Should I go to college? What's the best way to make Des Moines a more inclusive music city? Are there jobs in this industry in Iowa?
A one-day conference in Des Moines sought to answer these questions and more Saturday at xBk in Des Moines through a series of panel discussions with industry professionals, hiring managers, musicians and even Des Moines mayor Connie Boesen. After an evening field trip to The Varsity for a screening of Talking Heads' Stop Making Sense documentary, attendees were invited back to xBk for a live show, featuring local opener EleanorGrace and headliners The Cactus Blossoms.
Here are five takeaways we pulled away from the day.
If you want to work in the music industry, start by having a serious moment of self-reflection.
Do you want to be on stage? Do you like making music, but feel like a job associated with music might be just as sweet? Musicians and the people playing on stage at concerts are just a sliver of the workforce involved with putting on a live show. The music industry needs marketers, accountants, tax experts, lawyers, broadcasters, stage hands, builders, lighting riggers, sound techs, bar tenders, managers, producers and more. What skills can you offer? What skills do you want to spend your life developing?
Wow, use social media wisely.
There's a lot of pressure on creatives to create content for social media and connect with fans constantly. This can be draining, emotional exhausting, and can take away from the creative focus of writing music. It's a useful tool, but it's not the end all be all of how to promote your music. As you think about social media as a part of your business strategy for your band or project, think about how else you can reach fans. Is there a local radio station in your area working with local artist and playing them on the radio? Are there indie zines who profile artists and will write about your music? What is the most effective use or your time to reach your audience?
- Consider putting a screen time cap on how much time you spend in the social media apps on your phone. You can download a number of apps to do this or use your settings to create time caps.
- Monitor how much time you spend on social media and how much time you spend creating content as a media content producer.
- Think about how much you make hourly or would like to make hourly to be creating media content as a content producer and box that task accordingly.
- Remember that if the platform is free to use, your content is the product the tech company is selling. Stop working for free if it's not paying off.
Should I take unpaid gigs? Maybe, choose when and why you work for "exposure" or "experience" wisely.
This is a great and highly controversial question. In the music industry, one's experience can matter a lot more than one's credentials. Do the work you need to do in order to build your resume, then, as you get more work, your time is worth more and you can stop taking those unpaid gigs. Sometimes even the most seasoned professionals take unpaid work as a chance to be creative, so be self-aware of what your skillsets are and where you can grow. If you're working with a non-profit, consider what their actual budget might be before you bid a job and be willing to negotiate. Make your decisions thoughtfully and accordingly.
Panelist Anthony Scanga, a Des Moines-based hardcore photographer, shared some of the benefits to pro bono work, like getting to meet your heroes. Nobody needs to know you shot Bruce Springsteen for free, he said.
The truth of the matter is that there are some professionals working in Des Moines who have toured the world with bands with enormous fan bases who still take side gigs to make ends meet. Consider what kind of lifestyle you want, how much money that will take, and build your path from there. Have a rate sheet prepared, no matter your artistic expression.
Take care of yourself. Treat what you're doing like it's a job and you're running a business.
Touring, being out late, constantly being in bars and constantly being around all the egos that it takes to make the music industry function can be exhausting. It's okay to be tired. It's okay to feel burned out. It's okay to take a break from social media. It's okay to take a few months and not gig if you need to rest. Take steps to know what you need to do to take care of yourself. Remember to stretch and drink water. This is a marathon, not a sprint.
- Get your taxes right. Ask all the "stupid questions" you've been embarrassed to ask and sort it out. You will never regret doing so.
- Make an EPKif you're an artist and don't have one.
- Learn to work well with sound techs.Every room is different.
Des Moines can do better about being more inclusive about the music it's supporting.
The day ended with a panel about inclusion and diversity in the music industry. Now, this single panel could have been expanded into an entire two-day conference itself. We encourage local government, city leaders, police and fans to continue to work to be open-minded about different genres and cultures that grow up around them. Our city is better when it's more vibrant and culturally rich than when it isn't. Think about the sounds and the food people. We want diversity here.
