What it means to be resourceful
I was at a musicians’ gathering in Memphis. I met a lot of people complaining that their various forms of online distribution weren’t earning them as much as they’d hoped.
Then I met a musician who sold 8000 copies of his album himself. No distributor. No website. Just by himself.
I asked him how he did it. He said, “I just slowly drove around the city every night, with the windows down, playing my music loud. When I saw someone digging it, I’d go talk with them. I’d sell almost everyone a copy — about 20 or 30 a night. Been doing this about a year. Sold 8000 so far.”
I love this story! It’s so direct! It hit me especially hard because all the musicians I’d met before him were complaining about how it’s impossible to make money anymore.
It got me thinking about what it means to be resourceful.
The succinct way to show it is to contrast two different mindsets. I’ll call them A and B.
A: “I spent $60,000 making this album.”
B: “I spent $60 making this album.”
A: “There are no good live music venues anymore!”
B: “I made us a new venue.”
A: “I’ve tried everything.”
B: “I found a book from the 1970s with some unique ideas I’m applying to our marketing.”
A: “I don’t have time to do it all!”
B: “Two of my fans help with promotion, one edits my videos, and one runs my website.”
A: “I’m not some Hollywood networking dude. I don’t have connections in the industry.”
B: “My barber knew the promoter’s wife, so it took some persistence, but now we’re playing at his festival.”
A: “They said we weren’t allowed to just show up.”
B: “We just showed up, and wouldn’t leave. Eventually they said OK.”
A: “We didn’t get the festival gig.”
B: “They rejected us, so we contacted every artist at the festival until we found one that insisted the promoter book us as their opening act.”
A: “There’s just no way!”
B: “I figured out a way.”
It means being creative, rebellious, determined, and unstoppable.
It means asking for help, but not waiting for help.
I appreciate your articulation of this mindset. I wrote a song about this going from a "discover me" mindset to a "discover yourself" mindset (that you and Seth Godin helped me with along the way. Not exactly what you're saying here, but close enough I thought it worth chiming in. Here it is (http://jasonmolin.net/2012/09/i-have-arrived/):
I Have Arrived
No more waiting to be discovered
No more waiting to get signed
Discovered myself, I am surrounded by wealth
I realize how much I've denied
No more waiting for a favor
No more waiting for the stars to align
No more waiting, no more sad stargazing
'Cause now I know, I have arrived
And I know, I've got a long long way to go
But with the wait I am satisfied
And I know that it goes so painfully slow
But that's OK cause I got you by my side
No more waiting for directions
I'll make a map out of the sky
I've waited so long for the muse to deliver this song
I thank my god it has arrived
Now I tell myself, If I only had someone else
While the one I need is right in front of my eyes
No more waiting for love
I love all the crazy stuff that you're made of
Cause I can see you have arrived
No more waiting to be discovered
No more waiting to get signed
Discovered myself, I am surrounded by wealth
And now I know, I have arrived
Very Interesting Perspective Derek!!!:-0~
Nice post.
I have no feedback for your writing.
If part of your brand is having integrity, then you might want to be careful with technology. Specifically, if you do a mass e-mail out with many carbon copies, then you might want to say, "with CC." Otherwise it can be an ambiguous communication if the recipients only see their own name.
Yes, I like to feel special and singled out, but only if that's true.
Give some anecdotes or examples of other musicians to make it more interesting for the reader. How can you inspire the reader so they say...hey I can do that?
Take a look at iconoclast tv show for interesting examples of musicians and artists talking about their craft and how they made it.
You are 100% correct!
It's a dog eat dog world out there! Don't be a Milk Bone!
exactly. yes. would love to hear even more of your thoughts regarding this. "The top performers in the world are most resourceful." ..I think that's a Tony Robbins line. It kept playing through my head as I read this.
Applicable to every field and not just in Music industry.
It usually means doing things for free, but can also mean spending a little money to save a lot of time.
or It usually means doing things on the cheap, but can also mean spending a little money to save a lot of time.
"Successful musician" can mean a lot of things.
Nice asking for help but not wanting it, great advice. Resourceful comes from the inside, inside you, your courage, commitment, dedication. Resources are external and readily available.
We forget to work on our inside to become resourceful.
thanks again Derek, great reminders
My fav part, "äsking for help but not waiting for help".
