John Doe is the founder of the seminal Los Angeles punk group X, a solo artist and actor. John answers questions from our community members in the WWJDD? blog. Photo by Autumn de Wilde.

A Question from Donna in Princeton, NJ

Hi John, 

I love your blog. I'm a writer and this morning I was thinking about how I strive to reach this ideal with my words...this fantasy vision inside my head...I'm wondering if that's what you have inside your head when you write a song and which of your songs come closest to that vision? I'm also wondering, what do musicians talk about when they get together? Different venues? Life on the road? Management? I've found that writers talk more about business than art, but maybe that is different with the people you know? 

Thanks for your time, 

Donna

WWJDD?

Hey Donna,
  To answer "what do musicians talk about" totally depends on what genre yr referring to.  From my experience it usually revolves around other tours, preposterous situations, war stories, diva demands, amazing venues, bragging about how many states-countries-gigs completed in the shortest number of days, etc. Only musicians who know each other well will ask advice on business matters but that does happen. There also is a fair amount of exchange regarding other bands, records or performances so that people are informed or turned on to something worthwhile; new or old.  Then I suppose there are others who just talk about drugs, food & sexual conquests or how much they spent on "bling".
  I've found that attempting to realize a "vision" is usually disappointing.  I tend to begin w/ a moment or thought & let it become what it's going to become as it takes shape & hopefully is complete. Here it's best to know when something is "done" & when it needs more attention to be the best song it can.  I'll take a certain piece of writing & elaborate on that or some music that has stayed w/ me for a while & complete that. That's specific to writing a song or piece of music.  Then there is a whole other layer of creative process that happens during recording. This involves the beauty or trials of working w/ other players, singers, engineers, producers & finally mixing; etc.  This is where the "vision" thing can get particularly contentious.  It seems more rewarding to allow room for the unexpected to make the piece better than what you might've envisioned.  Expectations are most often impossible to realize.
  I hope this helps.
and as always, thanks for writing,
yrs, JD

If you have questions for John Doe about music, the music business or life feel free to email them to wwjdd@knowthemusicbiz.com.

For more information on John Doe check out theejohndoe.com or YepRoc.com .

John Doe is the founder of the seminal Los Angeles punk group X, a solo artist and actor. John answers questions from our community members in the WWJDD? blog. Photo by Autumn de Wilde. Click here to check out John Doe's new release with The Sadies, Country Club.

A Question from Michael in Brooklyn:

Mr. Doe,

I stopped in to ask a familiar question. I was in a contract agreement with a manager and he said he didn’t want to be my manager because we had an argument over him canceling a show because he didn’t trust the producer’s ear (mixing). The manager didn’t come to the studio for a month and didn’t hear the music we recorded. See the manager did hear the music before he cancelled the show. But now he’s not my manager and all the music I recorded is on his computer.  The producer made the majority of the beats, does he only get the producers fee of 2%? He didn’t write but one verse on one song. Does he get publishing or writer’s rights besides that one song?

Peace,

Michael

What Would John Doe Do?

Hey Michael,

Give all the songs new titles & re-record them w/ someone that you trust (maybe leave out the one w/ the verse written by the "producer").  Never sign manager agreements before you actually have something to manage.  Those "managers" are just trying to take advantage of you & yr art.  In this ridiculously litigious society people need to keep their music on their own hard drives, a very sad but true situation.
onwards & upwards
 thanks for writing,
Jd  

If you have questions for John Doe about music, the music business or life feel free to email them to wwjdd@knowthemusicbiz.com.

For more information on John Doe check out theejohndoe.com or YepRoc.com .

John Doe is the founder of the seminal Los Angeles punk group X, a solo artist and actor. John answers questions from our community members in the WWJDD? blog. Photo by Autumn de Wilde.

A Question from Misty the Manager

Dear John Doe,
I manage the band Western Civ who are in the process of releasing their new album, "Shower The People You Love With Gold" which was produced and engineered by Mitch Easter who has worked with REM, Pavement and Dinosaur Jr. to name a few. We are really excited about sharing this album and are set to release on March 17th. This is
the largest release I have ever run personally, so my question to you is this:

What should our top priorities be in releasing this album and getting it heard? We've gotten a lot of advice like: constantly tour, hire a publicist, hire a radio promoter, set up an advertising campaign, use social media marketing, be on internet radio, pitch music bloggers, release the record on bit torrent etc. The list goes on and on. We are releasing this record on our own so we have the resources to do "everything". Where should we focus our efforts?

I've gotten a lot of varying input thus far and would love to hear your advice!

Many Thanks in Advance!

Misty Dawn
Manager, Western Civ
www.westerncivrock.com
www.twitter.com/westernciv    ***come follow us here!***
www.myspace.com/westernciv

WWJDD?

