How To Succeed in the Music Biz (Part 1): The Cobain Factor

by George Howard

The Sine Qua Non
This article addresses specifics that you as a musician or participant in the music business must face head on.  Put simply, if you don’t address these issues, you have little to no chance of succeeding in the music business.  These specific details can be referred to as the sine qua non of the music business.  That roughly translates to, “without this there is nothing.”

There are two specific details that you must address immediately.  The first is a concept that Jim Collins outlines in his fantastic book, Good to Great.  It’s called the Hedgehog Concept.  The second is an internal factor.  Specifically, it’s the belief that your own music, or the music of the artist on whose behalf you work, must be heard.  I’ll explain both in some depth, beginning with the latter.

Kurt Cobain
To illustrate the importance of the belief that your music, or the music of the artist on whose behalf you work must be heard, it’s instructive to look at the career path of Kurt Cobain from Nirvana.

Recalling his time before starting a band, Cobain sums up much of what I’m trying to convey.  He states:

I had this feeling all the time—I always knew I was doing something special.… I knew it was better, even though I couldn’t prove it at the time. I knew I had something to offer, and I knew eventually I would have the opportunity to show people that I could write good songs—that I could contribute something musically to rock and roll.

Cobain had these insistent thoughts in that hotbed of creativity, Aberdeen, WA, a remote, logging town. And yet, Cobain somehow managed—even in this creative wasteland—to find ways to get his music out. He gravitated to the only band in the area that he felt an affinity for—the ultra-heavy Melvins—and began hanging around with them, while he honed his guitar and songwriting skills. Additionally, through his connection with the Melvins, he was able to occasionally escape Aberdeen for the far more hospitable Olympia, WA.

Olympia is a college town, with a large bohemian contingency, many venues for bands to perform, a great indie radio station (KAOS) as well as a record label that so represented Cobain’s ethos that he eventually tattooed its name and "K" logo on his forearm.

Nirvana—as they were now called, after wisely ditching their first name, Fecal Matter—recorded a demo tape in January of 1988 at Reciprocal Recordings in Seattle. It was not a coincidence that they chose to record there, as some of Cobain’s favorite bands had done so as well.

The owner of Reciprocal, Jack Endino, engineered the early Nirvana demo tapes. He played them for Sub Pop head and founder Jonathon Poneman. It is not surprising or coincidental that Endino played the Nirvana demos for Poneman. In fact, two EPs that Endino had previously recorded were for the bands Soundgarden and Green River, which were released by Sub Pop. Clearly, Endino and Poneman had a rapport. And Cobain, who was aware of the scene that he aspired to become a part of, wisely chose to find a way—however tangentially—to make a connection to it by selecting this studio to record his demo.

Sub Pop is a Seattle-based label that, at the time, was specializing in a relatively specific genre of music that came to be known as "grunge." This music, in some ways, reflected the regional climate of Seattle: dark, thick, somewhat gloomy. The label became known for releasing records by artists that defined this type of sound. Nirvana was making music that fit—and soon defined—the description of this sound. At the time, Sub Pop was actively looking for artists to help grow their label, and Cobain realized this.

Cobain believed that his music had to be heard. This need forced him to assess how to get it heard. He educated himself about the industry that he wanted to be a part of, and found ways to connect his music to it. He did not simply let his undeniable talent stay in his room unheard. Instead, he learned who the players were, and directed his energies towards appealing specifically to them.

What we see from this case study is that while Cobain’s musical talent ultimately played a huge role in Nirvana’s success, it wasn’t this talent alone that got him signed. We also see that he was forced to really persevere—funding his own demos and finding backers, while the label waffled, in order to bring his music to a larger stage. Additionally, it was his desire to have his music heard that drove him—gave him the fuel—to contextualize it and find other participants in the business who he hoped would grant him entrée into the record industry.

Are you doing the same for your music?  Do you have that belief that your music must be heard?  It is only this belief that will sustain you during the inevitable indignities that accompany you on your way from obscurity to popularity. If you don’t have this belief, you will not be able to persevere.

Stayed tuned for Part 2 next week.

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(Jeff here. I would humbly like to suggest that the point being made here is half the story - believing in yourself, pursuing your dreams is required to make something happen.

The other side of the coin has to do with people's reaction to what you have created. Believing in yourself and pursuing your dream is step 1, getting what you created out to the "people" via media outlets is step 2, the "people" reacting to it is step 3... A previous blog posting discusses the new media outlets and how people have to react to what you create - it may help round out the conversation)

Comments

[Paul Goodyear]

Yes, Kurt´s story is an interesting tale no doubt and the discussion here as a result is thought provoking, so here is my 5 cents worth.

