Top 4 things to be a Full-time Christian Indie Artist
Top 4 things to be a Full-time Christian Indie Artist
By Brant Christopher
I have been asked by a few friends to compile a list of things that you need to do in order to make a living at Christian music. So…below you will find my personal opinions on what you need to do to succeed. I will warn you that these are my opinions and not the ONLY way to succeed. There are always exceptions to the rule. However, these things have worked for me and thus I will share what I know. I am not going to sugar-coat anything so if you are easily offended…my apologies already Before I start…let me dispel a few myths.
Myth #1 If I had a Record label to support me…I could be full-time So So So Wrong. I have a better idea…go max out all your credit cards, take out a huge loan, borrow money from your family and live off that while you build your career in music. What? No takers? Why not? In effect, that is EXACTLY what you are doing with the label. You are living off of money that isn’t yours. When you are out busting your but touring to support your new CD…guess where the income goes? To pay back that money they gave you to live on. I am going to say this once…STOP CHASING A DEAL! The deal will find you if you are good enough. What you’d be offered as a no-name/no-momentum band will be close to nothing anyway. Go out and sell 10,000 copies of your self-produced demo and then we can talk about record deals and if they make sense. Until then…Just sing.
Ok here is the Top 4 list
1) Be Competent I heard Billy Joel once say that the reason he has been successful for so long is that he is competent. Most musicians are not as competent as they can be and thus fizzle out faster. If singing is your thing…take lessons, improve, study, PRACTICE! Same with your respective instrument. If you are only OK at playing…OK isn’t good enough for full-time. Period. There are plenty of mediocre musicians doing gigs for free that make it harder for you to make a living. So…be BETTER! Be much better. The back half of this is to accept the Truth. If your parents tell you that you are great...get a second opinion If strangers come up to you after a hearing you play and fawn over your music...now you are talking!
2) Have a GREAT recording So …you have practiced hard…prepared a good show…created moments to remember…now what? If you do these things well enough, others will want to remember as well. You need a recording of yourself. This is the first true key to Full-Time. A good recording will get you gigs…a bad recording will not. Great quality will also get you attention of industry folks as well. Any prayer of radio play, etc. will only happen if the quality is GREAT!
3) Be a Publicity Hound You need to take EVERY opportunity to promote yourself. Even the smallest opps can birth bigger and better chances to play. I started playing anywhere I could…parties, churches, youth groups, restaurants, charity events, business functions, bars, prisons, you name it…I’ve been there. Have a nice handout to give to people. People like Leann at Wall Printing can hook you up with nice clean pieces to give out to everyone at gigs. If there is another band playing in your area that has the same style as you…go to the gig and hand out YOUR material as people leave the venue. WHAT?!?!?! Commando style? YES! Full frontal assault on your prospective audience. Go visit your local radio station and offer to play for any events they might have coming up. Many times they have a Charity event they would love entertainment for. You need to go looking for it. If you are going to wait around for the opportunities to come flooding in…you are not Full-time material…sorry.
4) Think out of the box This phrase is overused. But it does hold true. I have done several things that many would never have thought of to survive. Here are some examples…
I play a Holiday Inn once a month in their restaurant/bar. I play 40+ cover songs over 3 hours. My arrangement is that they pay me in Priority Points. These internal points are funny money for the hotels. Giving you 20-30,000 points is nothing to them. BUT..it is 2-3 free nights at any Holiday Inn for you. VERY valuable when you are on the road. Limiting expenses is key to success. For the hotel…it is free entertainment. For you…it is free lodging. Win Win situation.
I play many coffeehouses around the US. One of the coffeehouses I played also was a Roastery, ie they roast their own beans and make their own brands. I offered to bring samples of their coffee to all the houses and drop them off. If the House places an order for coffee, the Roastery covers my expenses for the trip. Pretty sweet right? I know…why didn’t I think of that? Because you are not having to support yourself full-time Necessity is the mother of invention.
If you truly want to make your living performing, all of the above will help. However, if you are not willing to risk it all, don’t bother. I don’t want to rain on your parade and I understand we all have obligations…but if God has put a true CALLING in your life, there is nothing that should stand in your way. It is too easy to find excuses. I did it for years. And I was miserable playing part-time and experiencing small successes. Every second I wasn’t doing what God put on my heart, I felt disobedient. If you don’t feel the same way…that same indescribable pain that is in your heart…the pain that effects everything in your life…your work, marriage, relationships, etc…Full-time isn’t for you. And you know what…that is OK. Accept the truth if God calls you to part time ministry. Make the most of it. You can not force God’s Will!
But for those of you who know that it is all or nothing. I salute you and pray that God gives you the courage to answer the call and leave all reason behind. I’ll see you on the road!
