „far out music“ in Normieville. And yes, the big question is how to draw them out. How to built a restaurant or a delivery service that delivers to all Normievilles and that is accessible for the musicians and the people of all the Normievilles out there.
Part of the problem is that we live in a society where to be considered a successful musician, artist, dancer, writer, athlete, means being famous and loaded. Furthermore, it's binary, you're either loaded or poor. All of these professions can diversifiy their income creating content, teaching, performing live, selling merchandise, speaking, lecturing, organzing local activites, etc. If I would've been told that as a child, I would've made very different career choices.
Yes! Consistent limited merch runs (the more handmade the better) private shows, a platform like substack or patreon, even special weird one-off stuff like books or private events - really anything. Most artists spend very little time thinking about how they invite fans to support them.
Heartening to know you only need 1,000 fans to support you, makes it feel more achievable 🙌
A million percent! I love thinking of your 1000 fans as people in your neighborhood and not some mythical future thing.
Yes!! I think of the "looking for a guy in finance" girl often. Fame blew up overnight and signed with a label... but then with no true "substance" and art ready, it falls flat fast. I think labels should invest more in artists that have been slowly building their following and craft rather than one hit 10 second trend on an app that's going to collapse in on itself in the next few years. Thank you for sharing this - never thought of a restaurant analogy before!
I definitely agree that “sign what’s viral” is a terrible A&R strategy
Much needed Reminders
Thank you!
Here’s a thing to read: https://thecreativelife.net/scenius/
Also, I love this, and it ties in with Eno’s “scenius” theme, which has popped up twice for me this week. I’m really trying to break out of my chronically online existence this year and build a community around my music and the studio we call home. I dig it! Keep ‘em coming 💕
Who’s Eno?
Sorry, just kidding. What’s the scenius theme?
Essentially the "genius" of a creative "scene," a sort of implicit or explicit ethic toward collaboration that leads to the emergence of mutual artistic flourishing.
oh yeah this fuckin rules
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77mbz2HbY5Y
As someone who’s worked in and around restaurants for three decades, which includes ownership - I can say with ease that there is so much crossover between the music and restaurant industries, with ample learning opportunities from both sides. Music could use a good dose of hospitality and restaurants could use a reminder that their art and craft must evolve in order to be sustainable.
Liz, I love this! ❤️
❤️🤘😎
Great points- thanks!
Extreme preesh! ❤️
"Do you have systems in place to make it easy for fans to support you?" - such a key point in all this, and such a bummer to see so many folks link to Spotify and hope they get a million plays to make a .25 cents.
Thank you for this !
Thanks for reading!
gosh your posts are fun to read
What the heck dude thank you
The Friday Zooms are the best! 😃🎸🎵🏳️🌈
If only people knew how much we’re getting done in there!
While I really like the concept of my music as a restaurant, it also comes with some difficulties if you’re not living in a major city. If you open a, let’s say, vegetarian restaurant with tibetan cuisine in the area where I live you simply won’t survive. People won’t come because people in rural areas are different and much less diverse than people in a city. You will only survive if you offer bavarian, italian or chinese food (with a lot of luck maybe sushi).
The only live musix that exists here is cover bands. Rock Classics or Top 10 Hits. There are no locations for something else. So to me the internet was always a chance to finally reach an audience. I guess there has to be a way to turn your restaurant into a delivery service if you live in an area where people simply are not interested in tibetan vegetarian food and be able to deliver to areas where people DO want to eat the very own special and tasty food you want to do. Without toxic social media.
Hey - thanks for sharing this!
Every project has specific requirements and constraints. Some of what I talk about will apply to what you’re doing and some of it fully won’t.
There’s another post I read recently that I think might be interesting to you.
https://open.substack.com/pub/sirenmakayla/p/why-small-towns-might-be-your-movie?r=3nopy1&utm_medium=ios
I guess I’m curious if there might be more freaks like you hiding out in your normieville and if so, how to draw them out.
I really enjoy your posts, because you show that there IS a different way than social media.
I guess there are a lot of musicians hiding in Normieville and also there is an audience there. An audience that in parts propably doesn’t even know that it would love „far out music“, because there is no „far out music“ in Normieville. And yes, the big question is how to draw them out. How to built a restaurant or a delivery service that delivers to all Normievilles and that is accessible for the musicians and the people of all the Normievilles out there.
Part of the problem is that we live in a society where to be considered a successful musician, artist, dancer, writer, athlete, means being famous and loaded. Furthermore, it's binary, you're either loaded or poor. All of these professions can diversifiy their income creating content, teaching, performing live, selling merchandise, speaking, lecturing, organzing local activites, etc. If I would've been told that as a child, I would've made very different career choices.
I spent the last three years busking in front of two stores here so people know me …It’s deep in the community.
Do you have systems in place to make it easy for your fans to support you? Thank you for that specific question today!
Yes! Consistent limited merch runs (the more handmade the better) private shows, a platform like substack or patreon, even special weird one-off stuff like books or private events - really anything. Most artists spend very little time thinking about how they invite fans to support them.
loved reading this and love the restaurant analogy
Thank you!! ❤️