THE TEN YEAR CONUNDRUM
(WHAT YOU DOING FOR THE NEXT DECADE?)
By MARC-ALAN BARNETTE
There is a very famous saying that “you must put in ten thousand hours to really be proficient at something. That is as a profession, electrician, plumber, builder, office person, mechanic, computer programmer, teacher, athlete, etc. About anything that you are going to be professional at, either as an occupation to make a living or a hobby that you take seriously, music, painting, sculpting, etc. They all take one thing above anything else.
TIME
When it comes to songwriting, performing, networking, etc. and particularly being in a town like Nashville, where EVERYONE is doing the same thing, I have noted it takes around TEN YEARS. Every time one of these young 16-25 year olds, all full of themselves, wide eyed and bushytailed, come to town on a writer’s night or open mic, or at a music business function, and someone says “How do you think they’ll do?” I would ask them, HOW ARE YOU PLANNING ON SPENDING THE NEXT DECADE?”
It takes about TEN YEARS of development INSIDE THE TOWN to really position one ‘self either skill-wise or politically, to achieve significant success. And while this is somewhat of an arbitrary number, some seem to move a little faster, most are MUCH slower and for vast majority it NEVER HAPPENS AT ALL, the numbers tend to hold up more than not. That is why Nashville is called a “TEN YEAR TOWN.”
Most of development with the Nashville music industry happens in THREE YEAR increments. The first three are simply getting a handle on the mechanics. By learning what NOT to do, finding out that your songs and abilities are pretty much the same as everyone else is here, that the subject matter, the approach, the chords, the melodies, all are just about the same. That most songs are neither good nor bad,
just very, very, very, VERY AVERAGE.
The fact is that most people WEED OUT between six months and two years. This is another huge part of this equation. People fall into the MINUTIA of being here. So many people doing the same thing. Of the 600 some odd people that move or visit each week for music, that is offset by around 1200 a week that move home, having lasted less than two years. For most people, life gets in the way. Having to have a JOB, or MULTIPLE JOBS will kill a career. Being a transient town, even the low paying jobs are heavily taken. People are faced with having to drop out of writer’s nights, paying for recordings, musicians, paying for food, drinks, parking, all the other things that make up the cost of admission in this business.
Many get married, into relationships, demands of family, responsibilities. Girls often will get pregnant, fall in love and simply quit. Guys, often get frustrated and quit, moving home or to another area they can “do what they love.” And of course, many develop the unfortunate drug, alcohol or just plain BAD ATTITUDE PROBLEMS. Egos, poorly voiced words and opinions and of course, nowadays, destructive behavior on social media. Twitter and Facebook will kill more careers than alcohol and drugs ever did. And you have to establish that you are DEPENDABLE. Most people are not. And no one wants to waste time on someone they cannot depend on.
The next three years are spent actually refining skills, making more contacts, “pledging the fraternity” by waiting in line, till the end of the nights on the open mics, moving to the invited writer’s rounds, co-writing a TON with people you meet. Most people they moved with are gone. And then they don’t play as many writers’ nights, except with friends and their tight writer’s circles. The circles continually expand and contract.
By year 6, a lot of things have changed. 95% have dropped out completely, found different lines of interest, or have reduced their activity to a barely noticeable level. About 2% will have advanced and actually be involved with publishers on a random basis. Less than one percent will have some form of tangible success. Writing with artists or becoming relevant artists themselves. Some will get some form of rudimentary deals. Development or very basic deals. All will have things on YOU TUBE, FACEBOOK or whatever the site of the second is.
Some will come under the “wing” of mentors, producers, hit or established writers, and see themselves walked up the ladder. But even at this level, it is still another THREE years before the actual “REAL DEALS” start coming.
A “caveat” of this is that some people live double lives. Some artists, out on the road, make trips into Nashville, write, record, network and THEN are out APPLYING what they learn to perform, build fan base actually have two bases of operation. For artists, this is essential, because the number one element of success is FAN BASE, and that is built OUTSIDE a music center. The Midwest, upper Northeast or West, all are places that are ripe for great artists to forge their own pathways. It is where the “RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD.”
By years 9 and 10, those select few are in a position to really do something, be on the radar screen, or in far too many cases, decide it is just not going to happen and quit. But along the way they have met great people, friends for life, traveled to places they would have never gone, experienced things that most people can only dream about. Most of the goals have long changed and they have decided that they have at least given it a great run. Some settle into more quiet existences, still keeping the hand in, but enjoying their achievements, families, lives. Some will go on and possibly achieve success at a later time. Most just realize it is what it is and are fine with that.
It is a great ride. Challenging and exhilarating. At times devastating. But there is nothing like it.
So if you are wanting to enter this or know someone, significant other, child, parent, other family member, interested person, ask yourself:
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR THE NEXT DECADE?”