Hey Misty,
  From what I hear & what I've seen now-a-days, you certainly should concentrate on getting directly to the people. This means plenty of touring. It's the cheapest form of promotion & gets to the heart of the music. Yes! pitch music bloggers, do everything you can on the social/community networks & market through them. This sort of takes the place of an advertising campaign which can be fuckin' expensive. Having said that, a well connected publicist who loves & champions yr record, cannot be undervalued.  They have relationships w/ writers that can get good placement/attention.  One can argue that music mags are on the way out but I still believe they have great power & validate the word of mouth.  Personally I haven't met or seen the result of a radio programmer that's worth pushing them out of the way of a careening 5 ton truck, why bother? You definitely need a marketing plan, no matter how modest.  If yr the record company, just ask yrself how much does it cost & what can I get back from the effort.  Obviously what doesn't cost much more than time invested is yr best bet.  Especially if the reward will be long range.
Hope this helps and as always, thanks for writing.

yrs,
Jd

If you have questions for John Doe about music, the music business or life feel free to email them to wwjdd@knowthemusicbiz.com.

For more information on John Doe check out theejohndoe.com or YepRoc.com .

John Doe is the founder of the seminal Los Angeles punk group X, a solo artist and actor. John answers questions from our community members in the WWJDD? blog. Photo by Autumn de Wilde.

A Question from BB in Winston Salem

Hi John,

I'm in a band as the lead singer and principle song writer. I've been told and I do agree that I write really good, catchy songs. I do love being part of a band but I've often thought of possibly writing songs for other people to record so at least I could make some money doing one of the things I love. What would be the best way to go about getting demos out to the right people so they would listen and possibly like and record these songs? I write a lot of Americana songs and straight up rock and roll tunes also. I know that one of the deals would be making sure I get what I deserve for the songs as far as money and retaining the rights to the songs for future use. Is there any advice you could give me pertaining to becoming a professional song writer?

Thanks,

BB Russell

www.myspace.com/theminimalsideeffects

WWJDD?

Hey BB,

It's my opinion that if you write great songs, truly great songs, you will be recognized. Yes there are overlooked greats who surface post-mortem but not so much anymore. The reason that most Americana, rock et al outfits write their own material is because it's not that difficult. If you distinguish yourself by writing & recording truly great, original songs (this is the really tricky part. . . the writing) people will want to cover them, you'll be rich & famous & can tell all yr friends what genius you are. end of story.
hope this helps & thanks for writing.

Jd

If you have questions for John Doe about music, the music business or life feel free to email them to wwjdd@knowthemusicbiz.com.

For more information on John Doe check out theejohndoe.com or YepRoc.com .

John Doe is the founder of the seminal Los Angeles punk group X, a solo artist and actor. John answers questions from our community members in the WWJDD? blog. Photo by Autumn de Wilde.

A question from Carol the bar owner:

Hello John,

I was wondering if you could answer some questions for me.

Our bar booked a show with a band by verbal agreement for two weekends in a row. The first weekend they were there they were incredibly rude, and were even overheard in the bathroom telling people to not come to this show because they don't like our bar. While onstage they called us by the name of a different bar, and when corrected, they lead singer said loudly in to the microphone "I don't f-ing care"!!

The manager took him aside during the next break and asked him to correct himself in the next set and he spent the rest of the night sarcastically stating that he was at "The correct name of our bar" and he was "Sooooo happy" to be there.

At the end of the night the manager told him not to bother coming back next weekend, that we would find a band that wanted to be there.

Long story short, they are taking us to small claims court for breaking a verbal agreement.

We're wondering if they even have a case? Does this type of thing happen often?

Thank you for your time.

Carol

WWJDD?

SUCH DRAMA ! ! No, I don't think that they have a case.  How much money was guaranteed? $100? or was it just a door deal?  This band really should get a life & spend a little more time making music rather than bitching & moaning & working on their rockstar attitude. You ought to have one of the burly bouncers find the band & threaten the shit out of them (most likely they'd fold like an oatmeal outhouse) . . . KIDDING ! ! I don't think this happens very often 'cause people usually have better things to do.  Maybe show in court, roll yr eyes at the judge & say, "Really? Are you kidding me? you're going to all this trouble for some crappy bar gig?" (Of course that's not to say yr bar is by any means crappy). Have they actually filed the small claims suit? I doubt that they will actually get around to that. Musicians are really wired that way.
 Don't forget; wear a tie in court, have fun & thanks for writing,
Jd

If you have questions for John Doe about music, the music business or life feel free to email them to wwjdd@knowthemusicbiz.com.

For more information on John Doe check out theejohndoe.com or YepRoc.com .

John Doe is the founder of the seminal Los Angeles punk group X, a solo artist and actor. John answers questions from our community members in the WWJDD? blog. Photo by Autumn de Wilde.

Hi John,
My question is in regards to management. When would you say is the
right time to seek out management? As a solo pop singer/songwriter,
seeking out a manager or talent agent seems like a great way to get my
music into the hands of those in the industry which I could not do on my own.
On the other hand, many people suggest that you should manage
yourself as long as possible. What do you think? What are some
qualities I should look for in a management team? Any suggestions?