Being a run of the mill cookie cutter artist, songwriter, musician, etc. means you'll never stand out from the crowd, never be noticed. Being outlandish will get you noticed but make sure it is for good and not bad actions.
Awesome article. I am sharing in my social channels and relating it to podcasters who face some similar challenges as musicians. Thanks!
Having a Lawyer on retainer will help- especially when bending the rules!
Excellent topic. Good overview, but too general. Sounds like dictionary definitions. Even just one example would help to open the reader's mind to possibilities.
(I'm not a musician, but this topic is for everyone!)
Is it really one in a million? Wow, those odds! It’s a good thing we love what we do and find joy and satisfaction in the journey otherwise we might never begin. Thanks for all you do, Derek. Enjoying the chapters so far.
To be honest, this article left me unsatisfied, not because I didn't like the content, but because I wanted more. If this article was a whole book, I wouldn't be mad. Not one bit.
I think I can apply this to every aspect of my life. Thanks for this.
Yes 👍 👏
The last line is amazing.
Derek,
So so so true! It is amazing tough out there, but maybe it has always been. Before, unless you had a 'band', strong local following, fans and then attract a record label, plan to tour your buns off and then you can say you've made it... and those odds were probably the same or even worse. The great thing about today, is that any independent musician can make his/her own music, produce it, sell it and hope to build a career around it. The downside, as you say is there are a million of us all trying to do that. I've composed and sold music for 10 years and that has been here and there. As I work to get into soundtracks for film/tv, etc. there are many articles, schools, webinars, classes and information all telling you what you must do to get your music heard and into the industry. It is frustrating, amazingly time consuming - almost no time left to write music with all the administrative work that goes with it. And you're so right... with all of us doing the exact same thing, the odds (it's a numbers game) of getting there are high. So, understanding who you are as a musician, what your compositions and style and fit is is very important, knowing what you want and then figuring out how to best pursue that in your own way - being somehow in process as unique as you and your music is could go a long way to helping you find that path. So, totally agree on finding a different path for yourself - hopefully driven by crazy desire, goals, ambition to do it and believe in yourself to make it happen...
Some really good ideas here. Yes, Yes, I would like examples from you or people you know, or have heard of, of ways they got around obstacles and what the thoughts and emotions were behind the great ideas. Musicians are an emotional bunch. I am inspired by passion! Let's see it. I'm going to use "ask for help" and "never wait for permission" as my mantras this month.
Peace.
Two years ago I created a meme:
"There was never anything to get
And there never will be."
I think it is important - at some stage - to ask yourself if being in any industry is what you want. The music industry is just another part of the machine. Roger Waters has been telling us that for decades.
It's important to remember why you have an interest in playing or performing or recording. And remember that you had that long before you made money - if you ever make money - and long after you stop making money - you'll still do it.
Lately I have been questioning this - deeply: Birds just sing so why can't I just make music for myself and the trees? Why prostitute this great love and fun interest - for money?
I mean sure you can upload it to Bandcamp and YouTube - but even then - it can still just be for fun to share with friends. Music doesn't have to be any sort of industry. Monetising your talent is not mandatory. It may not even be the best thing for you to do.
Agreed! See “Valuable to others, or only you?” — Derek
Like Clayton Howe (#6) this made me think of Tony Robbins. In his TED talk Tony asks people why they failed, and someone shouts "The Supreme Court" (the someone is Al Gore).
"It's not the lack of resources, it's your lack of resourcefulness that stops you."
Where is the love button?
Great hustle stories.
Again to some extend I agree with you.
But not in all cases does this apply.
This applies only when there is nothing wrong with you and you are allowed to do everything.
Tak me for example.
Because of my accident the government has just said to me you are done working.
Therefore they are paying me not to work, even if I wanted to do a paid job they would not allow me.
I am because of the accident not allowed to drive a car anymore.
Why not? My reation time is just a bit too slow.
I am able to ride my bicycle which I do but you are not very fast or able to move big items like that. then you take a cab you might say. sure have any idea what a cab fare costs in this country? in 2005 or something I wwent in a cab paid for by work to a christmas dinner about 180 kilometers from my house the cab fare single journey was over 270 euro's. If I had to pay that amount that is more then one tenth of my months wage for a one way and you have to go back agai to so you would have to pay the same amount again.
I do like the story but it is not the same for every country because of their rules and their income.
