Making money in my underware

We had a lovely young gentle man from in the groove come talk to us this week in calm. He basically told us that he sits in his boxers and makes a living. Definitely something that caught my attention.

From my understanding he and a few other guys write music and license it for use through in the groove music. The songs or sound bites are used for commercials movie or whatever else is in need of musical enhancement. Sometime people just look through his online catalog for use and other times they are hired to demo a piece that may or may not be used.

I find this as a very intriguing notch in your musical belt per-say. I don't know if I would enjoy doing this kind of work full time but it could be very beneficial to set aside creative time every week to start building a sound library that could generate income in the future. And with the computer power available on a standard mac book pro this would be something easy to get into. I'm assuming it would be hard to make a living doing this but easily could become another iron in the fire helping finance your musical career.

Money

The other week in clam we talked about the dreaded word.... money. However I'm a nerd and its something I've thought quite a bit about. A little background first. I come from a single income family of twelve people. Due to this fact money has always been a part of my life. I got my first job at 15 and have never been unemployed since. Through this my dad has taught me great money management skills.... the hard way needless to say. My parents have never borrowed me a dollar in my life. My dad always taught me if I didn't have cash for it I didn't need it. While kids in high school were playing les pauls and pearl drum kits their parents bought them I was rocking a $50 dollar first act guitar that i bought from the neighbor. When i turned 16 my friends would show me their new cars while I drove a 94 mini van. I don't say this is as a poor me story but a reference to that fact that I have a good handle on the value of a dollar. Many of my friends talk about their 80-150k in student loans they have and complain about being broke after maxing out their credit cards.... On the other hand i've worked two jobs throughout college and paid cash for a significant part of my degree.... My student loan debut is that of a middle of the road new car.... well shy of a mortgage.

So in calm when we talk about money and retirement i don't freak out because I understand that a majority of the time we have a spending problem which is easily fixable as opposed to an income problem. Learning to live with-in your means is more valuable than having a high paying job. Mel Gibson is broke and he's made millions.

The main point in class was investment and retirement. I feel like the numbers at face value seem high... like saving 3,000 dollars a year. When in reality that's two gigs a month or saving the money from 5 lessons every week. Much more due-able from that perspective. And on second thought if I could opt out of social security that'd be a couple thousand I could invest every year as well.... but thats a whole different subject. I guess I'm also much more inclined to invest in a business model that will produce an income stream for life instead of sitting on a pot of cash and hoping it grows as much as i'd like in the stock market. Also what do you do if you outlive your pot of cash? People live to their 90's in my family. If i retire at 60 thats thirty years of income i'll need. At a modest 30,000 a year life style i would need close to a million dollars in retirement to live until i'm 90.

Kareem WTF?

We had a social media class with Kareem, the schools social media guru. Frankly I don’t really remember much of what we talked about, because we covered a million subjects. In my notes I wrote down some of the main sites I need to get hooked up with to start building a following. The Internet just seems so big and so fast it’s hard for and old school guy like me to digest it all. I guess my biggest problem with the Internet is that I view it as a black whole. I log into facebook and two hours pass by and I’ve accomplished nothing of relevance. Due to this fact I usually shy away from social media. However as I get set to graduate I’m starting to understand the importance of social networking when you are an indie musician. I feel like I need to get on as many sites as possible and then link them through my online portfolio to provide fans with a one stop shop to Chris Nelson’s music. In the twenty first century you have to make yourself accessible on a personal level for people to take an interest in your music. It's almost as if the art is becoming secondary to the relationship with the artist. I don't know if thats good or bad.... but either way we must start embracing social networking. 

Value In Music

          After high school we embark on this journey of trying to figure out who we are and what work we will choose that will define a majority of our adult life. For some it may be what you were in high school i.e. a jock or a musician… others may choose medicine because they are smart or love the topic… others may pursue financially stable careers while others will pursue something they love. However, I view being a musician as something more of a disease than a career choice. Most people I know are musicians because they HAVE to be not because they have chosen it. I’m actually quite convinced that being a musician is in the same family of disorders as OCD. (I do not mean to make light of ODC just merely drawing a comparison between a musicians need to create, practice, and perform… and someone that does something obsessively.)

            So for me… I’ve chosen the life of an artist. However I do reject the regular stigma that encapsulates an artist’s life… like the whole “I’m going to be broke my whole life”… and “I rather be poor making my art than selling out”…. Or whatever other cliché rationalization that people throw around to cement their failure in other people’s minds so when said artist does succeed everyone around him/her is pleasantly surprised.

