Dreaming Big, Paying Little

Boston, a city rich in early American history, quality seafood and academia, is also home to a lively and growing music scene. From music-majors walking the streets with guitars slung across their backs to the multitude of underground music clubs and concert venues, the city has a huge population of musically-inclined individuals—and they are all pursuing their dreams on a budget.

“It’s always been a great place to get started,” said Jim Wooster when asked about Boston’s music scene. He is the executive director of Club Passim, a music club that has been in the Boston/Cambridge area since 1958. The club is popular with musicians due to its open-microphone opportunities.

“You get to meet a lot of people performing and sometimes potential friends and collaborations are made there,” said Wooster of the open-mic experience. “A lot of it is cyclical. You know, there was a while back in the early ‘90s when we had people like Lori McKenna who were sort of coming up for the first time. Now she’s going off to win Grammys and getting covered by other artists so she’s a poster child for the open-mic process and we’re sort of proud that she came up to our club.”

Open-mic opportunities like Club Passim’s are typically free and offer singer-songwriters a cost-effective way to get a foot in the door, even if it is only for ten minutes. From there, Wooster said, artists have the opportunity to work their way up and perform for the venue’s biannual campfire festivals, make connections with more established artists and attend classes offered at the club.

Unfortunately, the economic convenience of performing for open-mic venues does not extend to other important facets of becoming an artist. When it comes to recording your own music and promoting it, those low on funds (therefore, majority of the college student population), have to get crafty.

“Syd [Sydney Bennet, a former member of the band Odd Future] made one of his debut albums almost exclusively on his iPhone—which is insane and, personally, I don’t know how he did it,” said Josh Ford, president of the Music Business Club at Boston University. “But say you want to make electronic music, I could get Logic or Pro tools, take out my phone, and record the shuffling of forks in the kitchen and then narrow that down to a singular sound and then [tap on table] and have the sound of a fork shuffling as my down sound. It’s about being resourceful. It comes down to it being like a small business—do your own thing, own it.”

Depending on the genre or sound an artist is going for, computer software can function as a cheaper alternative to massive studio fees and professional sound equipment. Rihanna’s smash-hit “Umbrella,” which earned her a Grammy, started when singer The-Dream came across an addictive drum loop off the “Vintage Funk Kit 03” on Garageband. The only extra technological assistance most singer-songwriters may need are a quality microphone and a quiet space. Despite the lofty equipment used with artists under major labels, there are cheaper alternatives and resourceful methods available that will suffice as you delve deeper into your music career.

Especially in the music industry, there’s a lot of money to be made if you do things right and there’s a lot of money to be lost if you do things almost right.”

Melissa Lee Nilles, the co-founder of the Cambridge-based rock band Miele, said, “Do your shopping at Guitar Center in person to see and test out the equipment you want. Then go online to websites like Reverb.com or other low cost online retailers, find the same equipment for much less, price-match that equipment at Guitar Center, and buy the equipment there.”

Undoubtedly, all artists need a loyal audience to keep their music current in the industry. Without a solid following, a newcomer has no way of furthering a career. While labels and managers can open doors and arrange huge promotions, the internet can do a comparable job with a few clicks and the right strategy.

“If you can, get someone to go and film your thing and put it on Facebook Live,” said Ford. “Youtube is a good resource. When you understand what you want as an artist and where you want to go and end up, Youtube can be great, especially for expanding to international audiences. The platform definitely matters.”

Major artists such as Justin Bieber, The Weeknd and Alessia Cara got their start by posting videos of themselves singing on YouTube. Their viral debuts did not feature cutting-edge sound systems or production value, but they created a public presence and put themselves on the radar for potential opportunities.

“We have a Tunecore account that allows us to publish music on iTunes and Spotify,” Nilles said. “We paid less than 100 dollars for this, which is worth it to get started. We also provide our music for purchase on Bandcamp, where we get paid fairly and lots of people like to look through and discover local artists. We also have it available for streaming on SoundCloud, where it’s gotten an unexpected amount of traction.”

Promotion in the music industry can be a slippery slope, laden with enormous fees and potential deals gone wrong. Instead of jumping in headfirst and piling over huge amounts of time and money, those starting out should be selective with their investments and grow as much as they can for as little as they can. Having some necessary patience and taking your music career in small strides would not only be the cheapest route, but the one with the greatest potential for long-term success.

“Especially in the music industry, there’s a lot of money to be made if you do things right and there’s a lot of money to be lost if you do things almost right,” said Ford.

The connections and exposure, however, can only take an artist so far. While Beyoncé may have initially had the backing of her well-connected father during the days of Destiny’s Child, it was her work ethic that created her empire and made her such an iconic figure in the music industry. Without an artist’s consistent dedication to their work, a music career cannot be built, let alone sustained.

“Finding a balance is definitely tough. I think the hardest part about [it] is that you can’t really schedule creativity—or at least I have trouble with it,” said Sierra Cassidy, a student at Berklee College of Music studying songwriting. “When I’m having a surge of creative energy or inspiration to write, I try to seize it. That being said, I also try to practice writing every day, even if I’m not really feeling it.”

Truly committing yourself to your craft will inevitably be reflected in your career as a musician. While many may fantasize of catching a distinguished label’s attention, luck in the music industry is getting slimmer every day. Understanding your sound will help you find your place in the industry, as well as the other people and resources necessary to help you get there. Instead of relying on luck and chance occurrences, work around your disadvantages and create your own opportunities.

Ford put it best, “It’s kind of like, make your own luck and figure out where you want to be and that will take you the farthest.”

By Karissa Perry | Photography by Grace Johnson | Design by Valentina Wicki-Heumann