Wired Differently
(this article first appeared in the Songwriters Connection E-Tip, 10/31/10)

These thoughts were prompted by a recent article in the the Songwriters E-Tip on the role of business people in the entertainment industry. Let me make it clear at the outset that I mean no disrespect to the author and his perspective. In fact, he presents a very clear and direct case for why creative people need a business team: people to focus on the business of “branding”, marketing, promoting, and creating income streams from creative work. As an artist or songwriter these people are essential in that they free up YOUR time to allow you to do what you want and love to do: create.

However, one phrase in the article jumped out at me:

"Let's face it: creative people are not always the best business people. Their brains are wired differently. That's part of why they are great writers, singers or entertainers. But there aren't many really good business people who are great writers, singers or entertainers.”

I won't even dispute the first sentence, it's one of those cliches that has been proven to be true again and again. But from my own experience as a self-managed artist for fifteen years (not to mention the spectacular failures at the uppermost levels of big business in America), I can confidently say there are plenty of business people who are not the best business people. But no one ever says that those people are “wired” differently, only that they made mistakes. And as far as the last sentence is concerned, I think Kenny Chesney, Jay-Z, or Madonna might disagree. The music world is full of artists with excellent business skills.

We are conditioned from a very young age to believe that creative talent is a gift that is given to some and not others. But in many traditional societies around the world, making music is a communal experience, not something that belongs to the talented few. We are divided from the moment we enter school as small children into “talented” and “non-talented”, and that division has a lifelong impact on the way we see ourselves. I have heard many clients say that they aren't “talented”, automatically limiting their growth potential and closing doors they simply could have chosen to walk through.

Make no mistake: there is no question that some people are more naturally gifted than others, in music, mathematics, basketball, sales, or physics. It has been demonstrated that different parts of the brain control different aspects of cognition, and that most of us are more highly developed in some areas than others. Guitar came relatively easily to me at first, but I remember struggling to coordinate a lay-up in a pickup basketball game. That DOESN'T mean that I couldn't have learned to coordinate that move competently...or that my friends who seemed so effortless on the court but couldn't play or sing would never be able to do so. But we most often gravitate to the things that come most easily...it's often more gratifying to not have to struggle. On the other hand, though, a hard-won struggle is VERY gratifying. The point is that, consciously or unconsciously, we choose the areas we want to develop in our lives.

I've often felt that I didn't choose music, but that it chose me. However, when it came time to learn to understand royalties, advances, profit and loss, ROI, and risk vs. return, I learned to comprehend those things. My “differently wired” brain didn't prevent me from understanding how a record label functions, or from learning to be savvy enough to not be taken advantage of (that's a big one, folks).

YES, having a good business team – and a good business PLAN – is key to success. But it is imperative that artists and songwriters learn about the business in order to protect themselves. Armed with this knowledge, you can choose the best team to help to achieve your goal. Above all, never believe, or allow anyone to convince you, that being a creative artist means that you can't – or shouldn't – understand the business you're in.