“Don’t Be a Statistic” by Sean O’Bryan Smith
As you can tell by now, my passions in this industry go far beyond the creative space. Trust me, like most of us, my happiest place is being hunkered down in my studio creating. There are other things in the industry, though, that I am just as passionate about, and they are EDUCATING and PROTECTING artists so that they can be the absolute best they can be. I also do this so that they can protect themselves and have the knowledge of just how messed up this business is at times.
For some of us that have been around since Moses was a teenager, that isn’t that hard to do but, I am surprised by how many seasoned artists are still virtually clueless as to how this business works. How can an artist that has been around for decades still live with their heads in the clouds? Oops…. That’s the grump emerging. Must digress.
We live in the age of information. So many different subject matters are at our fingertips 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. That being said, there is absolutely NO excuse for not learning all that you can about the business of music. I’ll forewarn you. You’ll have to dig through some weeds at times though. There are so many schemes and misdirections out there that can easily distract you when you don’t really know what it is you are looking for. The trick is to trample through it with the same passion as you give your actual craft. That is IF you truly want to be successful at what you are doing. Do that and you’ll find the truth in it all if you are diligent.
One of the things that EVERY creative should spend hours upon hours perfecting is to try to learn the art of what NOT to do in their career. Good intentions will get you in trouble more times than not. Trust me, I’ve learned a lot of this the hard way. It’s so much more than being nice. You can even craft the most professional email ever penned when you are trying to promote your creative work, and it falls flat with the person you are sending it to. These things are frustrating, and you will beat your head against the wall wondering what you did wrong. The truth is you might have done it correctly, but was it the correct way for THAT person?
You must find what is right for everyone you deal with in this business. Right now, our illustrious host of this website is laughing at me because she’s been helping me with just this topic with a certain someone. SEE! I can be just as lost in my own dealings at times, and I’ve been doing this for almost forty years. #GrumpFallsOnSword
In addition to learning what NOT to do yourself, the big AHA moment is when you start getting comfortable and knowledgeable about what the industry should NOT be doing to YOU! You’ve spent countless hours honing your craft and now have a body of work that the world needs to hear. You absolutely must learn how to protect yourself at this stage. This ends up being a daunting task and there’s lots of “not fun” administration work to do when doing this.
It is at this point that artists historically would search out a record label or management to handle it all. We’ve all seen an episode of “Behind the Music” right? Be mindful! Not everyone is out there looking out for your best interests. This is why I ADAMANTLY stress myself to artists to educate themselves on how things ACTUALLY work in the music industry.
In defense of the good guys out there, not everyone in this industry is out to screw you over. I am cynical because for the bulk of my career I was a professional sideman to major recording artists. As you spend time on tour with these people, you build friendships. It is through those friendships that I became all too familiar with the rampant raping of artists by some entities in this business. It repeatedly made me angry which is why I will always defend the artists first and foremost.
The silver lining, however, is it made me know what to expect when I signed my first record deal which allowed me to protect myself and, therefore, set the terms for what was to be a positive record deal for that chapter of my career. Holy Crap! Did I just say that? It’s like a unicorn, but not. #YesVirginiaTheyDoNotAllSuck
So, in closing of this redneck rambling I’ll start making my way for the exit door. As you can tell with my meanderings, I don’t give specifics sometimes, because those may change for YOU! I cannot presume everything that has been a success in my career will work for you. The ideal of it all though does apply to everyone and that’s what I want you all to think about more.
Educate yourself with passion. Protect yourself with passion. Talk to other artists and LISTEN when they speak. That is one of the best things you can ever do. They have a bevy of experience. Use that information to your advantage. This is all as important if not more important than your art if your end goal is to share it so that it can be appreciated by others. Don’t be oblivious. I do not want you to be another chapter in the “Book of F’d Up Stories” in this biz. Dang it! I almost made it through the article without being that guy. Oh well…
Sean O’Bryan Smith is an award-winning film composer, author, producer and recording artist. As a musician, he has recorded and/or performed with over 100 major and independent recording artists worldwide in multiple genres.
