What Would John Doe Do? – Should I Keep My Manager?
Editor’s Note: John Doe’s new album KEEPER is now available. Click here to check it out. A Question about Management Hi John, I have a question about whether I’m better off having a manager or not early in my music career. I have a manager now and my friends tell me I’m lucky to have one since I’m not really making much money at this stage. He is a fan of my music and volunteered to be my manager. The … Read entire article »
Filed under: Artist View, Featured, WWJDD?
What Would John Doe Do? – Music Publishing
Editor’s Note: John Doe’s new album KEEPER is now available. Click here to check it out. Question from Chris in Austin, TX Hello Mr. Doe, Recently I have been involved in extensive songwriting with my chums, and the notion of publishing has come up repeatedly. Here are my questions: Is it worth the effort to wrestle through the stacks of paperwork required to maintain complete control over your works, or is it viable to give a publishing house 50% of your money to … Read entire article »
Filed under: Artist View, Featured, WWJDD?
What Would John Doe Do? – Should I Quit My Day Job?
Editor’s Note: John Doe’s new album KEEPER is now available. Click here to check it out. A Question from Pete in Raleigh Hey John, I’m an aspiring musician who has been playing for more than 10 years and been in a couple of bands. I’m in the process of recording a solo record, but I also have a full time job that would make it difficult to hit the road in earnest once it’s complete. I’ve been trying to at … Read entire article »
Filed under: Artist View, Featured, WWJDD?
What Would John Doe Do? – Firing Our Bass Player
A Question from Chris in Chicago: Mr. Doe, My bandmates and I are struggling to decide if we should replace our bass player and would like to get your opinion on our situation. I was recently approached by a well known and very talented bass player in our area who expressed interest in playing with us “if we ever had an opening”. Our existing bass player is a capable player and good guy but clearly doesn’t have … Read entire article »
Filed under: Artist View, Featured, WWJDD?
What Would John Doe Do? – Singing Technique Tips
A Question from Jon Hey there John! I’ve been a huge fan of X, the Knitters, and all of your solo work for a long time. You always sound great live when you’re singing even when you’re moving around. I’ve been having trouble with getting volume out of the mic, and I was wondering how you get your sound. So what, are you yelling your head off? Do you have an amazing sound guy that tours with … Read entire article »
What Would John Doe Do? – Band Power Struggles
A Question from M.R. Dear John, I’ve been playing my own stuff for about 7 years and doing very well with it! I moved about 2 years ago far away from my main stomping grounds and although I’ve toured all over the country, I happened to move to a large city that I’d never played in before, on TOP of having my first child. So… I took a little break. Trying to get back into it has … Read entire article »
What Would John Doe Do? – Touring Tips
A Question from Mark in Memphis: Hey John, I’ve seen X play several time over the years and have always been so impressed with the band’s live shows. I’d like to know what type of planning goes into the band’s live shows. Does the band use the same playlist every night or create new ones at each stop? How does the band decide which songs make the playlist and when to go “off script”? Do you have … Read entire article »
