How To Put Yourself Forward As An Independent Artist Without Looking Like A Jerk

On the back of my previous blog post entitled "How To Make People Think You Are Extremely Important In 5 Easy Steps", I thought it only fair to include a list of "do's" and "don't's" for us artists too, because we tend to be ego-centric a-holes sometimes.

1) Don't Hijack Someone Else's Post - I literally saw this today - A filmmaker posted his good news about a new project that was recently green-lighted.  There was a steady stream of "Congratulations!" and "Can't wait to hear more about your project" followed by that one guy who has to post, "Hey if you need music for the film, check out my stuff at IDontKnowHowToPickMySpots.com." Don't do this. There's a time and a place to reach out, but steering a conversation around to you and your music is not cool. It looked like the filmmaker didn't think it was too cool either as the artist's post was the only one he didn't respond to. It's obnoxious. Wish them well and move on for now. Don't steal their thunder.

2) Be Polite And Do Your Research When Reaching Out - I know as artists we reach out to lots of filmmakers, producers, and music supervisors every week. It's all a part of networking, and most industry folks know this. If you have connected via LinkedIn, and they have accepted, don't reach out until you've done enough research on their past projects as well as up-coming ones they might have. Take the time to listen to their music, watch their film, or read their blog, etc. Message them privately. Make sure that their projects are in line with your style and capabilities. People love to know that you are familiar with, and admire their work. If you follow them on Twitter or Instagram, make sure you regularly interact with them on posts you find interesting. Don't hit and run them with "Hey, check me out" and never speak to them again.

3) Ask About They're Submission Policy...Like, Before You Submit - If you've found a music supervisor or publisher online, and you're not clear on if or how they accept unsolicited music from Indie artists, reach out an ask them. Mention any current projects you know they have and let them know you have a song you think would be perfect for it and why. Keep it brief and always include a "sound-alike" reference. Example: "Classic, guitar-driven rock a'la Bon Jovi". If they do not accept unsolicited material, then please don't submit it to them. It's just rude. They will remember rudeness more than they will remember whatever song you sent. Don't throw shit at them that they don't want.

4) Don't Ask For Free Music, Beats, Vocals, Mixing, etc... - I honestly can't believe people still do this, but they do. It's insulting, rude and frankly, very amateur. You know how you're struggling to make it and are (most likely) doing it on your own? Well, so are most people. Can you afford to just give someone a few hundred (or thousand) dollars? If so, then you don't need free tracks. If not, then don't ask anyone to work for free either. Offering to add their name to your track, or pay them back-end royalties when you have no representation or plan in place, does not equal actual money. Don't insult someone's hard work by both asking for it and devaluing it at the same time. And, don't be insulted when they say "no." We're all just trying to make it.

5) Give Feedback That Counts If You Want The Same - I sometimes frequent a chat room for artists in a site I'll just call Schubmit Schmub. In this chat room, artists can get feedback on their music after they've listened to someone else's song and have given feedback. Nine times out of ten the feedback goes something like this: "Cool track. Take a listen to my new song, "No One Cares About You Though." If the genre of the song is not something you'd normally listen to, don't. Wait for something that you might like more. Listen to at least half the song (or one verse and one hook) and think of actual constructive critique. Or, you're likely to get a "Cool. Here's my shit now" feedback on yours. It's not all about you.

Also, for you bloggers and reviewers, if an artist has paid for feedback, please follow the above rules. Put a little thought into it. Even if it's only one sentence, make it count. Don't take artists already limited money just to give them a one-word feedback. That's shitty. And if you only accept certain genres, make that clear. Don't say "all genres" just to make a few more bucks and then include "I only review country music" in your review. 

I put together "posters" using the most unhelpful and weird feedback I've ever received to point out how ridiculous some of it was:

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you - musically. That is all.

How To Make People Think You Are Extremely Important In 5 Easy Steps

In the world of business, it sometimes becomes necessary to network and connect with people who may be able to help move you forward and vice versa. This is especially important in the world of the Arts. Musicians, actors, filmmakers, painters and photographers are always hustling to land their next gig. But who are you? A relative nobody, right? You want to look like you're somebody pretty damn influential, so based on my observations, here's a quick tip list on how you can appear extremely important, and therefore, make those crucial connections. Or not. Whatever.

1) Have a LinkedIn account for networking, but leave people with no actual way of connecting with you. Make sure to set your settings to lockdown mode so people can't connect, message or reach you in any way. All they should be able to do is "follow" you like the sheep they are. Additionally, always view other people's profiles in "private" mode to maintain the illusion that you are not a real person. 

2) In case someone does get through your protective Wall of Importance, and reaches out in admiration of your work or states that they'd like to stay in touch with you after sharing some of theirs, make sure to answer this email or message with a simple "👍", and never, ever, write actual words back to them. 

3) Make sure your profile picture contains a photo of you either holding an award or wearing a lanyard. Having a bustling event as the backdrop of your photo can really boost your business cred here.

4) When setting up your social media handle, always include a dollar sign (or two) at the beginning or end of your name. If possible, include it at both ends. This will ensure that people viewing your profile know that you are loaded with cash money and therefore don't need shit from anyone. 

5) Always, always post status updates that prove that you are doing something important - but never say exactly what it is. Something like "grinding" or "big project in the works" should suffice. Add the hashtags "Motivation", "HustleHard", "BeastmodeOn", "Success" or "Blessed" if at all possible. Motivational memes with quotes someone else wrote are great here too in the event that you are too busy to type (which you should totally be anyway). All memes should have amber or shadowy tones. 

Following these simple tips will not only tell the world that you are uber-successful but also that you got that way entirely on your own and have never worked with anyone ever. 

Good luck and happy non-networking! #BillionaireLifestyle