Always Be Closing.

It was November 1995 and little did I know that I would need to persuade a music loving friend of mine to check out a new band by the name of Ben Folds Five at the 9:30 Club in Washington D.C.  In my head, my friend liked piano based rock (i.e. Billy Joel), was interested in going to see live music and clearly nodded his head to the rhythm of the few tracks that he heard off of the self-titled album (i.e. "Jackson Cannery" & "Sports & Wine").    

However, I needed to make a pitch.  And according to “wiki How?” to succeed in closing a “sale”, it is important to remember three skills:  Ease Into the Close; Close the Sale; Make a Lasting (Favorable) Impression.  In this particular scenario I was going to the concert regardless of my friend’s interest so it was a no pressure situation for him, and although I could not guarantee that it was going to be a great show, I already had FREE tickets and lastly I knew Ben Folds, Robert Sledge and Darren Jessee were going to be able to handle the rest if I got him threw the door.  Fortunately, we both went to the show (and Ben’s Chili Bowl), had a great time and became fans of the band.  However, this scenario really drove home to me that when pitching new music to a potential listener there is a business transaction taking place.

Flash forward 10 years later to March 2006 and the tables were turned.  A musician friend of mine and his “cousin” convinced me to check out the band the Avett Brothers.  "Four Thieves Gone: The Robbinsville Sessions" had just been released and little did I know that by attending that show and hearing “Talk of Indolence” would get me back in the game of selling my friends on new music.  So how do you make the pitch to a friend, or explain why it is worth to “invest” in music?  Years have passed since the record label was supposed to have died, but new labels continue to appear and new music continues to get released.  Music is still a place where you can take risks.  There is typically a list of free shows printed in your city’s weekend section or you can preview an entire album or a single before making the purchase or downloading the track.

Yes – I know that this post contributes to the thought of the art form of music as a product.  And of course music purists do not view music as a product.  However, according to the Music Think Tank, "When the phonograph debuted in 1877, the traditional service of music (live performance) was transformed into a product (recordings)”.   The late, famous pop-artist Andy Warhol also said “Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art. Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art.”  It is a reality that bands need to draw attention to themselves and their music.  And although there is no one way to succeed as a professional musician, the idea of charging a cover/ticket price for a concert and/or making sure that music is available for sale on iTunes; Spotify, etc. quantifies the art of music as a product.

So who are the new bands that I am selling these days?  Denitia & Sene – catch them live at the 720 Music Café in Pittsburgh on Saturday, January 25.  Please go out and support live music or purchase one of their tracks on-line.  Thanks for reading!