A friend and I went to grab coffee over the weekend. We’re both working musicians and while talking she made a joke that someone needs to write a guidebook on how to become a public figure.
We both laughed it off but I told her that it would be Monday’s Grassrootsy post…after all, that’s exactly what it feels like we’re doing as independent artists. Right?
So while the below (the headings at the very least) are incredibly tongue-in-cheek , and while this post started from a joke, there’s actually alot of truth goin’ on here.
1. Remember that Perception is Reality
As someone who is constantly trying to “sell” your art (or the idea of your art) to those around you, the most important thing to remember is that the information you put out there will shape the way people think about you, your music, and your image. It will also affect how they respond to you. If people think you are something special, they will treat you that way. If people think you’re a jerk, they’ll treat you with sheer disregard. If people think you’re famous, they’ll treat you like a movie star.2. Keep Calm and Wear Leather
Ever since I began making music publicly, my parents have been on my back to step up my wardrobe. I would shrug their comments off and say it didn’t matter. But when I eventually began to listen, I did in fact notice a difference in others’ perceptions of me which ultimately affected how seriously they took me. Do yourself a favor and don’t look like you live in your van…unless of course it suits the image you’re trying to portray.3. Divulge Everything!
Be public. Post your photos. Update your fans-to-be. Tweet, retweet, hashtag it up! The secret to being public is…wait for it…being public! As simple and common-sense as this sounds, this is the most overlooked step to becoming famous. I can’t tell you how many artists pages I visit that have’t been updated in a year, a month, a week, or even a few days. Just because you don’t have a show coming up, doesn’t mean you don’t have anything to say. Stop acting like you live under a rock. And more importantly, stop acting like you’re going to make progress when you’re not taking the simplest steps toward progress. Read “20 Content Ideas for Your Facebook Page“.4. Be Everywhere
For a time you will need to be as accessible as possible. Work up your fanbase, work up your connections. Network. Make sure your presence is known and that your name and face are everywhere. This season of your music career (however long) is the key to unlocking future doors. It’s essentially the groundwork phase where you work your butt off to be known in the hopes that maybe one day you won’t have to work your butt off so hard.5. Be Nowhere
This is the part where you’ve made it or are “making” it. You don’t want to take all the offers that come your way because you don’t need to…and also because you want to maintain some type of disconnect between yourself and less famous people whose shoes you were once in. At this point in the “game”, playing fewer shows in any given city is advisable because it means you’re getting larger draws. You can and should say no to certain gigs b/c they don’t make sense anymore. For example, you might have played that bar gig for $100 bucks 3 years ago, but now that your average takeaway-per-show is $300, and because you’ve established yourself as a reputable artists, doing that bar gig would actually be taking a step back and could hurt you more than help. Ohhh and this is also the point where you can start wearing sunglasses indoors…during the winter.We hope you were able to find your way through the sarcasm and get to the important stuff. Good luck on becoming famous!