It is all about the fans

Songwriters,

In my last post I brought up the subject of venues and payment for services.  I have had numerous responses to this post.  But the overwhelming questions is "what can I do about it?".  My response to the question is that, we as songwriters depend on our creativity to be songwriters.  We are independent, and to some degree compete with other artists.  I feel that artists can compete in battle of the bands or compete for gigs, but still get together when it comes to venues.  I suggest a forum, where artists get the word out about bad or good experiences with venues.  Some online means to report the condition of the club, the cleanliness, the quality of the sound equipment, how good the sounds guy was or wasn't, and how fair you thought the compensation was.  Kind of like a Zagat guide or Nielsen rating for venues.

Also, artists have fans.  If you look at venues on FaceBook, they may have fans, but the number of fans for a venue pale in comparison to fans for an artist.  Let your fans know that a venue stiffed you.  I think venues will start to get the idea when your fans stop going, and I am speaking of when you are not playing there.  Social media is a powerful tool when it is used properly.  It is something that has to be leveraged by the business part of music.  If you are playing music, you are in the music business.

I recently attended a workshop and concert with Terri Hendrix and Lloyd Maines in Winnsboro, TX.  It was at the Crossroads location there.  I talked to Gus Gustafson at length, and then Terri and Lloyd.  They have tapped into the little out-of-the-way music destinations around Texas, and it is surprising what you will find.  The listening room was packed.  They sold CDs long after the concert was over.  They engaged the audience and got them involved.  It was a fun night for the artists and for the fans.  They CONNECTED with their fans, and the fans bought merchandise.  Do I need to repeat that?

I think back to the council have have given to young artists over the years.  I think I can sum it up in a one liner here. Don't act like you are a big star until you are one!  What am I saying here?  When you are getting established, you can't just hang around backstage  or sit at a table with your friends and family before the concert, and you have to show up at the merch table and shake some hands.  Before you play, get out and talk to people in the crowd.  If that somehow messes with you performance chi, then you may be in the wrong business.  You have to get fans and develop a relationship with your fans.  Shaking hands and letting people tell you how much they love your music never hurts.  In fact, it might give you a little boost before you go on stage.

I also attended a Master Songwriting Sessions with Mary Dawson.  Her guest speaker was Jeff Crilley.  Jeff used to be a reported for Fox News.  He now owns a PR firm and has written a book about getting yourself on the news for TV and radio or in print.  He tells those little tricks you need to know to get publicity.  His epiphany moment was when he was speaking at and event, and the event organizer bought copies of his book before the event and handed the books for free to the audience before Jeff spoke.  He usually waited until he was done speaking, then sold his merch.  The whole evening changed.  He was not selling when he spoke, he was connecting to his audience.  The whole atmosphere was changed.  He was speaking to fans.  Also, he gave me a book for free.  Did it work?  I just told you about Jeff, so YES!

I am not advocating giving away your hard earned merch to everyone in the audience, but how about giving away a few items.  Zane Williams tosses coozies from the stage.  Other artists toss t-shirts into the crowd or have drawings for prizes.  One thing that might help would be picking that die hard fan that set up in the front row and tried to sing along with every song.  And, no I am not talking about your mother here.  If you see that person lurking after the show, but they are not in the merch line.  They may not be able to afford a CD, but would like to have one.  Shake their hand, and slip them a CD or something.  What have you done then?  You have built a loyal fan.  Somebody that will promote you, because you acknowledged them and you paid them for their loyalty.  What about starting a loyalty program?  Announce your shows on FaceBook and other forums and track who is coming to your shows.  Give them some merch, toss them the coozie.   That is viral advertizing.  You want to go viral don't you?

This can be a tough business, so don't make things any harder than they have to be.  Artists come and go.  Artists are completely dependent on fans, even Taylor Swift!  Daddies money only goes so far.  Would you rather have merchandise sitting in a closet gaining dust, or merchandise in the hand of fans?  Fans that you have met and told you who they are.  Otherwise, if you know how to be a mega artist without any fans, please let me know so I can write the book on it and become a multi-millionaire.

Roger

Musicians are like herding cats!

Songwriters,

I have started on a journey.  A journey of unknown destination with danger lurking around many corners.  That journey has the goal of getting songwriters and performers the respect and money they deserve.  I see a large problem, and yes it involves the statement that "musicians are like herding cats".  Many independent artists are being robbed blind.  Performers are working for price-fixed wages.  Yes, I said price-fixed.  The venue owners have gotten together and decided that they would low-ball the amount they will pay performers.  The problem is, we are letting them get by with it!