Greetings,
Tom
I'm all in for mindset B! What would you suggest for the following issue: my boyfriend is a professional musician and about to produce his first solo album. The musical scene here is unfortunately too small for the type of music he's playing, so to sell a decent number of copies we'll probably have to rely on fans in other parts of the world. What else can we do to promote and sell the album besides using services like CD Baby, Facebook, a.s.o. or how to get invited for gigs and/or sessions abroad?
For #31 Irma, what a fun challenge.
I say fun, because since it ain't my concern, my brain is not squished down and so I can think freely.
I imagine finding a specific part of the world that I relate too, and starting there. Saving money, and buying a hosteling card. Then, I guess, since I don't truly know the car polite manners over there, trusting to my music machine, what the Americans call a ghetto blaster.
Here at home, I would go to the consulate and show my music to the young administrative assistant, the business advisors, and well, seeing if they want my music playing in their lobby. (The consulate here is business oriented)
If there was a cultural/music/student exchange, I would try to catch the people coming and going. I would see if any musicians from that country, regardless of type, were playing here.
You say small type of music. Is there someone else with that type of music who doesn't quite have enough material for a second album? Could you share to fill an anthology album?
If you played at a small strange place, then someone might know someone, and you might need only three degrees of separation.
Robert Louis Stephenson said, "It is better to travel hopefully than to arrive." I say, "Make sure your boyfriend takes you with you when he goes marketing. It may not be cost-effective, but it will be more fun."
... These days I am trying to un-squish my brain so I can do a life change for my own art... I'm excited, and clueless too....
Enjoyed it
After I wrote #33, it occurs to me that maybe it would be polite to self-disclose:
I am not doing music. My art right now is prose, specifically weekly (non-school type) essays.
My current essay has lots of sub headlines like, Here's a story. My essay before that starts with a warning that it has lots of quotations.
Not normal for essays. I see my "stories" and "quotes" as mere tweaking, and not the radical change I still need to do... but I don't know what I will re-invent myself into yet, since if I did, then I would already be there. Maybe I'll switch to chick literature fiction, maybe to being a performance-speaker.
Recently, in an art gallery I found a book I like called Becoming a Life Change Artist. Not so much a how-2 manual but an inspirational exploration of historical and current artists, and how they change. Like Bowie,maybe.
I comment here (and name the book) for you as a metaphor.
As you may recall, Derek has found value in books on business that have nothing to do with music, but every thing to do with music metaphorically. Derek has said that his pieces here are metaphors, not to be taken too literally. Not to be squinted at near sightedly and close up. Better to stand back and think.
Happy music making!
This is one of my favorite of these new posts. It demonstrates that not only is it about an attitude, but then acting on that attitude. One can feed the other! Really inspiring, thank you for sharing!
They don't call it the life of a starving artist for nothing. Getting lean is not just for tech start-ups. To me, it boils down to the pain of not getting it out in the world being greater than the pain of toiling to get it out into the world. Once that shift takes place, people can become relentless in their pursuit of a goal.
When I think of this, I say "right on" when in a good mood and feeling energetic. When not, its so easy to fall to person A. I think its important to refrain from making decisions when not feeling up to the challenge. Its too easy to give up when in that state. It takes strength of character to be a fighter who never gives up. None of us feel strong all the time, but if we can give ourselves a break during those times, maybe we can continue to step forward once the rainy days pass, and persevere with our dreams.
Really good chapter. I really like the stories of people you meet. Someone once quoted someone to me and it sticks in my head: “You are not responsible for your first thought. You ARE responsible for your second thought. There, you have a choice. “
when you love it so bad that your willing to loose everything else for it is when the magic happens :)
Hi Derek, here are a couple of my random thoughts: somehow I thought of the word ‘indomitable’ to describe unstoppable, and the absence of resources can seldom be blamed for the lack of success.
Your observations are true and practical. To hopefully add to the story, I am reminded of Jose carreras who suffered and recovered from leukaemia to continue his singing career.
He remarked " that once you realise that with unconditional fighting you always have a chance, you can find the strength to carry on"
When I need to find conviction to find a new way or keep going in tough times this quote always helps.
Wow. These are HOT! By the 4th one, don't have time to do it all, I was laughing out loud. By the last, nearly rolling on the floor. It wasn't how funny they were, it was how down-the-earth and magical they became.
Thanks for sharing and cutting through the noise. There's so much pessimism around the industry, it takes constant mindfulness and re-evaluation of negative opinions so we don't let it affect us.