            Enough of my rambling…. On to the little black book in CaLM called “Art/Fear”.

In chapter III the author David Bayles & Ted Orland discuss the fears we have about ourselves. Instead if diving into crazy hypothetical’s I’m just going to write about something that stuck with me that pertain to this topic.

            So many times as a musician I ask myself “Why am I doing this? Isn’t there something I could be doing that would make a difference in this world?” All too often I question myself extensively about what I’m doing. I see doctors working on cures to better humanity or soldier’s proudly serving their country and I feel as though my pursuits pail in comparison…. Almost as if my pursuit of art is a selfish indulgence that is laughable in the grand scheme of humanity.

            However I once read an article by a famous piano player that was discussing this same topic. He was a well known teacher working in New York. Everything was going well until he witnessed the events of September 11^th, 2001. I’m paraphrasing but he basically went on to say that he did not touch the piano for days as he looked back on his life and felt guilty of all the time he spent doing something perceived as meaningless based on recent events. He witnessed fire fighters giving their lives for the greater good and what was he doing…. Playing music.

            It wasn’t until he went out into the city a few days later he realized the importance of music. People had gathered together and were singing. It was then that he realized that when people reach down into their most basic human instincts and source of coping and communicating music is what they found. In the midst of complete destruction music brought humanity together…. When no words were left to comfort the grieving music comforted their hearts and minds…. Music is water to our souls.

            Whenever I question why I’m doing what I’m doing or feel that it doesn’t compare to someone in a more prestigious profess I just remember this story and it brings peace to my musical pursuits.

Chris          

Dessa's a Darling

This past week, well 10-4-2010 to be exact, Dessa Darling graced us with her presence in Creating a Life in Music. She is the resident artist here at McNally Smith College of Music and an integral part of Doomtree.

            Aside from Dessa’s animated personality you can tell she has a true passion for music. It’s a tried and true cliché in the music industry to claim you would rather be broke making art than well off working a conventional job. However, Dessa was one of the few artists that I truly believed when she claimed loyalty to this much followed doctrine in the art community. Disclaimer: I’m by no means saying that many if not all artist sincerely feel that way about art. I am however merely trying to decipher the difference between passion and commitment and the easy cop out for not being a responsible part of society. Stay tuned and I’ll tell you how I really feel ;-)

            Dessa was a wealth of information for an indie artist like myself. She was a straight shooter that gave us a realistic look at what self promotion takes/looks like. Here are a few of the notes I found to be of particular importance to me.

           

·         Have a well written bio.

o       This would include a personal/intimate bio as well as a profession bio. If you have a well/professionally written bio it is much easier for writers and editors to use your own words in their writing which helps you get publicity because it is easier for writers and editors to meet deadlines.

·         Have a press list.

o       This is basically a list of contacts for writers and editors of any local or regional publications.

·         Have Black & White as well as Color Photos.

o       When submitting a press release or press kit for publication you should submit both photos so the editors have options. Unless you know if your page will be run in color or black and white. Also you should avoid wearing red against dark backgrounds and vise versa because when run in black and white you appear to be a body less human with arms. This inconvenience in and of itself can be enough to not get you published if the editors have no more photo options.

·         Book your gig then submit press release.

o       Publications only care about press releases if you already have a show or CD release booked. Apparently a lot of artists try submitting information in the reverse order.

Check Dessa out on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eQL3BrRqM8

Chris

Calm

On 9-20-2010 Sean McPherson visited my Creating a Life in Music class at McNallySmith College of Music.  He was a well of knowledge on the music industry and how to conduct yourself as a musician and a business person at the same time.

-"What are you comfortable with and what are you not comfortable with" was the question he posed to the class right off the bat.  This question seems so elementary until I gave it some serious thought.  I realized that I most often spend my time trying to refine and advance my strengths.  Not that there is anything wrong with that necessarily but I realized how much I completely neglect my short comings as a musician and handling of the business side of music.  Closing my gaps as a musician and on the business end is something that has come into light as I’m nearing the end of my collegiate life.

-The other thing that struck me was what Sean said about approaching the business side of music.  It its honestly apart of the industry that seems completely overwhelming to me.  However Sean basically said “you don’t have to understand everything but you should develop a gut idea of the business side.”  I’m a very analytical person and I have a desire to understand every aspect of something but developing a sense of where the industry is at seems to be a happy medium for me because I know plenty of people that I can check my gut with in whatever business situation I may find myself in.

-Well I should go practice my weaknesses ;-) till next time

Chris