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You Didn't Try To Call Me...
(30 Sep 02)
No business like...
Now, here comes a sad fact about the business: I told you that (at least in my opinion) there are some really great people in the business. People who care and really are still enthusiastic about stuff. Guys who remember how THEY felt when they were starting out.
At the same time, there are a bunch of people who have some problems... they enjoy and need that feel of power, so they let you wait. Or they simply don’t care about whether they hurt you or not. Remember: the music business IS a business, and it’s about profit. That’s sad but true.
And the guys who really get out of their way to get back to you, to give you a reply, or to give you a chance, are rare. (But they are there, I know it!)
Sure, it would be awesome if everything could be based on trust, if we all would decide things based on our love for music etc. But usually, that’s not the case. It’s the business side. It takes contracts, signatures, a bunch of paperstuff.
It sure can be a pain in the neck to have to make contracts about your rehearsal room, the payment for the show you’re gonna play, the copyrights and all that. But it’s rather stupid to not take care of that stuff and get ripped off without having a chance to do anything about it.
What do you think made Steve Morse leave the music business twice?
Or how about Shawn Lane and the stuff he recently went through?
How about the biographies of Joe Cocker, Van Halen, Prince ...?
As sad as it is, if you wanna be a professional musician, you have to know some stuff about business... taxes, contracts, the legal side. Don’t think this is fun for me either. But man, I got ripped off seriously a few times. Not only money that was stolen or gear I was ripped off... no, it was about my motivation and enthusiasm. Cuz getting ripped off hurts. And it can really push you to the point where you just wanna get out.
There are several good books about contracts and legal stuff in the music biz, and also some websites dealing with that topic. It sure sucks that you have to make a contract before you can do what you love, but hey... does this sound familiar:
Owner of the venue: "Dudes, I can’t recall that I said I’d pay you 60% of what I get from selling tickets. I said 10%. Do you have a prove I said 60%? Here are your $20, get out of here!"
Bandmate who was kicked out: "Hey, remember the song we wrote? Well, actually, I wrote it. Or can you prove me the opposite? Didn’t copyright it? Too bad! I am gonna play it with my band".
At the show: "Who said you’d get a meal before the show? No contract? Well, then I guess you either gotta pay or go someplace else to eat".
I know that all this might sound discouraging. But seriously, this kinda stuff happens. It’s a biz, after all, and if you wanna be part of it, you need more than just chops, cool songs and a great amp. You need to educate yourself a bit, and make sure you have some security.
As long as you stay home and just jam some with some friends, or record some tunes for your girl / boyfriend, you don’t have to worry that much (unless you upload this song as an MP3 to a MP3-site... believe it or not, some of those may rip you off, so you really should check out the digital contract they show you once you apply for your MP3-space... read it!)
But once you wanna play some gigs, or record some stuff in the studio, or have your music being sold or broadcasted, or wanna tour as a "hired gun", you need to remember that it is a business, and just like in every other business, you gotta deal with a lot more than just that weird chord or the wide stretches required to play a certain scale.
Don’t let some of the "common behaviour" discourage you. Deal with it. Write your songs, work on them, work on your performance, be confident about it, and then make sure everything is secure.
And maybe one day you might be able to pay someone to take care of this for you... but make sure to make a contract so he / she won’t... you know the drill...
Some of this might be common knowledge, some of it might be new to you. And it’s dang far away from stretch pentatonics and alternate picking. But this packet of advice, to me, is just as important to give away as all the licks and exercises I showed you.
Just like I tell my students about chords, scales, techniques, I tell them about related stuff like performing on stage, setting up gear and paying attention to the business-side of things.
Cuz you have to deal with all of that in most cases. And you gotta learn about contracts and stuff just as you have to learn about how to fret an Em11...
Hope this was of interest for you... use the web, ask some colleagues, make sure you check into it... what did Frank Zappa say... "If you’re ignorant, you can become a victim".
OK, I’ll now shut up and play my guitar
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Eric started playing the guitar at age 10. He attended GIT and studied with Scott Henderson, Brett Garsed, Dan Gilbert amo. Eric is involved in several bands and recording projects and his instrumental debut - Hidden Creek - plus his instructional book Talking Hands - A Guide To Contemporary Lead Guitar Techniques is available HERE
Visit his website at www.ericvandenberg.net
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