Welcome to version 2.0 of our series Behind the Blogs, in which we interview the bloggers and thinkers who are following the music business changes that affect us all. Mike Venti is careful about his choice of words. The man behind Wayward Musician understands that there is a very big difference between a hobbyist musician and a true professional musician, and that when you’re looking for help with something, the source and context of advice is almost as important as the advice itself.
This humbleness is one of the main reasons why Venti, who’s done everything from session work to artist marketing to label work, manages to craft such incisive, helpful posts. We spoke with him about the range of jobs he’s had, the effect that the Internet has had on artists’ careers, dishonest artist advice websites, and here’s what happened.
One of your stated reasons for starting WM was to help musicians realize that they could utilize digital tools to achieve “their own preferred level of success with their art.” Could you tell us what you mean by that in a little more detail?
It amazed me, as I looked around the music scene at the time, and noticed that a huge percentage of the musicians I met still didn’t have their own websites or any real understanding of how to utilize the Internet to help their music career.
The Internet effectively puts affordable promotion and distribution tools in your hands and enables you to build a career without needing the help and money of a major label. The digital world opened up a whole new world for independent musicians. It’s relatively simple to sell your music and physical merch online, maintain your mailing list, have worldwide distribution and reach a wider range of people than ever before.
I started Wayward Musician as way to help others out and share some of the knowledge I’ve learned along the way.
It’s interesting, because when I read that phrase, the first thing it brought to mind was the idea of a side project. Because being a full-time musician is still incredibly hard, but it’s never been easier to set something up where you record music at home, maybe put some videos up on YouTube, and then maybe even play the occasional show. Do you think sites like ours are helpful to weekend warrior types like those?
I think with the sheer number of blogs out there and the varied expertise of the bloggers, musicians at all career levels can learn something. For beginners and weekend warriors, advice can be found on everything from touring basics to mailing list management. While more established musicians can learn about navigating social networks, marketing, and direct to fan offers. No matter how much time you’ve spent working in the industry, the Internet allows you to find advice from people who have a totally different skill set than you. There really is no excuse to be a musician who “doesn’t get” the business side of things anymore.
You’ve had a pretty wide range of industry experiences – session man, label intern, musician, marketing and promotions man. How do you pay your bills currently? Looks nice when you lay it out like that, but I’ve also had many less glamorous jobs: dishwasher, mover, book deliverer, as well as work in cheese, bread, and chicken-feed factories.
I recently left a job doing music marketing for some high profile major label artists and am currently paying the bills by doing pay-per-click and search engine marketing, as well as some freelance writing work and the occasional session/live gig.
This space (i.e. the musician-advice/thought leadership space) has grown quite a bit since you started WM. What kinds of effect do you think this proliferation of sites will have?
You’re right, I’ve seen a huge increase in the number of “music advice’ sites in the last year or so. Some with better intentions then others.
I think the number of these sites popping up is a great thing. Hopefully, more musicians will be able to take advantage of such blogs and have a bit of an easier time navigating the industry because of the advice out there.
You’ve touched on a great point in saying that some have “better intentions than others.” It’s probably not nice to name names, but what are some things that artists should be wary of when they find a new artist advice site?
I think it’s important to use common sense and be a bit wary at first. Does the site look scam-y? Is it one giant sales page? What are the credentials of the author? On my own “about” page, I try to make clear what my intentions are for writing on Wayward Musician.
As with the music industry in real life, there are plenty of people hoping to cash in on musicians. I think it’s best to find a few blogs and read through their posts first before you implement any of their advice. Make sure that you get an idea of who the author is, as well as who the readers are. And above all make sure you are confident with the credibility of the site before handing over your credit card to purchase any e-books or products.
And on the opposite end of the spectrum, what are some sites that you’re especially into?
For in-depth interviews with music industry types, I’d recommend checking out Musician Coaching. For essays, thought-pieces, and general advice, Music Think Tank usually has some solid articles. And for more practical advice, MicControl, Musician Wages, and Tight Mix Blog are great places to start.
This humbleness is one of the main reasons why Venti, who’s done everything from session work to artist marketing to label work, manages to craft such incisive, helpful posts. We spoke with him about the range of jobs he’s had, the effect that the Internet has had on artists’ careers, dishonest artist advice websites, and here’s what happened.
One of your stated reasons for starting WM was to help musicians realize that they could utilize digital tools to achieve “their own preferred level of success with their art.” Could you tell us what you mean by that in a little more detail?
It amazed me, as I looked around the music scene at the time, and noticed that a huge percentage of the musicians I met still didn’t have their own websites or any real understanding of how to utilize the Internet to help their music career.
The Internet effectively puts affordable promotion and distribution tools in your hands and enables you to build a career without needing the help and money of a major label. The digital world opened up a whole new world for independent musicians. It’s relatively simple to sell your music and physical merch online, maintain your mailing list, have worldwide distribution and reach a wider range of people than ever before.
I started Wayward Musician as way to help others out and share some of the knowledge I’ve learned along the way.
It’s interesting, because when I read that phrase, the first thing it brought to mind was the idea of a side project. Because being a full-time musician is still incredibly hard, but it’s never been easier to set something up where you record music at home, maybe put some videos up on YouTube, and then maybe even play the occasional show. Do you think sites like ours are helpful to weekend warrior types like those?
I think with the sheer number of blogs out there and the varied expertise of the bloggers, musicians at all career levels can learn something. For beginners and weekend warriors, advice can be found on everything from touring basics to mailing list management. While more established musicians can learn about navigating social networks, marketing, and direct to fan offers. No matter how much time you’ve spent working in the industry, the Internet allows you to find advice from people who have a totally different skill set than you. There really is no excuse to be a musician who “doesn’t get” the business side of things anymore.
You’ve had a pretty wide range of industry experiences – session man, label intern, musician, marketing and promotions man. How do you pay your bills currently? Looks nice when you lay it out like that, but I’ve also had many less glamorous jobs: dishwasher, mover, book deliverer, as well as work in cheese, bread, and chicken-feed factories.
I recently left a job doing music marketing for some high profile major label artists and am currently paying the bills by doing pay-per-click and search engine marketing, as well as some freelance writing work and the occasional session/live gig.
This space (i.e. the musician-advice/thought leadership space) has grown quite a bit since you started WM. What kinds of effect do you think this proliferation of sites will have?
You’re right, I’ve seen a huge increase in the number of “music advice’ sites in the last year or so. Some with better intentions then others.
I think the number of these sites popping up is a great thing. Hopefully, more musicians will be able to take advantage of such blogs and have a bit of an easier time navigating the industry because of the advice out there.
You’ve touched on a great point in saying that some have “better intentions than others.” It’s probably not nice to name names, but what are some things that artists should be wary of when they find a new artist advice site?
I think it’s important to use common sense and be a bit wary at first. Does the site look scam-y? Is it one giant sales page? What are the credentials of the author? On my own “about” page, I try to make clear what my intentions are for writing on Wayward Musician.
As with the music industry in real life, there are plenty of people hoping to cash in on musicians. I think it’s best to find a few blogs and read through their posts first before you implement any of their advice. Make sure that you get an idea of who the author is, as well as who the readers are. And above all make sure you are confident with the credibility of the site before handing over your credit card to purchase any e-books or products.
And on the opposite end of the spectrum, what are some sites that you’re especially into?
For in-depth interviews with music industry types, I’d recommend checking out Musician Coaching. For essays, thought-pieces, and general advice, Music Think Tank usually has some solid articles. And for more practical advice, MicControl, Musician Wages, and Tight Mix Blog are great places to start.