We as songwriters,  musicians,  and performers are an independent group.  Our individuality is the key ingredient in what makes our music unique.  But, that same individuality is, well lets tell it like it is; that individuality is getting us screwed.  There are laws that prevent real estate brokers from banding together to fix prices and laws that prevent large corporation from creating monopolies, but there are no laws being widely enforced to protect the average working performers.  Why is that?  The answer is simple; it is because we are independent.  Now, do not get me wrong, I am not advocating unionizing.  I am advocating that songwriters and performers find a way to work together to get the message across to these venues that they cannot get away with paying a $5000 band $1500 and having the band feel lucky that they got paid at all.  And, when you see and unauthorized video of you band on YouTube taken illegally at your concert or performance, go to YouTube and tell them to take the video down.  It might take up to six months for them to get around to it, so be resolute and keep contacting them until they do it.

Okay, there are some ugly facts about human nature.  When somebody is allowed to abuse another, they will not stop until there is a fundamental change.  If a person physically abuses another person the catalyst for change is the abused person leaving or the abuser being arrested.  That is an awful fact, but it happens.  These venue owners that have decided to low-ball your price are abusing you.  When you bring dozens or hundreds of patrons to your show, the venue owner is making money in food and alcohol sales.  I am not saying that there are not any venue owners that treat performers with respect, but I am saying there are venues that are not respecting their performers.

On another note.  I have been going to different establishments that say they support Texas music to solicit donations or asking them to sponsor our stage at Wildflower.  One of the establishments I approached was Texas Roadhouse.  I have been eating there probably fifty times a year for four years and the people that work there have become friends over the years.  All that Todd Harrison, the Managing Partner, had to do was provide a small donation, like he did for the Allen Library music event, and have their mascot dance around with discount coupons or something like that.  I emailed him, with no response.  I called him and they hung up the phone.  I called again, and they said I'll take a message for him to get back to you.  He never bothered to get back to me.  So, you ask how this relates to musicians not getting paid what they deserve?  My answer is that I am going to boycott Texas Roadhouse.  They have been getting about $1500 a year from me for four years.  That all stops now, because I am not going to allow them to disrespect me.

Songwriters and performers take note that the only way to get people's attention normally involves money.  Even lawsuits really boil down to money in the long run.  People tend to understand your point when dollars are involved.  If you want congress to hear your voice, the easiest way is large campaign contributions and lobbyist.  Independent performers and songwriters do not normally have that kind of money, so we have to work together and become a united front.  Write letters to your congressman or congresswoman.  Let your voice be heard.  Go up against those that profit from our music.  Work with your peers to get the attention of the venues.

Recall the story of Gandhi.  He, as one man, assembled the masses to nonviolently take control of his country form the British government.  He knew that he had to use nonviolent means, because violence would sway populist opinion against his cause.  In fact, he gained public opinion when the British government responded with violence against him.  They were seen as oppressive bullies.  His peaceful demonstrations included people gathering together and impacting commerce.  Workers not working and people not buying goods.  India gained independence because the merchants felt the sting in their wallet.  Those individuals went to their elected officials and demanded the government to bring about a resolution.

I am not Gandhi, and this is not India.  But, we can learn from history.  People respond to financial impact.  Performers and songwriters should not have to suffer for their art.  We need to be fairly compensated for our art!

Dallas Songwriters,

I recently had the fortune to attend the ASCAP Expo in Hollywood, CA.  I missed the Dallas Guitar Show, unfortunately.  The conference was great and very informative.  We had numerous master classes.  We had speakers like Carly Simon, Paul Williams (ASCAP President), Allen Shamblin, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Bruno Mars and the Smeezingtons, Peter Frampton and many other household names in the music industry.  All of them had a common thread to what they said.  It took lots of work and even more luck to be these all time idols and superstars.  They were very honest and open when they spoke.  The work was learning to play and write songs, and the luck was being discovered.  The discovered part was due to diligently chasing their dream.  They left no stone unturned.  They went out and performed their songs to anybody that would listen and they found people that could help them perform and write better songs.  Peter Frampton admitted that he did not want to be a solo performer.  He wanted to play lead guitar, but he got pushed into performing with Humble Pie after he left the band The Herd.  Carly never thought she would perform in front of people because of her "stammer".  Bruno Mars was singing with his musical family in clubs in Hawaii until he just up and moved to LA on a whim.