Thanks Derek, just the inspiration I need this morning!
No matter where you go or who you play for . . . You Are The Music! Otherwise your music is just a lot of ghostly sounds without the flesh and blood attached.
wow i love the practical story of the guy driving around and hawking his CDs! that is true resourcefulness and its inspiring to say the least! cant wait to hear more real life updated examples! the first edition of this book helped us immensely while putting out our first CD and from the looks of it this one is about to do the same! perfect timing too cause we are about to launch our third album!
side note....... that picture?!?!?!?!?
Well, damn. Half of these excuses came out of my mouth at some point in the last 4 years, trying to promote my first book.
It's like with everything, isn't it? If you really want something, badly, you'll figure out a way. You won't feel ashamed to talk about it or ask for help, or talk to strangers, or reach out to that high-level industry leader to talk about this thing you are passionate about.
That guy that sold 8,000 CDs... how cool.
Awesome chapter, Derek!
OMG! That photo!!!! That is ice and water!!! That guy is under ice water holding the computer monitor!!!
OMG!!! Where did they get the idea to take that photo???!!! Talk about resourceful!!!! Talk about creative!!!! Whoa!!!
OMG!!! Readers!!! Look at the photo!!!!
Derek, Nice job finding an incredible photo to resonate with the chapter!!!
Or are you the one under the water holding the monitor????
Nice job Derek!!!!
So true and applicable to all ways of life. As an entrepreneur resourcefulness and endurance are key. Thick skin to the no's makes the yes so much sweeter!
I highly recommend the book The Obstacle Is The Way by Ryan Holiday.
Oh god, this is just superb.
You either find a way or an excuse. This is applicable to every field and not just to musicians.
"I did it my way"
Hi Derek,
I really appreciate this! Staying open is such a valuable mindset. I played at the park last summer randomly and enjoyed many people stopping by to listen and to talk---and yes, buy a CD!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Jeannie
Derek, What's going on in the picture?
I have no idea! Some day soon I'll replace it with a custom illustration. — Derek
This is such a human, unconditional success road that should be taught from the early age.
Love this. Great reminder!!
People just don't want to pay for music any more, too many ways to get it for free. If you ask for a fair price, less than they paid 20 years ago, they think you are still asking too much.
Great article Derek. The philosophy behind this article is helpful not just to artists but to anyone and everyone!
I really appreciate the positivity here. It's a common thing to commiserate over how hard it is to make money (much less a living) as a musician, but it's generally almost never productive. In most cases it's just a catalyst for cynicism. Thanks for pointing out solutions rather than joining the chorus that says it's too hard.
Your first point grabbed my attention right away because this is so common particularly for up-and-coming hip hop artists in cities like L.A. - it's a fairly common occurrence to see a couple of guys parked for a few minutes in a grocery store parking lot pumping out their original music and selling CDs (or giving away promos). To me it's both admirable and motivating. It's what hustling means. And music has always involved hustling, from what I can tell.
Thank you for contributing with positivity!
YES, Attitude!!
NS
very nice view of things indeed!
This is genius. I too deal with artists daily who tell me they need to see some kind of return or they will just have to quit. I tell them, maybe they should quit.
This isn’t about return. You do this because you have to do it. Anyone, including Beyoncé or Bruce Springsteen, has to get out and get in front of people and convince them to buy their music.
They didn’t and aren’t just posting something to CDBaby and Facebook, and wondering why money isn’t rolling in. They don’t call it “Music Business” for nothing. Get out, do some business!!
One of the exercises I have my clients run for almost every goal is called "Brainstorm ALL the ways to get there." The purpose of this is to think of anything you could do. I encourage them to be unrealistic and ridiculous. To write down all the things, even the ones they would never, ever, ever do.
If you start your thinking with a "no." Your brain will edit itself to death. If you start your thinking with "anything goes," your creativity may just come up with the most brilliant idea ever.
Just remember, when you're doing this brainstorming exercise - you are not committing to anything - you're simply brainstorming ALL the ways that you could go after your goal. Anything goes.
I agree with you about marketing itself.
I think that being creative, curious and natural doesnt have anything to do with standards ways to merchadising.
It might be that your audience is clever and you are only unique.
If there is something I could do, tell me.
Cheers!
