INDEPENDENT ARTISTS - Struggles & Challenges

 The Struggles of being or becoming an Independent Music Artist 

The struggles of an independent artist are real.  It makes one think that in this digital age that there would be a clear pathway for IA's to follow so that they were endowed with the knowledge and pathway to follow.  Nothing is farther from the truth.  

I have supported IA's for more than 20 years, many of my first were gospel artists and country.  I've seen many that have made it to the big record labels, some by accident, someone recommended them to a producer and others, just sheer luck by being in the right place at the right time, others, being a show opener band for a major artist (and that was sometimes by accident when the original opener group was unable to perform).  Sometimes lucks is the way through the door.  

What I find wrong in this industry are the large amount of vultures and wolves in sheep clothing pouncing on artists, promising them exposure and success for a price.  I was recently approached by one of the hunters, I knew immediately they were a hunter because I only have two songs that have been recorded that I wrote, and I did not sing either of them.  I allowed them to pursue me so that I could get a feel for how these hunters work, but honestly it was disgusting.  For the price of $1500 US dollars they would promote me.  It didn't stop there, there would be additional costs for promotion fees, mastering fees (to someone else that they outsourced), fees to enter me into competitions, fees, fees and more fees.  All carefully crafted to give me the sense that I would become a star quickly.  They "supposedly" had all these connections to the Awards and Labels... I wanted to check out the validity of them having a connection to one label, one label that I personally have a relationship with and provides mainstream music to me.  I wasn't surprised that they had never heard of this promoter.  In the end I simply sent an email back -  Check your "FAX" machine, there's your check for all the fees ... it was a subtle way of saying, I know you are a fraud.  I did get a response back, that they would pursue making someone else a true star.  That did not set well with me, and I stated I hope if you continue to sell your invisible clothes to people that someone burns you like you are burning them.  

I would like to expose that promoter, but unfortunately they have more $ than I do, and I don't want to get sued by them.  

Here is my advice to all of you, if someone approaches you wanting $ to promote you, ask for a list of their successful artists with their contact information - phone/email. If they are that successful they will have no problem providing that as their successful artists understand they need to support their promoter by being an advocate for them.  If they don't provide that, run run run...  it's that simple.  

Alot of IA's ask me is the Award from xxx a real bona fide establishment.  Honestly, I don't know, there are some that you can immediately tell are flat out fake by messaging from the website for information, others seem quite real but are not 100% truthful, others are questionable.  The problem is this, the entire Independent Artist Music Community are prey and ripe for being slaughtered financially because music is their passion, their life's blood and life's work.  The wolves are at the door waiting to consume you and your $.  

What do I think works for Independent Artists?  
1) Build your network of peers - IAs like yourself.
2) Expand your network to include Main Stream Artists 
3) Contact more well known artists - offer to open shows for them 
4) Exposure - Venues are important, what venues are important 
5) Airplay - We provide free airplay as do several stations, how does this help?  It provides you with airplay #s (when the stations are licensed and legal, alot are not); it also gives you audience exposure which has a trickle down effect.  Sometimes it just takes the right person hearing your song, relating to you, and that person may have connections ... 
6) Don't despair
7) Make sure your music is well mastered/produced.  
8) Learn how to properly tag your music when you submit it, (see my guide).  
9) I am always happy to assist you with tagging properly.  ISRC #'s are important.  

Willie Nelson - The Red Headed Stranger - A Man of Constant Sorrow

 WILLIE NELSON 

Many people unfortunately only know Willie from the "stuff he smoked". They have no idea of how Willie became Willie, his struggles, his life, or what influenced his music. 

After Willie was born, his parents separated, mom moved on and Willie's grandparent's Alfred and Nancy Nelson took Willie and Bobbie.  They weren't wealthy, living off of the wages of a blacksmith and Nancy's wages as a cotton picker, life wasn't easy, and I feel quite sure both of them were bone weary at the end of everyday.  Their children were out of the house, perhaps thoughts of not working as much or as hard had crossed their minds, but they took on the role of parents, and to Willie and Paula they were their parents.  

The one thing Alfred and Nancy believed was that music was a part of one's soul, Nancy had taken correspondence courses from the Chicago School of Music and she taught children in the area to play the piano.  Alfred sang and played.  When Willie turned six Alfred gave him a guitar, and one year later Willie had written his first song.  His youth was spent by the age of ten playing with bands, Bobbie played the piano and they played and sang gospel music.  Willie's unique vocals intrigued people, but life was going to get harder.  Alfred died in 1940 of pneumonia, but Nancy still kept going with them.  She stayed through his teenage years, his move to Nashville and lived his joys and sorrows through his music career.  She lived to be 97 yrs old and by that time had seen "The Red Headed Stranger" and his career unfold.  Alfred and Nancy left a legacy behind of two children that went on to bring happiness, joy and music to the world.  Willie has never claimed to be perfect, what he has claimed is that all of his success is due to the two people that loved him unconditionally without boundaries of where love would exist, a love that shows in the music that he plays for all of us until now. 

These days, just as Nancy saw his life and career unfold, he's had the opportunity to witness with his own family.

For Willie's 90th birthday celebration, filmed in April 2023 Lukas and Micah took to the stage to sing tributes to their father's musical legacy.  When Willie was asked "what kind of a dad are you", he said, " most would think not a really good one" (because of his traveling. )

 His wife, Annie, said, "That's his interpretation," she said. "Ours and how they grew up was, this is a good example of what it means to come here and do what you came here for." She added, "When he was home, he was home."

credit: Michael Kovac/Getty

Willie's health is declining, but he keeps on bouncing back, never giving up his love of music or his family.  A man that's had alot of "constant sorrows", I hope his legacy will live on through his music, his children, their children and their children. This is a family that deserves to be remembered - Thank you Alfred and Nancy for your kindness and love to them, your legacy lives on in him and his family. 

From my personal experience with Willie, on a hot afternoon in Georgia, broken down bus and he appeared where I was "singing with my wedded family", and I loved him, his humor, almost a shyness but outgoing, an enigma of sorts, he had no qualms about grabbing onto the outstretched guitar and playing to a afternoon festival audience, which was by no means a large crowd like he was used to, he captured my heart that day with his sincereness, and everyone laughed when I said that I had never understood his talent for dragging three steps behind the music and then catching up.  That is however one of the things I learned to love about his music, his uniqueness and the depth.  

If you aren't a Willie fan, listen to Angels Flying to Close to the Ground, if you listen to that song, I guarantee you will be a Willie fan for life. 

I hope he has many more years left to embrace his dreams, and to give us that uniqueness that only he can bring to life through music.