I get it. I really do. You want people to hear your music. You want to perform. You want to... (I always despise this term as it refers to my profession) "Play." Someone offers, "Exposure." (I despise that one even more.)
The fact is people die from too much exposure. It's true. Sure, there are good reasons to donate your time, energy, talent, resources, and work. But for the most part, it's a losing proposition for the artist and can actually be detrimental to one's music career.
As an artist, one must look at his / her work as a business. A common misconception by the public is that artists are chomping at the bit to work for free because we love it! While it's great to love one's work, it's near impossible to make a living, or have a successful business, if one continually offers services for free.
I consider three things when asked to donate my time and talent to a cause:
1 - Am I available and even interested? If not, it's a "No."
2 - Do I support the cause / charity / event? If not, it's a "No."
3 - Will my involvement, my performance, have a DIRECT impact on the success of the event? In other words if I am one of 25 performers then more than likely my involvement is not going to change the outcome of the event. If that's the case, it's a "No." I want my donation to have an impact on the cause that I am supporting.
I would be remiss if I did not add a note about venues that encourage artists to come out for "open mic," or places that eagerly promote they "provide a place for musicians to play." It's often a nice way of saying, "Hey there talented musicians. We want you to work for free. While you're at it, please encourage all of your friends to come and spend lots of their money on drinks and food. Hey, it's more exposure for you! We want to use you and make you feel real good while we're doing it. Then, at the end of the night we'll have a cash register full of money for zero investment in musicians. Yippee." (Disclaimer, it's important to state there are some great, and ethical, "Open Mic" nights that pay a host and help artists' develop and hone skills. I'm certainly not referring to these events and venues.)
Your work has tremendous value. Don't ever devalue your talent and time. Contribute to the causes that you support, as you are able. Help others when you can. Take a moment to think it through before you jump to donate your time to a cause.
Most of all, learn to say "No" when it's not good for you and don't ever feel bad about that. Then, look ahead with open eyes to the vast realm of opportunities that instantly become available as a result of each decision to move forward.
Get out there and live YOUR dream, YOUR way!
~H
#DontWorkForFree
#IndieArtistsRock
The fact is people die from too much exposure. It's true. Sure, there are good reasons to donate your time, energy, talent, resources, and work. But for the most part, it's a losing proposition for the artist and can actually be detrimental to one's music career.
As an artist, one must look at his / her work as a business. A common misconception by the public is that artists are chomping at the bit to work for free because we love it! While it's great to love one's work, it's near impossible to make a living, or have a successful business, if one continually offers services for free.
I consider three things when asked to donate my time and talent to a cause:
1 - Am I available and even interested? If not, it's a "No."
2 - Do I support the cause / charity / event? If not, it's a "No."
3 - Will my involvement, my performance, have a DIRECT impact on the success of the event? In other words if I am one of 25 performers then more than likely my involvement is not going to change the outcome of the event. If that's the case, it's a "No." I want my donation to have an impact on the cause that I am supporting.
I would be remiss if I did not add a note about venues that encourage artists to come out for "open mic," or places that eagerly promote they "provide a place for musicians to play." It's often a nice way of saying, "Hey there talented musicians. We want you to work for free. While you're at it, please encourage all of your friends to come and spend lots of their money on drinks and food. Hey, it's more exposure for you! We want to use you and make you feel real good while we're doing it. Then, at the end of the night we'll have a cash register full of money for zero investment in musicians. Yippee." (Disclaimer, it's important to state there are some great, and ethical, "Open Mic" nights that pay a host and help artists' develop and hone skills. I'm certainly not referring to these events and venues.)
Your work has tremendous value. Don't ever devalue your talent and time. Contribute to the causes that you support, as you are able. Help others when you can. Take a moment to think it through before you jump to donate your time to a cause.
Most of all, learn to say "No" when it's not good for you and don't ever feel bad about that. Then, look ahead with open eyes to the vast realm of opportunities that instantly become available as a result of each decision to move forward.
Get out there and live YOUR dream, YOUR way!
~H
#DontWorkForFree
#IndieArtistsRock