[Dixielandjazz] Good unknown musicians - Why?

[Stephen G Barbone]

On Nov 13, 2008, at 1:27 PM, Larry Walton Entertainment - St. Louis  
wrote:

> In the last 50 years I have observed many fine musicians come and  
> go. Personally, I have seen musicians who were far more talented  
> than I just sort of go away or never do much. Talent is necessary  
> but I think of it sort of like the ante in a poker game.  You have  
> to have it but unless everyone else has a really bad hand you won't  
> win.
>
> There are a vast number of really good players out there but just  
> why are they generally unknown and why do they just sort of go away?
>
> I don't believe that raw talent buys a whole lot with some  
> exceptions of course.  There is always the person who rises and  
> becomes famous almost miraculously.  There is still the Hollywood  
> myth that you can get discovered in a drug store.   It may have  
> happened once but for almost everyone else it takes more.
>
> If you look at the top stars you will find that they are almost all  
> multi talented in some way.  A good example is Gene Autry.  He could  
> act, sing, play guitar but most important of all he was an  
> incredible businessman who ended up owning half of L.A.  Another  
> factor was just plain hard work. Autry did two shows a day, seven  
> days a week, for 65 to 85 days at a stretch and that was in addition  
> to all the other things he was doing.
>
> These people also put themselves in the right place at the right  
> time to be "discovered".  This requires shameless self promotion.  I  
> follow the six foot rule:  Everyone within six feet of you should  
> know who you are and what you do.
>
> Learn to write glowing advertising copy about yourself in the third  
> person. If you want to know how to do that just read the back of  
> some of those old 33 rpm record albums.  Most of those were written  
> by the guys on the album and not some third person who loved the  
> band.  Too modest to blow your own horn?  That means you won't be  
> blowing it long.  Remember that there's a pretty good chance that  
> the civilians out there think you are something special and you  
> are.  You get to go places and do things that they don't get to do.   
> On the other hand if you try to be terminally cool and over do it  
> you can turn people off.
>
> You may not play as well as others out there and you may not aspire  
> to the big time but like beauty it's all in the eye of the  
> beholder.  No matter who you are, there are some things that can  
> improve your gigging and keep you in the business.  A lot of them  
> have nothing to do with music for example your personal grooming.   
> Is your tux rumpled or getting seedy.  Is your haircut current?  How  
> about your shoes, are they shined?
>
> It can be as simple as smiling at someone.  I have sort of a scowl.   
> Age tends to do that.  I have to make sure that I am smiling at my  
> audience or the people I do business with.  I have actually had  
> people come up to me on gigs and wonder if there was something wrong  
> or if I was bored.  You can't see yourself and you just can't ignore  
> comments like that if you want to stay in business.  Take a lesson  
> from the sports guys and next time you are on a job  video tape  
> yourself and watch it a couple of times.  It will tell you if there  
> is something you need to work on.
>
> Multi talented is a lot more than singing and dancing it's things  
> like being a good businessman, being able to write advertising copy,  
> putting together a web site,  photography and using Photoshop,  
> computer skills,  recording and making CD's and most importantly  
> basic salesmanship.  If you don't have some of these skills then  
> learn how, take classes.  That's how I learned how to do a web site.
>
> You are the product.  You have to market and sell that product in  
> exactly the same way that you would sell a car.
>
> For some reason musicians don't want to think about all those  
> things.  They think that people will somehow miraculously see their  
> talent and flock to their door.  They wait for the call to come but  
> what happens is that they sort of just go away.  Sometimes they  
> become sidemen and just sort of go from gig to gig or end up in one  
> of the many community groups.
>
> In the current business climate you have to be proactive if you want  
> to survive as a musician.

I agree. But besides having talent and a good act,  you have to employ  
a good agent who will do the promotion and booking. <grin>

For an interesting look at what jazz used to pay, to musicians who  
employed good agents, (no starving artists they) see:

http://www.forgotten-ny.com/STREET%20SCENES/jazztour/queensjazz.html


Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband