What I’ve learnt about music, success, failure and being a “starving artist”.

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I don’t remember the exact moment that I decided that music was the only thing I wanted to do with my life. There was never a “eureka” moment or an epiphany of clarity. There was, however, a constant sense of dissatisfaction. Playing my guitar alone in my room just wasn’t enough. In high school there were plenty of people I knew who played guitar or sung or who could play the living daylight out of the drums. What I could never quite wrap my head around was that all these people were busy making other plans. Playing in their parent’s basement or jamming with friends or even the occasional gig seemed to be enough for them. I always thought to myself “why? What’s the point if you’re not going to go the whole nine yards, if you’re not gonna play till the day you die, if you’re goal isn’t to sell out arenas and stadiums. Why bother if you’re gonna become an accountant and let that guitar sit in the corner of your room slowly gathering dust?” For as long as I can remember music has played a crucial roll in my life. When I was four years old I sat by my dads record player playing the same Beatles song over and over again, desperately trying to write down all the lyrics. One of my fondest memories from my childhood was watching my mum dance round the living room listening to “Waiting On A Sunny Day” off Springsteen’s “The Rising” album. As I grew into my teens I first felt the notion of dissatisfaction when I realized that listening to music wasn’t enough — I had to be playing it. In my first year of secondary school I told a group of guys who were all 3 or 4 years older than me that I played drums. This was a lie. I didn’t. I just wanted to be in a band. I was soon kicked out after they realized I couldn’t play drums at all but that didn’t dishearten me.

I got my first instrument at the age of 12 — a beautiful electric bass guitar. I played it until my fingers bled (not a reference to Bryan Adams) and soon after took to the acoustic guitar. My first real success in music was at the age of 15 when I played 2 songs at a Battle of the Bands at my school. I somehow, even though I was a solo act, won the competition. In retrospect it couldn’t have gone better. People were cheering, my friends supported me and it was awesome. However, I still left the stage with that same feeling of dissatisfaction. The feeling of “that wasn’t enough”. 100s of show, 5 years, 5 EPs with multiple bands and some solo, 2 bands and 2 tours later, I still carry that same feeling of dissatisfaction and hunger for more. For a while I thought that this perpetual feeling was a bad thing and that I would never be content or happy. However, as time goes by I am becoming more and more thankful for it. It is very easy to become disheartened quickly when trying to pursue music because, let’s be honest; it’s a pretty dumb idea. It would be so much easier to go to school, study hard and get a normal 9–5 job, make good money and eventually save enough to drive a nice car, maybe even to own a nice house. I am far from an expert, I’ve made many many mistakes and I am miles and miles away from where I want to be but here are some things that I have learnt over the past 5 years as a struggling musician.

Stop comparing yourself to others.
This is way harder than it sounds. You are you, you wont ever be them. There will always be someone who is better than you in almost every walk of life. However, comparing yourself to them won’t achieve anything and won’t get you anywhere. Be comfortable in who you are, what you do and how you sound. Don’t try and be anything more or less than who you really are. Never stop working to refine your sound, experimenting or trying new things but don’t try and be someone else — its already been done. Don’t see these people as competition; see them as motivation to get to where they are.
Be a little stupid, a little reckless and stop caring about how your peers perceive you.
Now, I’m not saying alienate yourself and do things that will harm you and others around you, rather don’t just think or say or dream, DO! A few years ago I decided I wanted to go on a tour, I wanted to tour Canada with my band. We knew nothing, had few connections, no transport, no nothing. But, we did it anyway. No one thought we would pull it off, not even us but somehow we did. I got sick, ended up in hospital 3 times and nearly had to be flown home to England but it was totally worth it and if I could do it all again the exact same way I would. Turn up at venues and ask to play, email people, harass promoters, make mistakes and stop caring about how unachievable it may feel. People will probably think you’re crazy but don’t let that get to you. Don’t have a show? Busk. Don’t have a car? Try and hitch a ride. Don’t have a hotel? Find a couch to crash on. Get out of your comfort zone and just go for it.
Accept that you will probably be poor for a long long time.
Yep, it sucks. The moment I resided myself to a life of music little did I know I would probably be residing myself to years of poverty. Whether you like it or not, you’re most likely gonna be poor. People are probably gonna rip you off and when you do make money it will seem to magically vanish. You’ll find ways to get by — it’s a pretty hand to mouth existence and it isn’t for everyone. Busking is a great way to make money in your own time with music. The only problem is, its not guaranteed. I’ve made over $100 in an hour one day and then $6 in 5 hours the next. It can be frustrating and tiring and it can also be wonderful and fun. Anything is better than nothing so even if you do only make $6, that’s $6 more than you would have if you hadn’t of left the house that morning.
TALK TO STRANGERS!
I cant stress how important this is! Meet someone, tell them your story, ask them about theirs. Make conversation with that person on the greyhound bus next to you or that lonely guy sitting alone at the bar. You never know who they might be, how they might inspire you, what you may have in common and how the may be able to help you. In my experience 99% of people in the world are good and are willing to help others.
Never say no to a free meal
Food is good and it tastes better when its free — The only thing that will allow you to starve is pride.
Be persistent and annoying
Its annoying but shows don’t come to you. When you’re getting started its crucial to be persistent. Learn how to write a good, well worded and well-structured email using correct grammar and punctuation — this is so important. Attach a press pack to the email. This can be a little word document with a short bio, some pictures, influences and some links to your Facebook, YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp pages etc. This way the recipient of your email has everything he or she needs to know about you and your music at your fingertips. Send it out everywhere but make sure its tailored to each venue personally so it doesn’t look like a mass mail out. For example “I would very much love to play at “X” because…” Send the email to everyone, every venue, bar, pub, café, promoter, radio station. Keep emailing back if you don’t hear from them. Offer to go in in person and play some songs for them there and then almost like an audition. Face to face interaction can make a huge difference. Network as much as you can online. Piss off your facebook friends with links to your shows and music. Invite everyone, text everyone, post it on twitter and update your statuses. But try not to be rude about it. I’ve made this mistake where it seems like I’m coming across as a bit of an ass. This leads me onto number 7.
Be Humble
Say thank you a lot. If and when you get fans reach out to you, do your best to talk to them. My biggest disappointment as a 14 year old going to rock shows was when these dudes I really looked up to acted like arrogant arseholes. The ones who really stuck with me are the guys who played a show and met their fans after and took genuine interest in what they had to say. Its easy to forget that not all musicians are rock stars so a message or a hug or a few kind words to someone who looks up to you or appreciates what you do can honestly make someone’s day.
Be your own boss
The reality is unless you score some major record deal no one is gonna do anything for you. Unless you have one of those annoying pushy parents who themselves failed as a rock star and therefore wants to live vicariously through you… I think every musician knows that one kid who falls under this category. Book your own shows, manage your own finances, try and run your music like a business. Its very important that promoters and venues take you seriously. Lets be honest, the reality is if someone is given the opportunity to short-change you they probably will. So set the bar high, know what you’re owed before you play a show. It’s sometimes difficult to know what to charge someone without scaring them off. Maybe set the bar a bit higher than your wanted price and allow them to haggle you down. They think they are getting a better deal and you end up with what you originally wanted. This may not work every time but its something to consider. Learn how to use a PA system so you sound good when you play, shoot your own cover videos, promote your own shows. Try recording some of your own demos if you haven’t got the money to get into a studio. It really is amazing what you can achieve with a laptop these days. We have more computing power in our laptops and on our cell phones then NASA had when they sent men to the moon. We as musicians are able to do what entire record labels did in previous years by ourselves. We can promote, edit, record, video, network, sell etc etc all from our computers! Make the most of these resources. Buy a cheap microphone and some audio recording software and watch some tutorials on YouTube. There are hundreds and thousands of videos on the Internet that can help you learn how to edit, record, produce, mix, master etc. There is also plenty of free audio recording and video editing software that can be downloaded online or that comes with a computer (I.E garage band, iMovie, Audacity, Movie Maker) Record some songs and some videos stick them online and see what happens.
Stay up to date with current events and trends
Staying relevant is important while performing. Its good to fill gaps in between songs with a bit of stage banter (god I hate that word). I watched a musician in Ottawa called Shawn Tavernier (he’s incredible. Check him out). It was a Sunday evening and the bar was relatively quiet. However, he managed to win over the audience and have everyone laughing by just making some observations about the goings on in the world. Stage presence is so important and if you can be a stand up comedian while playing a show I guarantee it will be a far more enjoyable experience not just for the audience but for you as well. Its such a moral booster when you get an entire bar full of people laughing. Stage presence can make the difference between a crappy show and a great show.
Playing is always positive — just don’t get screwed over
It’s important to weigh up the pros and cons when someone offers you an unpaid show. I’ve made the mistake of playing shows that brought in hundreds of pounds/dollars to the establishment but so now reward myself. This is a pain in the ass so its always important to establish how much your time is worth before you play (as I’ve mentioned before). However, there are opportunities to make money at unpaid shows. For example, you can take donations and sell your EP or T-shirts or whatever. Playing can only ever be positive, who knows who could be in the crowd of one of your shows. One unpaid show can turn into a multitude of paid ones. Just be careful not to allow a promoter or venue to exploit you. Go with your gut when it comes to these kinds of situations and bare in mind that what you do is a profession and should be treated as such.

