Networking With Other Musicians

Sound and Recording
B. Thomas Cooper
Editor


Networking. Some bands are good at it, some are not. Some musicians understand how important it is, others don't. Frankly, some people, musicians included, are simply too concerned about they're own egos to do the right thing. What is the "right thing"? working together, of course! Networking, so to speak.

Don't be afraid to get involved. After all, it's your career, and your opportunity to shine. Far too many young musicians believe the club scene is some kind of dog eat dog' scenario, but it doesn't need to be that way.

Nowhere has the pressure been greater or the egos larger than on the Sunset strip in Hollywood during the Big Hair' era. Still, my band, based in Phoenix nearly four hundred miles eastward, played alongside Guns & Roses, Poison, and other future legends without getting sucked down by personal egos. We were always supportive of the bands on the scene, and it paid off for us in big ways. One should not think of music as a competition.

Of course, there are numerous ways to be helpful and self serving at the same time whether it be creating and distributing fliers for the next gig or maintaining a website. Cooperation, as well as determination, are tantamount to any bands' success.

This reasoning applies onstage as well. I often urge my band-mates to help the other bands strike the stage, for example. After all, the sooner the stage is clear, the sooner my band can set up. Doesn't this just make good sense?

Ultimately it's up to you, but having personally booked literally hundreds of gigs at dozens of clubs, I can assure you that a band with a bad reputation is far less apt to be offered the choice gigs, no matter how cool they may think they are. On the other hand, if you can't network on the local level, what ever gives you the idea you'll be ready to work with the big boys?

So get out there and get it done! Making excuses is not going to get you where you want to go in this industry or any other. Don't be shy to show your meddle and remember, networking is your friend. Now that's what I call sound reasoning'.