improving visibility

[danengland]

Hi Justin

I wanted to ask your opinion on ways of getting your name out and improving visibility as a sideman and trying to expand musical contacts for potential future work. I have built up some touring experience with an artist on a major label, done some live TV and toured on the European festival circuit in the past couple of years. That particular work has finished now and although I have some touring work booked in for the new year, I'm keen to try and keep working and maintain momentum after that time.

I recall you mentioning writing to people like M83 and Trent Reznor in interviews and wondered whether early on in your career you'd ever written to people who put bands together for tours/record companies etc as a possible way of getting into further work? Have you been written to when you were putting bands together and doing A&R? If so, do you have any recommendations on how/how not to go about it?

I appreciate that there is no set career path to follow and that work often leads on from other work, playing a lot and making an effort to meet people but I just wondered if it was something you'd ever tried.

Many thanks

Dan

 

[jmjbassplayer]

When I've written to people, I write them to give them some genuine appreciation for something specific that I like about what they do. That's the purpose. Not to get work. It has to come from an organic place. I wasn't looking for the NIN gig AT ALL when I wrote to Trent, for instance. His manager was a mutual friend, so that was the conduit. But, if I'm feeling particularly forward (in the case of M83), I'll say something bold, like that I'd like to work with them someday. I've only done this a couple of times, though. When I was younger, I was just on the scene when LA was super vital and busy in the late 80's and early 90's, and that was my entree into the world of musicians helping other musicians. As far as when you do some of these cold communications to an artist from out of nowhere, just try not to sound like you need something from them. I'm overstating the obvious here. That's the last thing anyone wants. Just write from the heart. There's no other way.