Many Blessings,
Brant Christopher
www.brantchristopher.com
Hometown: Viera, FL Proverbs 3:5-6
By Brant Christopher
I have been asked by a few friends to compile a list of things that you need to do in order to make a living at Christian music. So…below you will find my personal opinions on what you need to do to succeed. I will warn you that these are my opinions and not the ONLY way to succeed. There are always exceptions to the rule. However, these things have worked for me and thus I will share what I know. I am not going to sugar-coat anything so if you are easily offended…my apologies already Before I start…let me dispel a few myths.
Myth #1 If I had a Record label to support me…I could be full-time So So So Wrong. I have a better idea…go max out all your credit cards, take out a huge loan, borrow money from your family and live off that while you build your career in music. What? No takers? Why not? In effect, that is EXACTLY what you are doing with the label. You are living off of money that isn’t yours. When you are out busting your but touring to support your new CD…guess where the income goes? To pay back that money they gave you to live on. I am going to say this once…STOP CHASING A DEAL! The deal will find you if you are good enough. What you’d be offered as a no-name/no-momentum band will be close to nothing anyway. Go out and sell 10,000 copies of your self-produced demo and then we can talk about record deals and if they make sense. Until then…Just sing.
Ok here is the Top 4 list
1) Be Competent I heard Billy Joel once say that the reason he has been successful for so long is that he is competent. Most musicians are not as competent as they can be and thus fizzle out faster. If singing is your thing…take lessons, improve, study, PRACTICE! Same with your respective instrument. If you are only OK at playing…OK isn’t good enough for full-time. Period. There are plenty of mediocre musicians doing gigs for free that make it harder for you to make a living. So…be BETTER! Be much better. The back half of this is to accept the Truth. If your parents tell you that you are great...get a second opinion If strangers come up to you after a hearing you play and fawn over your music...now you are talking!
2) Have a GREAT recording So …you have practiced hard…prepared a good show…created moments to remember…now what? If you do these things well enough, others will want to remember as well. You need a recording of yourself. This is the first true key to Full-Time. A good recording will get you gigs…a bad recording will not. Great quality will also get you attention of industry folks as well. Any prayer of radio play, etc. will only happen if the quality is GREAT!
3) Be a Publicity Hound You need to take EVERY opportunity to promote yourself. Even the smallest opps can birth bigger and better chances to play. I started playing anywhere I could…parties, churches, youth groups, restaurants, charity events, business functions, bars, prisons, you name it…I’ve been there. Have a nice handout to give to people. People like Leann at Wall Printing can hook you up with nice clean pieces to give out to everyone at gigs. If there is another band playing in your area that has the same style as you…go to the gig and hand out YOUR material as people leave the venue. WHAT?!?!?! Commando style? YES! Full frontal assault on your prospective audience. Go visit your local radio station and offer to play for any events they might have coming up. Many times they have a Charity event they would love entertainment for. You need to go looking for it. If you are going to wait around for the opportunities to come flooding in…you are not Full-time material…sorry.
4) Think out of the box This phrase is overused. But it does hold true. I have done several things that many would never have thought of to survive. Here are some examples…
I play a Holiday Inn once a month in their restaurant/bar. I play 40+ cover songs over 3 hours. My arrangement is that they pay me in Priority Points. These internal points are funny money for the hotels. Giving you 20-30,000 points is nothing to them. BUT..it is 2-3 free nights at any Holiday Inn for you. VERY valuable when you are on the road. Limiting expenses is key to success. For the hotel…it is free entertainment. For you…it is free lodging. Win Win situation.
I play many coffeehouses around the US. One of the coffeehouses I played also was a Roastery, ie they roast their own beans and make their own brands. I offered to bring samples of their coffee to all the houses and drop them off. If the House places an order for coffee, the Roastery covers my expenses for the trip. Pretty sweet right? I know…why didn’t I think of that? Because you are not having to support yourself full-time Necessity is the mother of invention.
If you truly want to make your living performing, all of the above will help. However, if you are not willing to risk it all, don’t bother. I don’t want to rain on your parade and I understand we all have obligations…but if God has put a true CALLING in your life, there is nothing that should stand in your way. It is too easy to find excuses. I did it for years. And I was miserable playing part-time and experiencing small successes. Every second I wasn’t doing what God put on my heart, I felt disobedient. If you don’t feel the same way…that same indescribable pain that is in your heart…the pain that effects everything in your life…your work, marriage, relationships, etc…Full-time isn’t for you. And you know what…that is OK. Accept the truth if God calls you to part time ministry. Make the most of it. You can not force God’s Will!
But for those of you who know that it is all or nothing. I salute you and pray that God gives you the courage to answer the call and leave all reason behind. I’ll see you on the road!
Many Blessings,
Brant Christopher
www.brantchristopher.com
Hometown: Viera, FL Proverbs 3:5-6
posted by Martin Johnson @ 2:09 AM
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