JULY'S LETTER FROM THE EDITOR AT LARGE, JAY SWEET

posted in: Music News

“Change isn’t made by asking permission,” Godin says. “Change is made by asking forgiveness, later.”

 

j-newport

If you’re between the ages of 30 and 40 and claim to have never attempted to Moonwalk, you’re lying. For those of you too old or too young to have not spent hours learning the end all, be all of all dance moves, you’ll never know true satisfaction on the dance floor. While the passing of Michael Jackson is indeed a cultural loss in many ways, the fact that five days later people are still dancing to his music outside the Apollo Theater is a testament not only to the connection between artist and fan, but of the connection between the fans themselves.

In the current media paradigm we are constantly bombarded with content from every artistic medium.  This decimation of old barriers between artist and fans”while somewhat leveling the playing field for unknown artists”has also made it more difficult to hear the music through the noise.  This is why, as a musician, it’s more vital now than ever before to serve not only your fan base but to let them serve you by conscientiously building a tribe.

A tribe by most definitions is a mutual care system formed by a group of people connected to each other, to a leader and to a shared belief.  The importance of the tribe is really the chance of survival beyond which couldn’t be attained alone.  Yes this means feeding seemingly insatiable social networking sites, creating newsletters, servicing fan clubs, etc. , but it also means something more; it means creating an environment where fans have a say in the overall agenda.

I could spell out the importance of tribe building in terms of  having a fulfilling career in the music industry, or I could point you to three newer artists.

Corey Smith

Joe Pug

Amanda Palmer

Maybe you’ve heard of them or maybe you haven’t, but all three are changing the rules on how to make it in the music business by ignoring the old ones. Some of their methods are truly unique and seemingly taboo, yet you’ll wish you had engaged them from the onset.

So, if you are truly serious about having a career, do some legwork”you’ll never learn how to Moonwalk without it.

–Jay Sweet, Editor-at-Large

In addition to his role at OurStage, Jay Sweet is the Editor At Large for Paste Magazine as well as the Producer of the Newport Folk Festival.