There is no denying the "it´s not what you know but who you know" aspect of life and Kurt made his own connections there by the sound of it. However, it´s now 2008, we have Tunecore and Myspace and live music, at least here in Europe, has never been more popular. Why any creative musician in his right mind should be looking for a record contract I do not know!

They should ideally be looking at their careers in terms of a concrete business model. It far more important to get your live act together, concentrate on all the factors that draw a crowd, and increase your reputation among promoters to get more paid gigs.

All these factors ultimately lead to selling more of your own CD´s, USB sticks and whatever other ingenious merchandise you can think of at concerts. Direct marketing and money in your own pocket.

Coincidentally thats probably when record companies will be coming to check you out, by which time you will thankfully be in a far more dominant bargaining position.

[STREET SPIRIT]

THIS BLOG WAS LIKE THE VOICE FROM THE OTHER SIDE.
I KNOW MY NEXT STEP NOW!

[aranos]

It's written from the point of view of the industry = business. Hence lots of money for the label, promoters etc. equals success. Drug addiction, messed up life and suicide help to sell records, so from the point of music business machine they are good career moves, aren't they?
It all depends how you define success, Beethoven or Mozart never made big fortunes so by this definition they were failures?
As for me I'd rather make music I like, than lick industry's assholes. So far every label I worked with cheated me out of money, after giving me lots of really stupid suggestions and demands how to make my music more commercial.
aranos

[Wim]

I like this angle on the Cobain story, revealing him as an intelligent musician and entrepreneur.
Its so funny who the legends turn out to be in retrospect, Nirvana were viewed by most as commercial sellouts lol...
btw, how to get signed? Show them that you can make them lots of money!

[C Wade]

Wow! I almost deleted the link to this story,and I said to myself ,well I might just learn something or two. I heard of Nirvana, not knowing anything of the style or the musicians,because I create my own as well as others. I feel bad for the way things turned out for him /family/friends.I vow never to quit recording,because it is my life,and if I do not make a dime off of it,thas cool too.I'm just greatful to be able to do it.Yea,I'm struggling,but like others, I'll take the peace &mind anytime.Oh! and if i were lucky enough to make a million or 2 from a short term contract,Then, I get in ,then I get out. Cause unless you're related to a star,or know someone that will help ya in the biz,to me, its pure luck anyway Good luck to all of you.
love and peace C Wade

[Blackmac McKeever]

George Howard is making a valid point in this piece, although, the irony of Kurt's "success story" is certainly hard to dismiss.

George's free videos (Music Business 101 on ArtistsHouseMusic) are great viewing for those seeking a "career in music." The basic message is to stay focused and continue to work on your craft, your personal connections and a way to pay the bills to continue to grow.

In May of 2007 there were 4.7 million free songs on myspace -- in August 2007 there were 13.4 million and as of October 2008 there are now over 18 million free songs to listen to on myspace. Certainly, there is a lot of "less than stellar" material posted on myspace, however, there is much more "good to great" material than could ever be successfully marketed.

Howard's piece is pointing readers to be their own advocate & financial engine to have a shot at making a mark in today's crowded music industry. Thank you George for this & all the Artist House Music videos!

[lucky thompson/philly drummer]

Yes some of the things that you are addressing in your blog is true, and has merit. But I believe that Kurt Cobain is not the example that you would want to use. Because he was a drug addict and in the end he killed his self. This is not someone you want to use as a mentor. It could send out the wrong message, mainly to someone young and nieve.

[Paul Kostabi]

When Use Your Illusion I and II from Guns N' roses were ready for market, Geffen records refused to release to retail until the "new act" Nirvana were firmly placed at retail in a big way. Retail had no choice but to "break" Nirvana if they wanted Guns during a down period. I would suggest start a blgo on the Offspring which is purely an accident based on good material. Without Guns and Roses we would have the Nirvana today, Thurston Moore helped in a big way as well.

[JacksonWallace]

I see the dingleberries are attacking Cobain's undeniable success. However he died, in life he was responsible for the song and band that broke grunge wide open and killed the horrid hair-metal period, not to be confused with the great 70s heavy metal and Metallica periods.
He finally dragged alternative and punk rock into the limelight after years of neglect. He was a hell of an arranger as well as a competent hard-rock riff writer, an inciteful and sarcastic lyric writer and incredibly economical and understandable. As a friend of mine who is superpicky said, he had the perfect voice for rock.

