I can’t detail everything, but it was one busy month.  Preparing to launch an act to the road is tricky.  Sending them out (along with me) with their own production is even trickier.  Going through some preparation of production the past few weeks and trying to prepare the production aspects just like a major tour, accept scaled way down.

Having the most problem with the element I thought would be the most difficult, which is booking.   Our idea was to buy out rooms or venues (outdoor mainly for the summer) and promote the show within.   That isn’t too bad, just dealing a few places off the start that are clueless.  My first booking option did not work out.  He was too green and we are going to try a more seasoned rep with major agency experience.

We are still juggling a good bit.   Pushing the live production to the side for a month to go back in and record an EP (small version of a record) in late June.   We did have a successful show at Steeplechase and the band seems to be not only great guys, but pretty good musicians.

We launch merch this month.  I hold the opinion merchandise will sell when these guys have music for sale.  No one buys a cover bands Tee-shirt.   Do they?  Ok..I need to work out.

This is what we have so far.  www.corbettejacksonband.com I would appreciate if you give them a look and befriend/follow their social networks.

2010

What an eventful past few weeks with the Alan Jackson Band (AJB).   That is the reason this site has not had any new content up.  We have been recording, mixing, meeting about color schemes for the website, building content and preparing for a warm up tour in the summer.  By the way go visit here!!

We picked up our 15,000 watt touring PA Friday and I spent the night in a make shift shop tweaking it out enough to do an outdoor show the next day.  I will say that the 48 hours with no sleep is by far my personal best.  I had brain shakes after about 40 hours.  It was intense.

The AJB is now in production rehearsals.  This means, tweaking out the system, designing some sort of look for the show that we can pull off  on a small stage and haul in a van and trailer.  We have a ton of obstacles to overcome.  I have not been in this role before and even though I am confident with this role, I am juggling about eight too many balls.  However, this is how the indie boys roll!  Check back for part II soon.

2010

I have made the priorities of the AJB now all about recording and completing a solid promotional track for booking.  We cut five songs over at Sony ATV and now I am doing post production to where they will be effective for us in booking.  I also cut a live show down at Legends on Broadway to mix in as well.  The richer the content, the better our results.   I don’t have the traditional arms of radio and big label promotion staff to use.  I can only begin getting great content together in hopes of building online communities and from there watch it grow.

We just did AJB’s first photograph session.  We will need a few more over the year to give him multiple looks.  The website contractor Simon Carr has designed the website.  I knew what we wanted the site to be and how it would look, but I cannot design or program and Simon has a great knack for that.  He has designed sites for Faith Hill, Kelly Clarkston and so on.

Simon also designed our logo.  We had an idea or theme and he ran with it and hopefully nailed it.  Who knows how you measure this stuff.

Should launch all the social media and web site April 13 as scheduled.

2010

For the unsigned artists hanging around Nashville for years, periodically showcasing is a waste!!  Hanging around playing house gigs at the local bars is even a bigger waste.  I have met so many aspiring artist in this town who want one thing.  FANS!   It would seem to me that waiting around missing years of opportunity until someone other than you says they believe you is a waste!  If you can attract fans, it is absurd not to go do just that!!  If you believe you have the goods, get some recorded material, photos, any other content you can afford and hit the trail.

Record companies do the hard work artists don’t want to do.  They put the creative pieces together, put the promotion wheels in motion and if they see you as a valuable asset, spend some money on you.  You do have to pay them a big percentage of your earnings and all of this is progress you can do on your own.  There could be an argument that record companies control the pipeline to radio programming, which I would say is a record companies best attribute.  However, I think programmers now have their heads looking at where ever they can make a bigger buck.  If you are an artist and you go out (aka Zac Brown Band) and build a solid following with great music.  Programmers will spin your tunes.  Period!

