Members of the network must share other members of the network.
I come from a music background, but I can tell you in all walks of art, sometimes your problem is other artists.
It’s very tough to find folks who might be interested in what you do. It’s tempting when approached by artists to share their stuff. I enjoy it lots of times. But sometimes I do not like their music. So I decline.
It is punishing to me to share something I don’t like to a bunch of folks I like. It’s nothing against the artist. It has to do with me having to fake something and confusing an audience I’m normally honest with. I avoid that.
What’s our goal?
Eventually, I hope people develop a feel for my tastes. It helps my site, and it helps our music. I am shooting myself in the foot with them by submitting music I don’t like but pretend to for their listening pleasure. I’m not a DJ. This isn’t my job. I’m a songwriter. I want folks to know what I actually like. That is a main part of my message. It gets muddied with these promo schemes. So I quit doing them.
As an artist, I am essentially telling folks what is cool and what they should check out. Like it or not, that’s pretty much the job, even when creating. If I don’t get to do that, not only am I robbing myself of a clear message, I’m essentially lying to folks. Why? I don’t even know.
I made up my mind that I was going to be honest about what I liked and what I didn’t. I think that’s a decent message too. It helps folks understand me. Why wouldn’t I want that?
Honesty in everything. Dare I say, “radical honesty?”
I write jingles for commercials and lots of stuff for other folks. It may be outside my typical genre, but even that stuff, I’m proud of. I vibe with it. It’s the only way I know to tell if it’s any good. There’s honesty in that stuff too.
Folks want to build armies, mobs, or gangs all the time. I generally think in art circles they consider it networking. I’ve tried this. What I discovered is my message I’m working hard to develop gets muddied and I’m constantly listening to stuff I don’t vibe with. I pass on everyone sharing everyone. It’s confusing. If I was a listener, I’d be pissed if a musician told me they liked a band they actually didn’t. So I don’t do that.
Having said all this, bands I do like? Different story. By sharing those bands, the reader or listener actually learns what I like even if they don’t dig it. That’s information. It’s more valuable than lies.
About me and lies.
I know socials and music scenes can be difficult. I’ve struggled with them since I was a boy. I also struggled with honesty. For one reason or another, for a long time, I found it nearly impossible to tell the truth. It was hard. Wound up in the hospital. 6 weeks of outpatient after an inpatient stay. I learned some things. I learned that fear as a boy was valid. But it’s okay to let it go, I’m a big boy now. I actually take care of that boy sometimes still. It helps me to keep on truckin’.
It’s scary when exposing yourself. Rational thought is your friend here. Most folks won’t care, a handful will hate it, and a few might like it. No big deal.
I lied about everything. I was terrified all the time. I actually trained myself to lie as a boy because it worked about half the time and would save me some drama. At 30, it got a little old. So now I try my best not to do it. There’s just not much to be afraid of in the honesty department. If someone doesn’t like honesty, that’s not my issue.
Networking isn’t lying.
I’ve been told “it’s just part of networking.” Surprise, I disagree. Networking is not losing out on joining a gang. Networking is a group of folks with varied skills that share purposes and preferences. When I wrote a song for Dan Cross in London, that was networking. Swapping promo is often just lying to the crowd you worked hard to build up.
Share responsibly.
When you share a friend band, consider honesty. Seek out other ways to network if you’re not into their music. You’re an artist, not a billboard. Good luck.🍀
PS: I am working on the playlist page of artists and songs I like. I had it up but the links kept breaking.. think I found a solution. Will be up soon, hopefully. Also, all music I love dearly. No worries about that.
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