(WHAT YOU DOING FOR THE NEXT DECADE?)
By MARC-ALAN BARNETTE
There is a very famous saying that “you must put in ten thousand hours to really be proficient at something. That is as a profession, electrician, plumber, builder, office person, mechanic, computer programmer, teacher, athlete, etc. About anything that you are going to be professional at, either as an occupation to make a living or a hobby that you take seriously, music, painting, sculpting, etc. They all take one thing above anything else.
TIME
When it comes to songwriting, performing, networking, etc. and particularly being in a town like Nashville, where EVERYONE is doing the same thing, I have noted it takes around TEN YEARS. Every time one of these young 16-25 year olds, all full of themselves, wide eyed and bushytailed, come to town on a writer’s night or open mic, or at a music business function, and someone says “How do you think they’ll do?” I would ask them, HOW ARE YOU PLANNING ON SPENDING THE NEXT DECADE?”
It takes about TEN YEARS of development INSIDE THE TOWN to really position one ‘self either skill-wise or politically, to achieve significant success. And while this is somewhat of an arbitrary number, some seem to move a little faster, most are MUCH slower and for vast majority it NEVER HAPPENS AT ALL, the numbers tend to hold up more than not. That is why Nashville is called a “TEN YEAR TOWN.”
Most of development with the Nashville music industry happens in THREE YEAR increments. The first three are simply getting a handle on the mechanics. By learning what NOT to do, finding out that your songs and abilities are pretty much the same as everyone else is here, that the subject matter, the approach, the chords, the melodies, all are just about the same. That most songs are neither good nor bad,
just very, very, very, VERY AVERAGE.
The fact is that most people WEED OUT between six months and two years. This is another huge part of this equation. People fall into the MINUTIA of being here. So many people doing the same thing. Of the 600 some odd people that move or visit each week for music, that is offset by around 1200 a week that move home, having lasted less than two years. For most people, life gets in the way. Having to have a JOB, or MULTIPLE JOBS will kill a career. Being a transient town, even the low paying jobs are heavily taken. People are faced with having to drop out of writer’s nights, paying for recordings, musicians, paying for food, drinks, parking, all the other things that make up the cost of admission in this business.
Many get married, into relationships, demands of family, responsibilities. Girls often will get pregnant, fall in love and simply quit. Guys, often get frustrated and quit, moving home or to another area they can “do what they love.” And of course, many develop the unfortunate drug, alcohol or just plain BAD ATTITUDE PROBLEMS. Egos, poorly voiced words and opinions and of course, nowadays, destructive behavior on social media. Twitter and Facebook will kill more careers than alcohol and drugs ever did. And you have to establish that you are DEPENDABLE. Most people are not. And no one wants to waste time on someone they cannot depend on.
The next three years are spent actually refining skills, making more contacts, “pledging the fraternity” by waiting in line, till the end of the nights on the open mics, moving to the invited writer’s rounds, co-writing a TON with people you meet. Most people they moved with are gone. And then they don’t play as many writers’ nights, except with friends and their tight writer’s circles. The circles continually expand and contract.
By year 6, a lot of things have changed. 95% have dropped out completely, found different lines of interest, or have reduced their activity to a barely noticeable level. About 2% will have advanced and actually be involved with publishers on a random basis. Less than one percent will have some form of tangible success. Writing with artists or becoming relevant artists themselves. Some will get some form of rudimentary deals. Development or very basic deals. All will have things on YOU TUBE, FACEBOOK or whatever the site of the second is.
Some will come under the “wing” of mentors, producers, hit or established writers, and see themselves walked up the ladder. But even at this level, it is still another THREE years before the actual “REAL DEALS” start coming.
A “caveat” of this is that some people live double lives. Some artists, out on the road, make trips into Nashville, write, record, network and THEN are out APPLYING what they learn to perform, build fan base actually have two bases of operation. For artists, this is essential, because the number one element of success is FAN BASE, and that is built OUTSIDE a music center. The Midwest, upper Northeast or West, all are places that are ripe for great artists to forge their own pathways. It is where the “RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD.”
By years 9 and 10, those select few are in a position to really do something, be on the radar screen, or in far too many cases, decide it is just not going to happen and quit. But along the way they have met great people, friends for life, traveled to places they would have never gone, experienced things that most people can only dream about. Most of the goals have long changed and they have decided that they have at least given it a great run. Some settle into more quiet existences, still keeping the hand in, but enjoying their achievements, families, lives. Some will go on and possibly achieve success at a later time. Most just realize it is what it is and are fine with that.
It is a great ride. Challenging and exhilarating. At times devastating. But there is nothing like it.
So if you are wanting to enter this or know someone, significant other, child, parent, other family member, interested person, ask yourself:
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR THE NEXT DECADE?”
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