I get asked all the time: “Matt, why do you share so much information with anyone who asks?” The answer is simple — I make more money this way. I’ve made it clear before that I’m genuinely convinced that a rising tide lifts all ships. When I share information with the world, I’m putting out positive energy by helping people and contributing towards something that I feel is greater than myself. I know this sounds kind of woo-woo, so in this article, I’m going to actually break down the thought process behind why I do it. I want you to understand my motivations, so I’ve built out my thinking into four key points: it builds the brand, helps to strengthen relationships, it doesn’t really matter who knows and ultimately, it’s the right thing to do. This is essentially the thing that has made an industry as horrifying as music so rewarding to me.
Building Brand
So this is key for me – I love being known as the guy who is both super helpful and able to give advice on band stuff. I love that it has led to my friends who run small businesses calling me up for tips. I feel empowered that I can positively impact the scene that I love at scale. The thing is – if I didn’t constantly share information and work to preach these principles, I would be a hypocrite and people wouldn’t want to talk to me. However, because I have a reputation as the super helpful guy who can guide you around the biz and give you some key tips, I’m able to generate goodwill around me. I am able to preach to people exactly how I want to be able to help them and take their work to the next level. In other words, sharing knowledge is my brand, and without it, I couldn’t pay rent. Note that this can impact bands, too. If you as a band share your knowledge, then you’re going to get a reputation as helpful dudes, which in turn will mean that more people will want to help you.
Strengthening Relationships
The other reason that I like to share a lot of info is that it builds relationships. There are bands who I’ve been friends with for years who I only get to connect with every twenty-four months or so yet regardless, we’re still able to maintain our relationship by sharing our information and contacts. It means that during the brief periods in which we’re together, there’s always something of value for us to discuss and reaffirm our bond. If you’re trying to be a real motherfucker in the world of the heavy underground, then nurturing those strong relationships is essential. The easiest way to do this, at least in my experience, is to share information and construct narratives around that. I love being able to help people because it means we get to connect on a deeper level. I see a lot of bands that have this exact same experience and so this is essential if you are out there trying to cause some differentiation.
It Doesn’t Matter Who Knows These Tips
I realized this relatively early on. It doesn’t matter that in many of my videos I explicitly laid out, for example, “how to run a perfect ad”. First off, a lot of people aren’t going to act on it, to begin with. Furthermore, the people who do often need my help anyway, but even if someone has it all figured out from the content I create, that’s great too because it just means I helped them. Why should I care that they have a new skill? That’s awesome! At the end of the day, there’s a pretty hard cap on how much money you can make in this business. It’s fucking underground metal. It’s not like you’re going to be making millions like Cardi B. So if your goal is to just make a bare living wage playing heavy music, then why are you getting all freaked out over the small chunks of info you have figured out? As one friend of mine once put it – it’s the smallest slice of the pie, of the smallest slice of pie. There’s no reason to fight over it. Don’t be a dick.
It’s The Right Thing To Do
Finally, we’ve got the one that sounds kind of corny, but whatever — when it comes down to it, sharing what I’ve learned over the years is the right thing to do. Could I make more money if I charged for everything all the time? Probably, but I wouldn’t be able to build as many great relationships and grow all these partnerships. When it comes down to it, even if we want to look at it selfishly, I’m trying to do this for the next fifty years, not just the next six months. I’ve been able to work myself into a place where things like rent are no longer pressing concerns; what’s important now is ensuring I can have long term growth for my career. The thing that is always going to ensure the most efficient long term growth of my career is doing the right thing. So yeah – if you get into something for the love of it, then it doesn’t make sense to squeeze people for every penny when you can have a much better time growing together meaningfully.
So I hope I didn’t get too preachy in this one, but I thought it was important that I share a little bit about where I’m coming from and why I operate this way. A lot of these tips are going to apply to bands too – it’s not just a consulting model where building brand, growing relationships, appreciating the reality of the situation and doing the right thing pays off. It just so happens to be the model that I use to make money. If you can’t get behind the basic concepts I outlined in this article, then I honestly don’t see how you hope to be able to succeed in this business. The interplay is that direct, and you simply can’t afford to ignore it.
MATT BACON
Edited by Zaki Gulamani
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Matt Bacon is a consultant, A&R man, and journalist specializing in the world of heavy metal. Having worked with everyone from Glam Rock icon Phil Collen of Def Leppard, to post Black Metal titans Alcest, by way of legendary thrashers Exhorder as well as labels including Prophecy Productions and Ripple Music, he has dedicated his life to helping young bands develop. Having started his own blog at the age of 14 he views his career in artist development as ‘a hobby that got out of hand’. In 2015 he formed Dropout Media in order to better support the artists he loves. We sit here now, years later with countless tours booked, records released and deals signed, and loving every minute of it.
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