There is luck that "falls out of the sky" and there is luck that a person can shape and channel.  Either type of luck takes getting out and practicing your craft.  Unless somebody steals your notebook full of lyrics or your work tapes and just happens to get them into somebody's hands, you, the songwriter have work to do.  This is where Dallas Songwriters Association is chartered to help.  We provide educational and performance opportunities for songwriters.  We bring talented people together and even provide opportunities for song pitching.  We help you write better songs by providing realistic feedback and provide song critiques.  What DSA does not do is go to your house and pull the TV remote out of your hand and say there is a mega-superstar in town, and they are might be looking for songs.  We offer the opportunities, and if you want it bad enough and are willing to put in the work, then we provides paths that songwriters can explore and avenues to follow a dream.  We as songwriters are all dreamers, but I would never expect Paul Williams to come to Dallas looking for me because he randomly pulled my name out of the phonebook, but I met him and talked to him at the ASCAP Expo.  We need to dream big and act on our dreams, but also realize for every dream there might be a rejection.  Rejection means that your song is not ready, or it may not have been the right time for you song.  I was rejected by Jason Aldean because the song pitched sounded similar to one he was already putting on his album.

Some things coming up this month are: the first Monday Song Swap Monday May 7th at HalfPrice Books on Northwest Highway.  Followed by our Tuesday night second Tuesday meeting at the Center for Community Cooperation.  It looks like we will be doing a co-write session by popular demand.  You will get an email a few days before the meeting with the tune we are going to write a song for that night.  Do not bring lyrics you have already created, your group will be drawing a song topic to write about.  To keep things rolling, we have third Monday Song Swap at Tino's, then we might go invade Mark David Mander's Songwriters in the round and get some folks up on stage.  Did you realize people like Rudy Gatlin sometimes goes to Love and War in Texas, Plano location?  That is where I met him.  We have our third Thursday open mic on May 17th at Dunn Bros Coffee, the we have the Wildflower Festival May 18th through May 20th.

If you want to volunteer to work the Wildflower Festival and get a free shirt and day pass, contact Lisa Byrn.  There are still available spots in Beth Nielsen Chapman's Songwriters School at Wildflower on Friday May 18th.  You get admission for a day and a ticket to see Beth Perform at 10:00 PM Friday night.  Zane Williams is headlining on Sunday and our very own Mary Guthrie and Merry and the Mood Swings is performing on the Bud Light Stage 11:30 AM on Saturday.  We are co-sponsoring the Courtyard stage during the festival and we will have daily performances of DSA members and songwriter competition winners.  Check out the list of performers on http://www.wildflowerfestival.com/index.html and you can also follow the link off of the Songwriters School page to signup for Beth's class.  People that attended her class last July will attest to how great that event was, and this promises to be just that much better.

I want to see our members at events, and most of all I want to be able to say that I knew that superstar before they got their big break, and DSA helped them get there.

Good writing,

Roger

DSA has a solid forward momentum

Fellow DSA members,

I feel a strong forward momentum with DSA this year.  We have started the year off with a bang.  It is good to see members getting involved in our activities and see the sustained growth of our membership with our new members.  As a board member, I want to see DSA flourish and grow.  I see positive things happening with our programs, workshops, song swaps, and performance activities.  I have spoken with members that are becoming active again and new members coming in this year.  We try hard to find something that we can provide that bridges across the organization.  Julie Jean White heads our programs and Lisa Byrn is tasked with our showcases and Michael Brandenberger has workshops.  If you have any ideas or contacts with industry professionals that would make a good speaker in person or via Skype, let us know.  The only thing that cannot be achieved is the thing that is never attempted.  So, lets aim high and get those speakers that are well accomplished in the music industry.

I felt a magical moment with Carly Simon and Ben Taylor in our March meeting as did many others.  They confirmed the principles that DSA teaches about the craft of songwriting, but also established the connection to that intangible spirit of the song itself.  It was kind of one of those moments where you just know that a song is a great song because you just feel it.  This does not diminish the role of the hard work that a songwriter puts in looking for proper structure and those colorful expressions and metaphors that add that extra dimension to our songs.  The words and phrases we use to make something more interesting to our listeners.  That is one of those things that sets a great song apart from others.  We have to say the same in thing in a new and interesting way, or find something new to say.  Like Carly mentioned,   she keeps notebooks of song ideas that she has kept for years.  She goes back through those notebooks and finds things to include in new songs.  When the muse visits, if you are like me, I have to write it down, or I find myself somewhere down the road without that great idea.


