Musicians/bands, especially younger ones, don’t bother (or desire) to learn about the ins and outs of the business. They think the music industry is just getting into the studio, putting a few songs on iTunes, and labels are just gonna knock down their doors like the publishers clearing house. It’s an imagination that tends to run wild, and I’m not saying that in a way where I’m trying to destroy their dreams or aspirations. But I see a lot of musicians either get taken advantage of by people in the music industry by getting reeled in with false promises and pipe dreams, just to end up losing thousands. They don’t wanna pay their dues or really learn the dynamics of how the industry works, or how they can utilize the industry to benefit themselves the best. And when you try to put some reality onto the table for them, they acknowledge it…but don’t really want to accept. They either wanna cut corners around crucial things that matter in building their career, or just pay someone to do it for them. This kind of lacking of grasping the industry will only make them lose money, head nowhere fast, and in the end realize that they’re not gonna be famous overnight. Another thing is researching people in the industry that you might get involved with. Promoters, A&Rs, Talent Scours, Managers, etc. Some artists just take everything at face value. This industry has A LOT of people in many different fields of the industry that either exaggerate their experience in the industry, or is completely false. And then they end up losing their money to someone who fed you a bunch of tall tales. So ALWAYS verify the things that are being told to you the best you can. Research that person, or people. Just know what you’re getting into, and who you’re getting involved with.

The publicists hate us crew guys and engineers. They think we are clowns. However, these egg heads couldn’t handle what we do for Five minutes. They’re clueless to how hard we work and that without us…there would be no show. They think we’re janitors or something. Meanwhile, they wouldn’t have a single glue how to do our job for even thirty seconds. So the lesson is, don’t trust the publicists. They’re in it for themselves and they are not your friends. Also, I have no access to tickets. And people ask relentlessly. Also, don’t have an ego. The producers can throw you off the season instantly.

I honestly think indie will be the new mainstream. I even see a ton of major label artists drop to indie labels. Because indie labels are making these artists a priority, as opposed to being a back burner band on Interscope. That’s one of the good things I see. The indie labels are making a great impact. But there’s a lot of bad, and honestly…there’s way too much to list, so I’ll keep the answer to this optimistic for the time being.