I am just utterly confused as to why someone would want to spend $5,000 to $10,000 on a showcase then go through the rolodex of everyone they know, for an unfruitful turn out.   If record companies are looking for what you got to offer, they will find you quicker without the invitation and self-promotion.  My philosophy is to get out and work it on your own.  I have been apart or have seen directly many independent artist that hustle gigs and build a business community.  I have seen artist gross seven figures and if or when they look to expand their business to a major record deal, they have tons of leverage.  If you can’t attract people playing gigs around the US on your own, chances are you won’t sell an A&R guy who is looking for talent.

One more thing.  If you have no fan base, you are valueless.  Do you even know who would be your fan demographic?  Based off your music and your vibe, who are you going after?  Kids?  35 year old moms?  You can spend the money that you’d use for a showcase and build audio or video which can be posted from your social networks.  From there, you can build your community and business.

2010

I can possibly name two or three Nashville acts in the past five years that have recorded a full length album that was solid from start to finish.  Unfortunately, most full length records are one to three potential singles with the rest just filling the gaps.

This is something that has bothered me for years.  What is the purpose of fill music?  I know artists, producers, labels, can convince themselves the other seven or eight songs are good material, but the reality is the opposite.  I point fingers (all ten) directly at fill music as the reason the music industry (especially country) has been on its death bed.

Singles, three packs, five packs are the only way to substantially grow a career in my opinion.  Keep the attention off an album project and have more quality and less quantity.  It’s a simple idea that few in this business seem to grasp.  If I were to get a call to consult for any record company today, I would bet the farm on building grassroots, online communities and killing the full length record.

I’ll put it this way… If I go eat out somewhere and only 10 to 20% of the meal is good, I doubt I will return.

I am not the entire audience, but I have been surrounded by a lot of music in my career and evaluating music has and will always be an emotional process.  My sole objective is to begin a process with excellence as our standard and good as the enemy.  In today’s marketplace the difference between good verses excellent means a paying customer.

I also know when crap is delivered over and over the check writer will one day put up the check book.  Numbers don’t lie, country music buyers by the thousands are putting up their wallets.   2007 to 2009 another 24% walked away.

This week was a reality check for me professionally.  I haven’t been this excited about being a part of something in years.

2010

My take is based on real facts.

1. Music isn’t as good (in whole ) as it was pre-2000.  The proof is in the pudding. Sales of music have declined over 40%, but no one EVER mentions that the sale of digital singles has risen 65%!!   Hello, 65%?   Why?  Because a full record possibly contains one or maybe two good singles and the rest is fill music.  The industry has failed to look in the mirror and blame the poor eight songs on the album as the culprit of declining sales.  They continue to think consumers are idiots, even though consumers have been saying this for years.

2. The Internet.  Imagine life without it.  It is an entertainment that distracts time away from listening to music a la cable television did in the 80’s.

3. Gaming is now huge and young audiences aren’t stupid.  The value one gets from a full length record depends on the quality of songs.  You can spend $39.00 on a game and receive a return over hundreds of hours.  The ROI for a record is so risky these days that the younger audience will wait for the buzz until buying it, which brings me to this…

4. Great records still sell! Hip Hop bore the term “street cred” and if a record had big street credibility, people bought it.  In 2007, the high school hallways were filled with the same chatter for Taylor Swift.  I can name a dozen records that people talked up and resulted in great overall album sales.

I just don’t buy into the piracy stir as the reason the record industry is dead.  It might be a small percentage of lost  consumers, but not the totality of the problem.  OK, the oil’s changed and the tires are rotated.  Til next time.

This is how I stand on a hill.

I have watched some content in the past week that has made me wonder who the hell is getting paid to dream this boring shit up.  I am not saying you need a half-million dollar budget, but if your goal is to begin a promotion campaign, don’t have your artist do a 20 minute blog about nothing!   CREATIVE CONTENT IS STILL CREATING!

So, everyone is a content producer and a new media guru.   Bull shit!

This is how I stand on a hill.

Anyway, I hope I can get my wind back.  Oh and I am 250+ pounds.  This is another focus area that needs addressing ASAP!

This is how I stand on a hill.