Chris Burnett
December 2001

Musings In Cb
Archive <& /articles/indi_archive.tmp &>

By Chris Burnett

This column for AllAboutJazz.com deals with aspects of being in the jazz music industry from the perspective of a truly independent artist. I’ll present a series of articles here for publication on this relatively under appreciated subject. These writings are personal in context and primarily from my own experiences, lessons learned, and earnestly objective opinions.

First, a bit about my background is in order to provide context for readers. For the first 20 years or so of my life, I grew up and was trained in music like most jazz musicians. Then, I literally went to another world to work as a contracted professional musician for about twenty years. After those twenty years, I was required to come “back to earth” as a jazz musician because they don’t let you stay there forever. So, I have since been attempting to learn how the music business works here, along with inherent aspects of Online Music Distribution in this digital age for my independent recordings as well.

Imagine this, and believe it or not, all of this is true. I didn’t have to be concerned with such thing as: if and how I would get paid; where my family would live; dental insurance; medical insurance; life insurance; getting gigs to play; having professional-level players to perform with; or even, whether or not I’d have top-of-the-line and state-of-the-art equipment at my disposal to use whenever I wanted.

All of those items above and other essentials were a standard part of the contracts of everyone who was a musician in that other world. The idea was to let all of our minds be focused solely upon making music, as much was possible.

Oh yes, there were also laws concerning the way people had to treat each other and were to be treated by others there too. There were standards and ethics for conduct, which were strictly enforced and most of us just figured why go there anyway. Although we all originally came from many diverse backgrounds, for the most part, we all became one race of people with a common interest that was bigger than any of us as individuals.

It was actually the law there that most all aspects of the society were to be based upon objectivity. If you couldn’t deal with that, you could leave after your initial contract. A lot of musicians left and a lot stayed, there were always musicians coming and going in this world.

I’m sincerely not making this up - this world actually still even exists.

If you haven’t guessed by now, this other world of which I speak is a humorous basic description of my life as a professional musician with US military bands. The challenge in learning the aspects of the music business pertaining to my career activities now have been compounded by the established paradigms I grew accustomed to, while living and working in that “other world” as a musician.

You see, I was just a normal cat with talent, who had the logistical and administrative support of a very efficient and cooperative system devoted to promote and develop my professional music career. I grew up as a professional there, learned to manage musical companies, and even became a skilled musician, composer, and leader of relative note in that world.

Back to present day earth. I am now an independent jazz musician. No one “knows who I am” anymore as a professional artist. Like so many others on earth without major label recording and distribution contracts, I must pretty much manage most all aspects of my career.

My support staff these days includes my computer, my Internet sites, and my dog. My dog’s name is “Coltrane” and he has assumed the essential duties of lying beside my chair while I work at my desk each day. Coltrane’s loyalty and assistance departs expeditiously whenever I practice my saxophone, he exits to another entire portion of the house until I have finished. And there is another dynamic in this earthly relationship. I can’t always motivate him to do what I need him to do for the project much of the time. I was able to motivate my staff and the members of my bands in that other world. No juice.

I honestly have to learn to have more of a “business attitude”. It is not that I do not understand or comprehend business principles and systems. I do have a working understanding of the relevant aspects about business I need. It’s the “attitude” part where I sometimes have fallen short. I seem to keep forgetting that most everything seems to have some sort of price tag here. Whether the price tag is monetary or just plain “what’s in it for me if I cooperate with you”.

The capitalist mentality is a cool thing to motivate most people and it seems to be needed for most people to just do most anything. So, I am attempting to be more capitalist-like in order to just get my music “out there” on earth. But, I tell you the experiences have been challenging as I progress toward this primary goal.

I understand that your musicianship, recorded products, and musical professionalism have all got to be a given. You can’t still be learning what notes make up a D7 (b9) chord while simultaneously marketing your music to A&R representatives. So, I give myself a “check mark” in having this area where it seems to have to be in the music business.

You also have to set goals and make a plan. I’m pretty good at setting goals and making plans, just ask my dog. I even have numerous successful models of having actual proven experiences based in that other world. However, I have also had to learn how to modify my initiatives to accommodate how most people out here on earth really think.

The balance for me to personally manage seems to be in staying true to the musical gift I was given, while also moving toward a necessary degree of business viability as a jazz musician. If I can somehow show that my musical offerings will produce a profit because someone other than my dog will purchase them, I’m basically on my way into the door of significant opportunity. Theoretically.

For the independent jazz recording artist, all of this comes down to some basic and relative factors.

1. In the world where I came from, we could document music on recordings for the primary purpose of distributing a coherent message using the art of music.
2. Here on earth, it seems that the “art of music” and “coherent message” are not always of primary business consideration. In order to get a record made by a major label, these factors must result in the realization of a tangible profit and hopefully motivate a future public demand for one’s offerings.