Have someone work the inside of the industry

Moby, the famous techno artist, was interviewed by a journalist who said, “I’ve known you since your early days, and we both know that there were many amazing artists in your scene. So why did you get so much more successful than them?”

Moby said, “While they were pasting up flyers to promote their next gig, I just put that same amount of energy into finding a great team: a manager, agent, publicist, and label. Then, while other musicians just kept gigging, my career took off because of my team.”

This came up again when I read the biography of the band U2. After their first hit, they encountered this band in Boston that had been gigging relentlessly for ten years. The guitarist said sadly, “One song on the radio does more for your career than ten years of gigs.”

You can write a hundred songs. You can do a thousand gigs. You can have a million followers. But it won’t get you as far as having someone work the inside of the industry.

Finding your team is hard, but no harder than promoting gigs. And you’ll get a much better reward for your effort.