All the complainers on this blog can only dream of being that good. He wasn't quite at the level of great music of the 60s is, but noone is.
Intead of whining about whether or not he was successful (he clearly was), pay attention to what the author is trying to help you with, being more than a whining assclown stuck in your geekhole. Cobain was a nerd, but he was a public nerd. Anyway, author, thanks from me for your efforts.

[Shannon Fain]

The Cobain story or any other about highly successful, commercially pan-fried artists can be interesting. But, within our own, unique realities is where we'll grow and commercially succeed as artists as we make choices and follow ever-changing courses of direction. Cobain's own talents were at best only sufficient for his own sounds at the time, but his personal drive was far above average in the beginning. The snag I see in using Cobain as an example for career study, is simply that he chose to quit while approaching what was probably his own commercial climax. Cobain is now only another gleaming example of how success can cause ultimate, permanent failure to any artistic career. We must constantly ask and remind ourselves of why we each keep driving within the art of music while setting new goals when past marks are surpassed. This is something Mr. Cobain once did, but then suddenly stopped after the success monster had a few years to eat-away his ability to keep driving forward. It was another "day the music died". I'm not saying that you must avoid success to survive, but you must plan to survive success, as you venture toward meeting goals. This simple mindset will take you farther than you can imagine if you've got the nuts and bolts to build and maintain your own musical ship, and you know right now if you suck, or if you've got the needed tools to make it happen. It may not happen tomorrow, but you know it will, and hopefully at the right time. Just be ready for the success monster because he's always out there and he eats artists every day, and I don't think he even burped once after gulping-up Cobain.

I suggest any young or old musician also study one of the most dynamically talented and successful groups of all time, as polished by an even more astonishing producer; WAR. They each had their own story within a story. But they didn't get promoted or make any more than side-gig wages until they recorded with producer Chris Huston. With Huston's sheer genious techniques behind the mixing board and their own hunger mixed with tasty talents, they then created some of the most radio-played songs in history, and still rate in the top ten ever for earned royalties and TV advertising music uses. A way to learn their story is to find their double disc album "WAR ANTHOLOGY" which has every major hit including a written/pictoral biography of their highs and lows. I'm talking about the original group who did Spill The Wine (with Eric Burdon), Cisco Kid, Why Can't We Be Friends, The World Is A Ghetto, Low Rider, and many others, all under the unmatched ears and influence of Huston, who's now one of the world's top audio recording sudio designers. You can learn more about Chris too by visiting his site; www.chrishuston.com.

Best Wishes,
Shan

[George Ziemann]

Success is killing yourself before you hit 30?

Only in the music business could suicide be considered a success story, and you have to go to the marketing department to find someone willing to try and turn it into the tale of someone who deeply believed in himself and was "forced to really persevere."

The story of Kurt Cobain is actually a lesson in how the industry is capable of, and willing to, suck the life, hope and will to live right out of you if there's money to be made.

The current industry model is failing, yet all these articles seem to be about playing the game the old way. The old way is dead and so is Kurt. Neither is a success in the 21st century.

[Ross Whitney]

Of course any company in business to 'serve' songwriters will encourage songwriters to save up and 'back themselves'.

[John]

Interesting story. I tried for years and decided to try to earn the cash to back myself. There is a audience for everyone. Keeping control is the most important thing for me to do. In today market you can do this yourself. You are building a business not a band...

[Mike Marunde']

Nirvana records:

Bleach: On it, they did what they wanted, I own it, it's fairly crass. It achived no real popular sucess, then came:

Nevermind: more in line w/ songs in line w/radio formats, I like it, but the people who turned me onto Nirvana in the first place called this record a "sellout."
then came:

In Utero: By the time this record came out, the band I beleive felt they could put out another Nirvana record, and not another radio formatted record. Time's Christopher John Farley wrote in his review of the album, "Despite the fears of some alternative-music fans, Nirvana hasn't gone mainstream, though this potent new album may once again force the mainstream to go Nirvana." However, the album did not achieve the same success as Nevermind.

You do the math.

[Charly Gonsalves]

Kurt, Jimi, Janis. If you've been given ALL you've asked for and it's not enough, who's there to help? I'm lacking on my wishes. I don't pretend they'd be enough! Please don't worship me. I've got gaps!