Emi
Derek
I inherited a portion of the family business a couple years ago and the managers we had would often say it is what it is. My response to that one has been yeah but what could it be ? Thought that it related to what you are saying here. Thanks for sharing, always enjoy your thoughts.
This rings so true. my mantra is to take route B. always. thank you Derek.
Hi, Derek,
Great! Just great! Take a bit of "brass" and cheekiness to do that. More power to you. I was raised by a salesman. That's what HE might have done!
Regards,
Marian
As soon as I read that word, "help" at the end you wrote there, that Beatles' song rang through my head, and I don't never, ever hardly listen to them. Strange?
For Diane at #70, I too am "kind of a quitter."
I suppose that's everyone's kind of default.
I guess I built up my doing muscle by joking that I am a recovering wimp and therefore everything I tell others I will do, regarding them, I have to do. Not just at work. For example, if I take a continuing education class, I will have perfect attendance, regardless of stormy weather or stormy mood.
Next is keeping easy promises to myself. If have a practise of zen or my art, then I have to do it. The trick is to make it easy and doable. ...And short term, as I can always renew.
Even if I am low on faith in my abilities, well, as Woody Allen said, 80 per cent of success is showing up. And having faith in my reliability causes faith in other areas, such as my self confidence. Really, it does.
I just realized: I've become resourceful at showing up for my own life. Cool.
Yes. Such a important skill. I was at a downtown music festival and one of the bands that didn't fit the bill had rented a U-HAUL truck and was (rock & hiphop) playing a live show in the back of the truck with the door up for all the people on the streets & cars in traffic. They probably got more exposure than some of the bands inside, and it provided a lot of entertainment for the people on the street who didn't pay to get inside the music venues (VALUE). The key is not expecting it in return. Thats when you'll really turn some heads. I don't do any marketing, I just provide so much value that I guess it tilts them into feeling bad if they don't give me money. Its a very interesting topic to discuss. Cheers!
Great and great.
That's what it's all about, but so nicely said and to the point.
You have to love what you're doing, want it more than anything else; never stop trying; never give up and listen to the advice you just gave above - lol
It doesn't mean you won't get discouraged, frustrated and lost - but you just never know when something will happen. We want to believe we're in control of our lives, but we're not. Were in control of ourselves and that's what we should focus on. What we want and can do under our control. Just watched a Peter Erskine and Dave Weckl interview and Dave was in NY, one of the best new drummers and lost, watching soap operas, wondering how he could get into the music business... just goes to show you.
Great. Thanks.
Derek, great summary. A few years back I was in a civic theatre group that would only do 2-3 plays a year and kept claiming they wanted to do many more, but the three venues open to them cost too much money to rent. I talked them into approaching other facilities, schools, retirement homes, restaurants with unused banquet rooms, etc., and suddenly they had more places to put on shows than they had shows to put on. And most of those places were charging them $0 - $50 a night, versus $1500. Several musicians I know have started their own venues for similar reasons. The "there's no place to play" excuse just doesn't hold water. - Paul
This is so true. Being resourceful is an incredibly useful skill. Be creative. Be rebellious. Be determined and be unstoppable!
But also be prepared. Realize what you're good and not great at. Invest in things that are worthy of investment, such as your resume.
Get you resume done professionally over at goo.gl/WMMqG5
So glad people have a voice like yours to listen to!
Derek, I love this! It's a great reminder and a lesson for life. Are you still making music?
YES. My long standing motto. So affirming reading this.
Oh this is so true and relatable. I remembered when my sister was still studying and we didn't have any oven at home but she wants to bake banana and carrot cake that she learned baking at school. We only have this one medium sized cauldron we used for cooking rice and she used it to bake those unforgettable delicious cakes. That's when I realized that creativity and resourcefulness doesn't have any limit. One thing more, those were the most delicious carrot and banana cake I ever tasted, maybe because it was made by her or it was just the cauldron. 😅😉
“I didn't have a drill, so I had to make my own. First I heated a long nail in the fire, then drove it through a half a maize cob, creating a handle. I placed the nail back on the coals until it became red hot, then used it to bore holes into both sets of plastic blades.”
― William Kamkwamba, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope
GOLDEN! Resourceful & scrappy!
4 questions to ask ourselves when stuck on a problem (or before we give up):
1 What's my ultimate goal? Is there another way around?
2 Have I tried every possible way?
3 What's the line I drew for myself? Can I just jump over the fence?
4 Am I persistent enough?