POP BEAT : A PRIMER FOR MAKING IT AS A MUSICIAN
Itâs not surprising to hear of one more book about the music business. But there is a twist to âFor Musicians Only,â a new volume written by three Orange County musicians: Itâs aimed at the aspiring musician who doesnât want to be a superstar.
âThis is for the person who is just out of (music) school, who knows their trade and wants to play for people,â said Thomas Stein, a keyboard player who collaborated on the 139-page book with his wife, Claudia, a drummer and writer, and Michael Niehaus, a sound technician and road manager who has worked with the Eagles, Tim Bogert and others.
âWe wanted to say it is possible to have a career in music even if youâre not a star,â Claudia Stein said. âThis is the only book we know of for the guy at the bottom.â
They also felt that was the only type of advice that they could honestly offer, as none has achieved superstardom. Thomas Stein is performing jazz six nights a week at three Orange County clubs. In addition to playing music, Claudia Stein has written some articles and childrenâs stories and is working on a screenplay but, she said, âso far Iâm an unpublished writer.â Niehaus is also working in various local clubs as a sound technician.
The three âbrainstormed every day for four months,â Claudia said, compiling stories and experiences for the book, which covers topics from forming a band and developing a career plan to making videos and technical aspects of staging a show.
The result, they said, is not a collection of any well-kept secrets of the music business but simply suggestions on how to avoid many of the pitfalls that most musicians encounter.
âItâs easy to develop problems at the bottom so that you never get ahead,â Thomas Stein said. âYou can get a gig, and everything seems to be going great, then after two weeks you get fired and you wonder what went wrong. There are so many reasons we had to write this book.â
Said Claudia: âWhat usually happens is that itâs not that you did something wrong but that you didnât do something right.â
The advice is frequently frank, especially in the section that Claudia Stein contributed on being a woman in the male-dominated music world: âLetâs face it: Music is a sexist business. . . . From a strictly physical point of view, more of your commercial viability is dependent on age and beauty than a manâs. It is a universal fact which women are fighting in the offices but cannot logically combat on stage.â
In their scenario about a musician or band that gets fired despite eliciting a strong reaction from the audience, Thomas Stein said: âThatâs the tip of the iceberg. The least important thing is how good you are with the audience--that is taken for granted. You have to learn what the club owner is looking for, and every owner is different. Itâs part of your job as a musician to learn how to make him happy.â
If that tip makes it sound like musicians frequently have to play politics, the Steins agree. Indeed, the subject of such politics is addressed in the first section, which takes up almost half the book. âThe music business is politics and personnel,â Thomas Stein said.
Many musicians reject the idea of trying to learn a club ownerâs likes and dislikes as a form of compromise. But Thomas Stein offered another perspective. âIf you care enough to play the game, it shows that you care,â he said. âThe worst thing you can do is walk into any club with a negative attitude.â
There is a brief section with tips on songwriting, but Stein said, âWe have some knowledge of songwriting, but since we donât have any hits, to dwell on that would be hubristic.â There are only three sentences written on the subject of the musiciansâ union, but Claudia Stein said their brevity on such a big subject is justified. âEvery local in every city is different,â she said. âTo find out what a particular local can do for you, the best thing to do is call and talk to them.â
The key ingredient to a successful career as a working musician, Thomas Stein said, is like that in nearly every other business: âAttitude.â
âFor Musicians Onlyâ is currently available only by mail order ($12.95 from MTC Productions, 296-B N. Kathleen St., Orange, Calif. 92669), but the authors have received some interest from a music industry publisher that they hope will develop into a publishing deal.
The Steins said they expect many people who read the book to ignore their advice.
âThereâs a Billy Joel song that says âThe things I didnât know at first I learned by doing twice,â â Thomas Stein said with a chuckle.
Added Claudia: âI donât expect every group to really read this and take it to heart. Itâs sort of like a teacher in a classroom--if you can hit one out of 30, then maybe that person will figure things out a little faster than we did.â
LIVE ACTION: Tickets for three Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre shows go on sale Sunday: Mike & the Mechanics (July 2), the Temptations and Four Tops (Aug. 29) and Anne Murray (Sept. 19). . . . Tickets will also be available Sunday for Starshipâs Aug. 28 concert at the Pacific Amphitheatre. . . . Childrenâs Day will be at Safari Samâs in Huntington Beach on May 24.
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