How to build Professional Artistic Relationships

In my last post I mentioned how Michael Jackson and Spike Lee used their relationship to improve the quality of life in a small shanty town in Brazil. Today I want to write about how indie artists can cultivate healthy relationships with each other.

We all know the basics:

Show up to your gigs early

Show love when another indie artist is onstage at an event you're attending (whether you are performing or not)

Be respectful to all the people that make the show happen, etc.

But how do you start these relationships?

Most of us have difficulty generating connections out of thin air. I think it’s a side effect of getting older. I don’t know about you, but making friends as a kid was super simple. As an adult, everyone you come across could be in a different season of life and it can be difficult to find common ground.

The good news is as an indie artist you can hone in on one thing that will make this process easier. Your music.

Keeping the music in the center will help your conversations have purpose and as the self proclaimed queen of the kingdom of awkward people, I can tell you that having a focus will keep you from making a fool of yourself.

Step 1: Get outside

Consistency is key when it comes to finding people you want to build a professional relationship with. Find a bar, rooftop lounge, or a brewery that hosts live musicians on a regular basis. More specifically one that hosts artists that perform the same genre of music that you do. Eventbrite and Google will be your best friends during this step. Once you have found a few spots to check out, start going. Set a day aside within your week to show up regularly. This allows people to get used to your face, at the very least the workers will get used to you which will help you if you end up booking a gig there.

Step 2: Watch their character

This is the most important step, observation is your best friend in this industry. See how they react to the patrons, fellow artists they already know, and the waitstaff if applicable. How they are already acting is exactly how they will treat you.

Red flags:

Yelling at anyone within earshot of the public. (This means they think that their talent overshadows their image, which is not true for anyone no matter how popular you are.)

Belittling the tech team or the band from the stage (it takes a team to make a performance happen and no member of that team should be ridiculed. (This tells you that if you were to work with them they would possibly make fun of you if you made a mistake.)

Green Flags:

They help with setup and or strike, any artist who is willing to come to a venue early or stay late and help set up or break down equipment is showing you they are helpful and considerate, two big qualities you will need at the foundation of your professional relationship.

You see them mingling, (This should happen either before or after they do their set, savvy artists will do both)

Step 3: Introduce yourself

After spending some time watching their character, I recommend three weeks minimum, it’s time to take the plunge. Say Hi! And once you do that focus on the music, complement their set and ask open ended questions about the performance, their inspiration, their artistic background etc. Listen to what they say and respond accordingly, if you have the opportunity tell them a little about your music. Remember, this moment is about them not you, so don’t lay it on too thick. Keep it brief, and at the end exchange socials.

Step 4: Follow Up

Most people get tripped up here because they aren’t sure what to say. Let me help you with that:

Hi! I am (your name here) from the event at (the venue) on (the date). It was so nice to meet you. I wanted to let you know that if you ever wanted to collaborate on a project or if you need a replacement for a last minute dropout for an event I am available to play (your instrument of choice)/sing. Here is one of my songs as a reference. Thanks again for talking with me!

After this cross, your fingers because the ball is in their court. If they don’t respond, it’s ok. Don’t take it personally and don’t avoid them the next time you see them. You can’t be everyone’s cup of tea. However if they do respond, move forward with the next step.

Bonus: Propose a project and make it happen.

If you judged correctly in the beginning you can now brainstorm ways to make the project you want to do a reality. Expect life to get in the way; flat tires, wonky equipment, overpriced venues, etc. but attack the problem together. At this stage they might start introducing you to some contacts they have in the industry to make things happen and you can follow the advice of Brian McKnight and start “Back at One”.

Building professional artist relationships is extremely important. In our post Covid world we can find connections outside of social media. You can’t build a career on talent and discipline alone; you need solid relationships with people already in the game. And if you are intentional, you might be able to turn these professional relationships into lifelong friendships.

Do you struggle to connect with other artists? Let me know what’s holding you up by leaving a reply!