On March 14th, 1995, a sweet, beautiful, incredibly intelligent baby boy was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania to an overjoyed Bob and Diane Gilbride.
Unfortunately, shortly after I was born, my mother (Diane) suffered congestive heart failure and came within a breath of dying.
……
…..
So that’s a bit about me.
…..
Ok for real, why is this relevant?
Well… my Mom’s heart injury meant she couldn’t work anymore (she was studying at the time to become a pharmacist), which meant my Dad would have to provide for the family alone.
So… imagine his surprise when a few days later his boss calls to tell him that they were laying off some employees, and my Dad was one of them.
My Dad whipped the phone against the wall (ok, badass), and the overwhelming weight of reality began to set in.
Suddenly… my Dad found himself out of a job, with no health insurance for his incredibly sick wife, with one toddler (my brother, Erich), and a beautiful, sweet, sweet, beautiful and incredibly intelligent, sweet, newborn baby boy (me).
My Dad was eventually able to find work… but at a fraction of his former pay.
And eventually… he was laid off again.
…. a few years later, he was laid off AGAIN AGAIN.
Each time, my Dad was faced with the terrifying reality that if he couldn’t find a way to provide for his family… we’d all be in serious danger.
And each time, my Dad would pick himself up, and leave the house to go chase down opportunities.
Naturally (like most of you emotionally repressed boomers), my Dad fell into a severe depression during this time that lasted nearly two decades.
NOW…..
My Dad’s story isn’t very unique.
The post-COVID economic wrecking ball (also known as inflation), has once again decimated the middle-class, creating a new generation of Bob Gilbride’s that feel like their back is against the wall.
Add in the looming threat of nuclear war and political instability and you have a recipe for a pretty anxious populace right now.
So what does this have to do with building a music career?
Well, every great music revolution (rock n’ roll, punk, grunge, etc) was born out of incredible social awareness about the current cultural climate.
Artists like Jimi Hendrix and CCR captured the horrors of Vietnam and widespread use of psychedelics by creating chaotic soundscapes that sounded like they were, at times, barely holding together.
Bands like Nirvana added grit and noise to traditional pop melodies to capture the anti-establishment and socially anxious cynicism that plagued the culture in the 90’s.
Even some of the more obscure musical movements like bling rap (think “Ridin’ Dirty by Chamillionaire or “Low” by Flo Rida) captured the euphoria of the pre-financial crisis era by painting an outlandishly extravagant picture of society in the early 2000’s.
The artists that were rewarded during these eras were the ones that related their unique personal experiences to the wider underlying cultural trends.
Which is exactly why you should be looking at this (impending) recession as a massive opportunity to build your music career.
The era of easy money that led to the dominance of pop and EDM artists in the 2010’s is quickly being replaced by folk and country artists like Oliver Anthony or Tyler Childers that capture the raw emotions of a frightened lower/middle-class.
So even if it feels disingenuous at times… it makes sense why traditionally pop artists like Beyonce and Post Malone are turning “country” to stay ahead of the shifting cultural demographics.
Like my Dad, many folks are scared, anxious, and (often) alone…. and they’re turning to music for some glimpse of hope and relatability.
So how can YOU build a successful music career in these challenging times?
Here are some tips:
Focus on organic vs. paid growth
The 2010’s and early 2020’s saw the emergence of countless “pay-to-play” music marketing companies (playlisting services, Submithub, etc) that required significant upfront costs to promote your music.
Money will be tight moving forward, which means the artists that can keep their fixed costs low, and crack organic growth through socials + grassroots marketing will be able to build the most consistent and profitable music careers.
Stop paying for blog placements and playlisting and focus all of your time + attention on building free marketing channels.
It’s exactly what I’m doing with this SubStack.
Who do you represent?
To get organic growth, you need to understand EXACTLY who you represent.
For example, this SubStack is meant to represent the countless artists that have been screwed over (or are just sick of) the traditional music industry and are looking for ways to build a music career on their own terms.
Understanding exactly who I represent with this publication makes it much easier to decide which articles to write, what headlines to use, and how to market.
Alignment across all of these areas increases the likelihood that my publications will resonate with my target audience, which, in turn, results in organic growth from my readers engaging (and sharing my articles).
Saying “I want people to hear my music” isn’t good enough. Figure out why they NEED your music, and then build a promo plan around that.
What purpose does your music serve?
If the world is going through tough times… then where does your music fit in?
Is it meant to be an escape? Is it a satire? Is it a form of protest?
If it’s an escape, market your music as “a vacation from the real world”.
If it’s a satire, market it as “music for the apocalypse”.
If it’s a form of protest, market it as “music for people that believe [xyz belief"]”
Simply saying your music is good and that people should listen to it robs you of the chance to explain to the audience EXACTLY where your music fits in to the current cultural landscape.
Focus on fans over metrics
An artist with 1,000 real fans will often destroy an artist with 50,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.
Real fans spend money, while passive “followers” rarely do. Focus on the quality of your fan rather than the quantity.
Re-read this until you actually believe it.
It took me a long time to accept this.
Ditch the ego
The biggest lesson I learned as an artist is that everything I did for myself usually turned out shitty…. while anything I did for someone else turned out great.
That’s because your ego is a terrible place to anchor your art.
If the only thing you want from your music is validation for your ego, then you’ll end up (like me) searching in all the wrong places.
Social media has completely warped our relationship with art.
Instead of creating for the sake of creation, we often tend to create for validation.
Talking about how your new song “is the song of the summer ☀️🎉” falls a little flat when people can’t afford to buy cereal.
Stop promoting your music by promoting yourself, and instead bring some awareness to the actual needs and struggles of your audience.
Let them know that you see them and acknowledge them, and they’ll reward you in return.
Treat your music like a time capsule.
I rarely share quotes… but this one is an exception from one of my favorite thinkers.
“Great art is the reflection of our time - in real time - for all time.” ― Eric Weinstein
Every great piece of art in history (the statue of David, the White Album, the Great Pyramids) was a reflection of the time it was created.
Even if the subject-matter has nothing to do with the current times, transcendent art still manages to capture the subjective feeling of the era it was created in.
It’s obviously perfectly fine to be influenced by other artists + eras, but hiding from YOUR reality won’t help your music career.
If you want to succeed during difficult times, make sure your music (and promotion of it) is plugged into the real-world.
As I re-read this article, I noticed that it’s a tad more bleak than my usual.
So to compensate, here is a picture of my dog Katie with (what I can only guess is) me contemplating my existential future behind her.
🫡⚔️🫡⚔️🫡⚔️
Michael from MAD Records