Josh Freese

The perils of early attention in the music business delay learning that it takes ten years of hard work to make a real hit

with stories from Bob Lefsetz and Mashable

So you got the grant and recorded your 4 song CD but added 2 more for the fans except no one told you fans expect 10 songs or nothing. And the producer played 15 instruments to avoid paying side men and you skimped and saved your pennies and it only cost you twice the grant.

Everybody wants one for awhile and no one will tell you to your face that it’s just OK. I mean it’s not American Idol or Canadian Idol but it’s OK.

Then you notice the sound is a little edgy. That’s called clipping because something went wrong in recording and no one had the time to stop and the heart to tell you. Didn’t they tell you it costs $20,000 to make an OK CD and $70,000 + for the real thing? 

But it takes you awhile to sort that out.

You entered the contest at Music PEI, Music Nova Scotia or Music Nowhere and you won. Something. A piece of metal on a piece of wood or wood on metal and it has your name and your mother is proud but they still won’t hire your band at the clubs that pay.

The manager smiles and says the booking is full when the acts change for next weekend without telling you. That’s if he speaks to you and doesn’t send out the waitress to tell you he’s out.

And you get an invitation to the ECMA’s or Juno’s and that’s so cool except you have to pay your own way and there’s no money cause the CD took it all and it’s not selling except a little at shows.

But you beg and borrow and go and the party is awesome. You play everywhere and people smile and you toke up in the bathrooms between beers and you get confused, eat pizza and it all comes up.

And when your number is up, you clean up and go on. You can’t remember your lines and the audience keeps talking and cheering and it feels good.

Your sleaze bag manager is working the room for you until you hear he thinks another act is hotter and you can’t get him to tell you what’s next.

Some know-it-all tells you that Internet marketing is the way to go and talks about Nine Inch Nails and how they packaged lots of high priced versions of their songs so you read this website about how their former drummer Josh Freese is doing that and try to figure out if that will work for you.

You can’t tell if he’s serious, pulling your leg but it seems preposterous and how can you get anywhere when you’re just from this little town.

No one said it would be easy. But if you want to make it you have to give it all you’ve got and press on. And get the hell out of here where ever here is.