It’s like ray-eeeee-aiiin on your weddiiiiing day. Or a freeeee riii-eeeee-ide when you’ve alreeeady paid. And isn’t it ironic? Don’t’cha think?
…and isn’t it also ironic how the more DIY you are as a musician (whether by choice or by circumstance) the more you’re sure to need a support system on your side as in a fellow community of musicians and music enablers to help with “doing it yourself" seeing as there’s no major label A&R or publicists or stylists etc. to help you with “doing it”…
…which is exactly why the DELI is coming to Bar Freda this coming Thursday (on 4/20, bring your buds!) to co-host a confab at the Ridgewood, Queens venue (take the M train to Seneca Ave. or the L to Myrtle-Wykoff) starting at 6pm for all you DIYers out there looking to form a support system of other DIYers and DIY-curious types…
…cuz let’s face it, it was musicians who invented the gig economy—a term now used as a catchall for any and all forms of employment where little things like “job security” and “health insurance” are a thing of the past, but on the other hand where there’s a enviable level of flexibility and independence—so surely it’s musicians who should be on the cutting edge of gig economy logistics and economics and challenges and opportunities…
…which brings us to the upcoming inaugural meeting of what we’re calling The Gig Economy Survival Society or The Gig Economy Support Society (GESS for short) which’ll be a regular monthly meetup that’s all about supporting one another and surviving and thriving in the New York City gig economy of 2023 and beyond by sharing anecdotes and advice, imparting knowledge, and making connections with musical peers who may be able to help out (plus musical peers you may be able to help out) with the first meeting being a meet-and-greet and brainstorming session as a prelude to future sessions on more specific topics and don’t worry the initiation into GESS won’t be too severe…
…specific topics such as finding the right producer/engineer/mixer for your record, best approaches to music streaming, booking shows and showing bookers your stuff, managing social media, looking for a manager, making a press pack and finding optimal outlets for publicity, working with visual artists and photographers, pros and cons of licensing your music, self-care and mental health challenges of being an independent musician, building online communities via Patreon/Instagram/OnlyFans and other online platforms, and last-but-not-least dealing with shifty, highly unreliable music bloggers plus no doubt lots of other topics that get suggested by y’all this Thursday or thereafter…
… and you’d better bet we’ll have relevant guest speakers on hand at future GESS meetups to address these topics and more plus complimentary snacks and/or drink specials to help further entice your starving-artist ass (“came for the pigs-in-a-blanket, stayed to learn how to build a sustainable music career”) so come and say hey this Thursday and consider youself a founding member of The Gig Economy Survival Society or The Gig Economy Support Society… (Jason Lee)
RESOURCES:
"The End of the Music Business" — Ethan Iverson of The Bad Plus (The Nation)
"10 Lessons from the Music Industry on How To Rise Up in the Gig Economy" — Garrison Leykan of London Records (Forbes)
"The Gig Economy Is Nothing New For Musicians–Here’s What Their ‘Portfolio Careers" Can Teach Us" — Alana Blackburn of the University of New England (The Conversation)