In April, we have Zane Williams as out guest speaker.  Zane spent about 10 years of his life in Nashville with a publishing deal and as touring musician. He had a top 20 song "Hurry Home" performed by Jason Michael Carroll.   He knows his craft.  Anybody that knows Zane understands the story within his songs.  He provides clear and vivid images that tell a story.  Zane had his magical moment recently and here is his quote:  "Zane was in heaven recently when Bob DiPiero, Jerrery Steele, and David Lee Murphy invited him up to sing an original song during their song swap at a Texas Heritage Songwriter's Association private party.  The thrills continued when the next day he performed onstage at Austin City Limits Live, opening the ceremony that inducted Lyle Lovett, Robert Earl Keen, and Townes Van Zandt into the Texas Heritage Songwriter's Hall of Fame."  Can you imagine how he felt getting to perform on stage with Robert Earl Keen and Lyle Lovett and paying tribute to Townes Van Zandt.  This speaks highly of the talent and recognition that Zane has accomplished.


We have a couple of festivals coming up.  The first one is the Deep Ellum Arts Festival.  It will be held April 6th - 8th down in Deep Ellum.  Our stage will be at Malcolm X and Main.  We are right in the middle of things.  Come by and listen a while and browse around.  Next up we have the Wildflower Festival May 18th - 20th.  The Songwriters School will be lead by Beth Nielsen Chapman on May 18th.  Beth is a wonderful teacher and I am glad that she agreed to come back to Dallas to lead this workshop.  There are only 40 seats available, so go out to Beth's website and sign up soon: http://www.bethnielsenchapman.com/index.php?page=workshops.  Later that evening, Beth will be a headliner on stage.  Guy Clark is another headliner this year.  This is shaping up to be a great festival.  DSA will be hosting an acoustic performance stage this year.  This will be a separate stage from the Bud Light Stage that we previously hosted.  We can obtain our own sponsors, so if you know somebody that wants to be a sponsor, let a board member know.


I am proud to be a member of DSA and I am glad to see more members becoming active in our programs and activities.  We are gaining recognition and we are working hard to put together programs and workshops that any member can gain from.  I always say that you will get the most out of an organization when you are willing to invest your time in that organization.  Song swaps, workshops, open mics, and programs are here for you, the songwriter.  You will hear different opinions, views, and advice about your songs, but that is a good thing and as I see it, that is a mini sample of your greater audience.


Let's have a good year with lots of fun and learning.

DSA in 2012 (Building on a SOLID 2011 Foundation)

DSA Members,

Thank you for giving me the opportunity and trust to lead DSA as President.  Buck Morgan has done an outstanding job as President during his terms in 2010 and 2011 and leaves me a big set of boots to fill.  We have experienced growth and increased the average attendance during our monthly meetings.  Mary Guthrie brought a whole new level of activity to the Vice-President of Membership by designing new membership flyers and making sure that members where contacted every month to encourage their participation in our monthly programs and let people know when their membership renewal was due.  Barbe has been a constant hard worker that is always there when we need her to do all sorts of things for us.  We owe Barbe a debt of gratitude.  Bobby Montgomery was diligent in keeping our finances and worked with Barbe to maintain our fiscal responsibilities for DSA.  Donna Scoggins got together great programs and Michael Brandenberg was responsible for overseeing some great workshops.  I want to thank each member of the 2011 Board of Directors personally for their service.

It was nice to attend board meetings at Michael's home where we had to fight for seating almost.  It is refreshing to work with a room full of creative minds that are dedicated to making DSA a great organization.  We have another great lineup of board members this year and I expect to have another great year.  We will all be seeking new and innovative ways to deliver a solid foundation to our membership and provide you with the best programs, workshops, performance opportunities, and overall support that accomplishes the DSA charter.

We all have busy lives, but we all have that desire to write and/or perform that winning song.  Sometimes the music industry demands sacrifice for our art.  Musicians hours and demands that our art and craft be nurtured and fed.  We as board members in 2012 want each and every member to participate in as many programs and activities as possible.  We will be posting programs, workshops and events and some fun musical outings for members to participate in this year.  I want every member to feel that they are included and feel satisfied with DSA.  We still have opportunities for members to serve on committees and special projects along with guitar shows and other activities we participate in each year.  We have Deep Ellum Arts Festival and Wildflower coming up soon just to mention a couple.

We as a board have been elected by the membership to serve the members.  This is our goal.  In stating this goal please contact your board members with any concerns that you have or great ideas that you would like to see for DSA.  We are a 501c3 organization that depends upon donations and membership, so we may not be able to fund activities or speakers, but feel empowered to bring your ideas to us.  If there is a way to make something happen, we will try.  We are here for you.

Roger