Busking, Open mics and play for the sake of playing, play everyday
Sometimes it’s just great to play for the sake of playing. Get out there, network a bit, meet likeminded musicians, jam with friends and just enjoy the gift of music. One of the things I personally love about busking is the freedom it brings. Its so wonderful to set up on a street corner and play whatever you want to whoever walks by and just to enjoy the actual sensation of playing.
Write. A lot.
Always have a notebook on you. Write down everything. Every idea you get, every lyric you think of, everything you encounter in day-to-day life that inspires you. Read back through it every now and then; you’ll probably discover a load of really bad stuff but every now and then you’ll find a diamond in the rough that could turn into your next song.
Be inspired
Travel, meet people, do new things, listen to new music and find things that move you. It all helps.
Fall in love
Its such a cliché but falling in love and having your heart broken can do wonders for your soul and for your creativity. Falling in love doesn’t necessarily have to be romantic — it can be with a place or with a song or an album or with a place.
Be alone every now and then
There is a distinct difference between being lonely and being alone. Learn to appreciate your own company in order to find yourself and collect your thoughts. Turn off your phone, your laptop and other distractions and enjoy some time alone.
Don’t beat yourself up
Play some god-awful shows, write some bad songs and allow yourself to make mistakes. Don’t dwell on them too much, learn from them, pick yourself up and move forward.
Tell your parents/girlfriend/best friend/grandparents/whoever that you love them
I know from personal experience that it was never easy for my parents to have to pick up the pieces after me every time something musical didn’t work out and I’d come home in a fit of rage or wallowing in self-pity. It can be quite worrisome to be close to someone who’s biggest ambition is musical success. Its draining and a struggle for everyone involved. Tell those people close to you and who support you that you love them and appreciate them.
Prove someone wrong
Sometimes the best motivation comes in the form of criticism from those who dislike you or don’t believe in you. Whether you like it or not, not everyone is gonna like you. I hated this at first. Show them that you can do what you said you’d set out to achieve. Do that tour, write that song, record that album…
Don’t half ass anything
Play that show like you’re playing to 5000 even if you are only playing to 5. Do or do not there is no try. Don’t settle for anything less than what you are capable of. Make music your number one priority, this might be an unpopular statement but part time jobs will always be there that opportunity you may have to “call in sick” for may not be.
Don’t give up
You may spend your entire life struggling to keep your head above water, working your hands down to the bone and nothing may ever come of it. But would you rather spend your one shot at life chasing your dream or always thinking “what if?” Doors will be closed in your face, you’ll probably feel jaded, lose faith, lose a few friends, be ridiculed, told you’re shit, feel like shit and feel like giving up. If you believe in yourself and love what you do your efforts will pay off and eventually a door may be opened.

So there you go, that’s my list. I’m far from an expert and, like I said, I’ve still got a long way to go. Never be satisfied, never settle for anything less than you deserve, never half ass, never give up. Now, go be the best.