Artist Access: All Found Out Gives Us The Scoop On Their Mentoring Session With Bruce Tyler
posted in: OurStage Updates
Flying from Texas to New York might seem like a long trip, but not when there’s a music industry legend waiting for you on the other side. After winning the April “Artist Access” Competition, Tim Anstead of Dallas rock outfit All Found Out got the exclusive opportunity to perform for and meet with Bruce Tyler in New York City. Tyler helped to further the careers of superstar artists like Beyoncé and John Mayer, and guided special new talent like The Fray, Natasha Bedingfield and many others. We recently sat down with Tim to discuss this one-on-one meeting and how the advice he received will help him further forge his career in music.
Anstead recently re-invented his sound, taking the path forward on his own. Tyler offered him advice on life as a solo act, commenting on the flexibility it provides the artist.
[H]e did like that I was going the solo artist way because it gives me more leeway of being able to do my thing and have artists work around me. He kind of compared me to guys like John Mayer or these bands that are just one artist and then build around that.
It’s clear that Anstead walked into the session unsure of what to expect. After all, it’s not every day that an artist gets a shot at real talk with an industry innovator.
I was surprised, because meetings with those kind of people tend to be like, ‘You’re this. You’re that. You need to do this,’ but Bruce was more uplifting than I expected him to be. He was way more encouraging, saying, ‘You’ve got the talent. You’re here. You just need to find your niche in order to get to [a certain level] and you’ll be set.’ … [I]t made me feel good about myself and my stuff. He expressed interest in seeing me again and hearing me play in the future. He asked me to send him songs whenever I get them done. It was a good experience… I got way more out of it than I thought I would.
Nowadays, having the right stuff in the songwriting department is only step one in making it to the big time. More and more, artists serve as their own marketing, sales and customer service departments. Tyler encouraged Anstead that his music was close, growth was the next step, and reaching more fans was the best way to get there.
He pointed out the hot adult contemporary area and said not to be afraid to use that or to use the ‘pop’ term, and to market it. He said, ‘I just want to see you grow. I want to be able to look on your site and see your shows and if I show up I want to see your fans there.’ Really, it was just about growing that fan base by playing. With everything else he seemed very impressed and encouraged.
Sometimes all it takes is a foot in the door. It appears that is exactly what Anstead took from this session.
I honestly really enjoyed it. I mean, you’re meeting somebody like Bruce Tyler who in the music community literally knows everybody and anybody. And for a guy like that to say ‘I like your music,’ just to be a blip on his little radar, just for him to come up again [to see us]… there’s huge potential. For him to like you and to want to talk to you, that’s huge. I don’t know how much you could top that other than giving a record deal away.
Be sure to check out more from All Found Out on OurStage, and stop back to see if this rising star catches a big break. If YOU want a chance to win a one-on-one mentoring session with an industry legend, get your butt in motion and sign up for OurStage Premium Membership. Your career will thank you, we promise.