Birds of a feather flock together. It’s the one thing my mother would tell me anytime she caught me out of character because she knew I was hanging around a new “friend.” She was simply stating that my behavior had changed and she knew what was more than likely the cause. The advice she gave translates in many ways. For instance, let’s say you’re an artist/producer in Little Rock, AK and you’ve got great music and an even greater work ethic. However, only 2 of your friends say they want to get in the business and yet they rarely work on that goal. At some point being in that environment would get draining and you would get demotivated. You may not stop but it’s more of a struggle going at it alone with no one to relate to. So what do you do when you’re a small fish in a small pond alone?
The first thing that would help would probably finding other like minds in forums, on social media, and probably, now with COVID, virtual events. The music business is a people business and you’re going to need a lot of them if you expect to accomplish anything. Even if it’s just a graphic designer you two can at least talk about working with one another for an album cover. Not only can you get things done with these new friends you can also motivate each other. Having a bad day pitching songs? Call another producer/songwriter to talk about it. Had a bad stage performance? Call another artist to vent too. Your boss is making crazy demands for an impossible deadline? Call a friend at another label and rant. These are all benefits of just having someone who understands the late night and early mornings. This can help you get the information you need to move forward and succeed.
Most of the information we find on YouTube about the business is usually pretty surface level. What’s going to help you move forward with your career in any capacity is the information in real time. If you’re looking for best practices on how to handle a situation or accomplish something the best place to get it is from the inside, not someone on the out speculating. Being able to even have a mentor from afar is much better than going down the YouTube rabbit hole trying to discover what you’re looking for. The search terms may be there but that doesn’t mean the information is.
Finding your tribe is essential when navigating this business. It won’t always be easy, but its worth it.
