The Magic List

By the fall of 2007, I was hitting my stride. I was performing dozens of college concerts per year, traveling across the country, and finally fulfilling a lifelong goal of playing my own music for a living. At the same time, I had been away so often that I had very few ties to my hometown music community in San Diego. Every time I came home I was reminded of how disjointed and competitive our local music scene was, which was especially disappointing given the number of talented artists who lived there. I decided, along with Jeff, my manager at the time, that we should do something to change that, and one fall evening, we invited more than 50 of the best singer/songwriters in San Diego to my house for dinner and a meeting. It was an interesting mix; old friends and rivals, lively personas, interesting hats. Beneath all of the big personalities, however, were very simple emotions. We talked openly and found that people had all been afraid of how competitive and cold the music scene was; they had become too guarded to collaborate and share, and they didn't feel supported by their peers. Behind all the posturing was a lot of fear, doubt, and anxiety.

What followed over the coming months was an incredible experiment. We would get together once a month. Jeff and I would teach the artists what we knew about how to make a living on the road, and we would all share with each other the new music we were working on. In return for sharing my knowledge, I got to know everyone in the community, and a lot of us became closer and formed friendships and alliances that we still have today. (As a side note, several of those artists went on to achieve touring success in the coming months and years)

At every one of our meetings, there would always be one artist (usually a different person every time) who would hear about all my connections within the college music world and come up to me after our meeting, humbly asking if he or she could have a copy of the 'list'. I'm assuming these artists wanted a list of my contacts at various universities (which wouldn't necessarily have helped them, as many of my contacts were personal friends). I always tried to be patient and explain that it wasn't about having a list as much as about building relationships and getting out there. It really isn't as much about who you know than how you know them. Behind closed doors, Jeff and I would always have a good laugh because it seemed like a lot of people thought we had some kind of a magic list out there that could make an artist successful. I think a lot of artists truly believe, If I only had the right list, the right contact, everything would change. That's like saying If I only had the right list of potential clients, I could be a successful lawyer. Your success doesn't come from the opportunities; the opportunities come from your success.  


As I sit down to compile the things I've learned through my experience, I keep thinking back on those meetings, and how, if I had to really condense everything, perhaps I could make a magic list - but not the kind those artists had imagined. It wouldn't be a list of contacts; the contacts come and go. Mine would be a list of a few simple guidelines. The short version would be as follows:

1. Develop your brand.
2. Know your audience.
3. Know who you are, and know who you are not.
4. Be consistent.
5. Be professional.
6. Be good at what you do.
7. Persist.

Of course, the devil is in the details, and 'magic' is a slightly misleading term. I should clarify:

Magic = (intelligence + hard work + talent + consistency) x time

More on this to follow.