As part of its community outreach initiative, Mid West Music Fest offered Winona area residents  the opportunity to attend a workshop centered around what it takes to be a musician today.

Held on Friday, November 7, at 7 p.m. at Some Sum Studios (168 E. 3rd St), the Mid West Music Fest sponsored workshop was titled The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Making it as a Musician in the 21st Century.   Led by Minneapolis based musicians Julie and Andrew Thoreen, Peter Miller and J.E. Sunde, a cozy crowd of 20 musicians, people who run local venues and interested community members engaged in a lively exchange.

The artists were  passionate about their views, and encouraged audience members to come to Ed’s (No Name) Bar later for a night of music and chance to continue the evening’s discussion.

Julie Thoreen, of Minneapolis-based Har-Di-Har, led the panel off with advice on growing your music’s audience.

“It’s important to be able to play well live, anyone can record,” Thoreen said. She also encouraged savvy use of social media and personal contacts to draw a crowd to your venue and help establish a fan base and some go to venues.
“Always plan enough time when you’re booking a gig, and use caution when swapping gigs with another band. You want to be reliable,” she cautioned.

Lastly, she advised musicians to watch their Email etiquette, recommeding to always address a specific person rather than a general audience. She said your message should be clear and genuine, make a solid case for your act and leave any press links attached  at the bottom.

Peter Miller, of  We Are The Willows, spoke next and talked about finding your true sound and working on communicating with your audience.

“It takes a long time to discover what your sound or message is, and you have to try a lot of crap to find out what works best for you. If you believe in what you are doing and are true to yourself, that’s what people will respond to,” Miller says.

Miller talked about his time sleeping on floors and playing for no one but the bartender as important steps in finding his voice as a musician. He encouraged the musicians present to do promotion work for their venues, have newsworthy information to give anyone who promotes you, and taking on an attention-drawing cover song from outside your normal genre can also  help get you some attention.

John (J.E. Sunde) spoke to the audience about merging the business end with the creative end of the music industry. If too much time and energy is spent on the business end, you’ll have less to give on the creative side. You shouldn’t spend all your time booking, agent working, marketing, and managing social media websites- although these are very important.
Sunde speaks from personal experience with his prior band The Daredevil Christopher Wright. He said that all the effort on the business side”chasing crumbs of interest” sapped some of the creative life of the band. He suggested to feed the art beast before the business beast when they are battling  with one another.
Andrew Thoreen, also of Har-Di-Har,  addressed getting paid for your work and the current state of terms of copyright law for musicians in the United States. He said the industry has shrunk by almost ⅔ in total revenue since its high point in 1999. He also recommended a book,
Freeloading: How Our Insatiable Hunger for Free Content Starves Creativity by Chris Ruen  to attendees.
Audience questions addressed issues such as setting prices for venues,  if it’s better to set a guaranteed rate of get a cover charge, how the bands get paid, and how to get a larger audience. Strategies and techniques were given for releasing albums, and how you can build your band’s buzz more effectively.
Each of the four speakers brought a different aspect of the music industry into view for this workshop’s attendees. From playing in  basements, to booking shows and touring, to releasing their own albums,  it is clear that independent musicians must learn to face  many challenges while navigating their way through the music industry today….kind of like Clint Eastwood blasting his way through a spaghetti western.

http://www.jesunde.com/

http://www.wearethewillows.com/

https://www.facebook.com/hardihar.music

(http://www.amazon.com/Freeloading-Insatiable-Content-Starves-Creativity/dp/1935928996)