Never Give Up – The Only Mantra You Need To Survive In the Music Industry
April 26th, 2010If you are planning to become part of the music industry, one of the first lessons you need to learn is to accept ‘no’ with as much grace as possible. Remember, this word is going to be an essential part of your daily living – no matter what you do and who you are. The fact of the matter is that as a musician, you are perennially trying to sell an idea, a tune, a song, or a kind of music to some one or the other and this listener is more than ready to say the famous word- ‘no’ without batting an eyelid.
While you take ‘no’ as part of your existence, and is not necessarily a disrespectful word for your talent, you also need to develop that immunity to face a rejection with a smile. Your demo has every chance of being rejected; your band has every chance of being refused concert dates and any proposal can be put in the trash can without assigning any reason whatsoever. But the good news is that even a stoic ‘no’ could be loaded with possibilities:
- Ask the music label that rejects you for their suggestions of any other company who they can recommend.
- Ask the promoter who refused to promote your music if he can put your band on to someone else who might be interested.
The list can go on endlessly. The essence is not to get de-motivated by a rejection. In short, never give up, if you are part of the music industry. Learn to take a refusal as impersonally as possible. After all, they do not mean any harm to you personally. When they refuse your music or your proposal, all that they are trying to say is that they are incapable of making good use of it. Such honesty could do your band some good too!
In fact, such frank and outright rejection is a better option than a company who sends out ambiguous signals – taking care of you when they run out of other options and so on. In case you do come across such a person or a company, in stead of venturing into an unknown and not-so-warm relationship, why not ask for his or their recommendations for another contact that could be more willing to get into a partnership with you? This saves you from entering a non-profitable relationship and helps you gain some useful leads which might prove lucrative sooner than you imagine!
Therefore, when you are in the music industry a ‘no’ is not necessarily a disaster, but could always prove to be a blessing in disguise! A ‘no’ should also not allow you to go blank. You just have to keep on trying, sometimes with only hope as your sole companion. People who get back and those who do not, would always remember the grace with which you took the refusal and that itself makes your band memorable. The music industry is actually inhabited by a large family where everyone knows everyone else. So make sure that you keep an impeccable reputation and maintain goodwill at all times at all levels. Who knows, the goodwill could be your stepping stone to a ‘yes’ in the near future?
If you are a musician and looking for band space in Brooklyn or Queens to practice,
contact Empire Rehearsal Studios for more information.