Best,
Derek Adams
www.myspace.com/derekjadams

Hey Derek,
   I'm not sure what the advantage of managing oneself is accept to save the 10 to 20% in commission that they might charge.  BUT if there are other reasons; write back & I'll address them.  X, The Knitters & myself have had management almost the entire time I've worked in entertainment.  But that never allows you to be unaware of yr business or removed from the other people (record company, booking agent, lawyer, publisher etc.) that you work with.
  Anyone you work with should be someone enough like you that you're proud to have them speak for you & represent you because that's exactly what they're going to do.  You want someone who's organized, honest, knowledgeable & being good company at dinner doesn't hurt.  As powerful or connected as they may be, you don't want some asshole making demands you wouldn't approve of or do yourself if that was yr job.  And in a way it is your job: to make sure you know what's going on & weigh in on most all of the decisions, especially the important ones.  The last quality to look for is someone who's priorities are the same.  Try to match the degree of fame & fortune & reasons & methods to achieve them with you own.  Working with friends is OK especially at the beginning but that doesn't mean that they can slide on any of the qualities that I talked about above.
   Like all relationships it's a great when you find the right person & keep working together to maintain that. I can also say that I've had the good fortune to stay in touch w/ & love almost all the managers that I've worked with. Trust your intuition, I know it's not easy.
 
hope this is some help and as always, thanks for writing.
yrs,
JD
  

If you have questions for John Doe about music, the music business or life feel free to email them to wwjdd@knowthemusicbiz.com.

For more information on John Doe check out theejohndoe.com or YepRoc.com .

John Doe is the founder of the seminal Los Angeles punk group X, a solo artist and actor. John answers questions from our community members in the WWJDD? blog. Photo by Autumn de Wilde.

today is the day

be part of history and

VOTE ! !

Attached is a Public Service Announcement by Yo La Tengo and Chris Stamey entitled "V.O.T.E" in MP3 format. We encourage you to forward to any of your friends and neighbors who have not yet voted.

thanks,
JD

If you have questions for John Doe about music, the music business or life feel free to email them to wwjdd@knowthemusicbiz.com.

For more information on John Doe check out theejohndoe.com or YepRoc.com .

John Doe is the founder of the seminal Los Angeles punk group X, a solo artist and actor. John answers questions from our community members in the WWJDD? blog. Photo by Autumn de Wilde.

A Question from Jen in Atlanta

Hello John,

I was thrilled to finally get to see X on tour this year. The band was incredibly tight and the energy of the show was "off the hook"! I'm in the process of forming a new band and wanted to get your take on what to look for in bandmates. Everyone in the last band I was in shared an interest in the same type of music, had similar favorite bands etc. But once we started playing together regularly it became clear we all couldn't be more different in our approach, work ethic, songwriting and so on. Needless to say it didn't work out well in the end. What's the best way to find out if new potential bandmates might be a fit? A friend suggested I put together a list of questions to ask but I'm afraid the "vibe" of that process could be a real turnoff for people who might be a great fit.

I would love to hear what you think.

Thanks,

Jen

hey Jen,
  Yeah a questionnaire might be way too much like a job interview or some Harmony.com dating service, so . . . NO.  How about dinner & drinks?  How about just hanging out for several evenings & see if you actually do see things similarly?  how about playing cover songs in yr living room? Always trust yr intuition.  Be sure you're in a big enough city to have a "talent pool" that's large enough. There are always exceptions but it's rare that you find everyone all at once. Most bands that I know have grown over a period of time.  A gtr player here, a singer there, a drummer etc, you get my point.  There is something to be said for fate & it seems that the best combinations & meetings have that as an element.
best of luck, hope this helps
& as always, thanks for writing 
JD

 PS: Make sure to vote on November 4^th. It’s important.

If you have questions for John Doe about music, the music business or life feel free to email them to wwjdd@knowthemusicbiz.com.

For more information on John Doe check out theejohndoe.com or YepRoc.com .

John Doe is the founder of the seminal Los Angeles punk group X, a solo artist and actor. John answers questions from our community members in the WWJDD? blog. Photo by Autumn de Wilde.

Dear friends of WWJDD,

This message could be one word long; VOTE!  That's my main message.  But a bit deeper lies what you're voting for or against.  Someday when we meet in some night club we'll discuss this at length but right now I urge you to go to the media, websites, internet blogs, friends & family to get the facts, however fluid they may be.  You're smart & can separate the lies from the truth (also fluid) & I'm sure you will vote for the right guy . . . no, not the one who suspends his campaign every time there's a dip in his poll numbers or some crisis he must attend (not really his job), uses falsehoods in adverts or agrees w/ 90% of Pres GWB's policies.  Please VOTE & vote for someone who can restore our FAITH & HOPE in this country.  BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT AS A CITIZEN & VOTE!  THIS MORE IMPORTANT NOW THAN EVER.

Thanks for allowing me a little soap box time & for your support. Below is a list of the different state's voter registration deadlines.

yours in solidarity,

John Doe

p.s. get yr slacker friends to register & vote too!

If you have any questions about registering or voting contact your Secretary of State. Click here to for a complete contact list by state at Rock The Vote.

If you have questions for John Doe about music, the music business or life feel free to email them to wwjdd@knowthemusicbiz.com.

For more information on John Doe check out theejohndoe.com or YepRoc.com.