Matthew Feder
“Your instinct is what defines you as an artist, and the sooner you can hone that, trust it, and move forward with it without complicating your music too much—that’s how you’ll find your way.”
Brian Kennedy
“Sometimes we second-guess ourselves. It’s harder when you have to navigate the views of people who have no clue but have all the say in your career. This can be someone at a label or someone’s family member. People listen to the opinions of people they [know and] trust and sometimes those are more valued than those of people who are accomplished. That’s a big challenge but ultimately it helps you to build character.”
Keith Mitchell
“Learn everything you can about the music industry—because it is a business. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Diversify your interests to build long-term stability and income.”
Donita Sparks, L7
“My advice to young bands, as far as political stuff, is absolutely do it if you feel it. But if it’s not your forte, don’t. And don’t feel forced to, either. Not every writer is good at every kind of sentiment. Don’t pay attention to trends, because trends come and go. Right now, we’re in a feisty punk rock kind of front person mode, but in two years it’s going to be something else, and it just keeps changing. So do what you want to do, be brave.”
Baz Halpin
“Originality. This can be the hardest thing, especially when we’re living in an age of algorithms. As an artist, look for somebody who has an original look, can understand you, and create something that is uniquely you. You want to stand out and be unique. I often hear artists saying they want to do something that’s never been done before. For the most part, everything has been done before, it’s just done in different ways. So it’s carving something out for you that feels original, but also feels authentic. Fans have a very clear understanding of their artists, and there’s sort of a contract when they come to see a show.”
Melba Moore
“Feel a personal connection with the song. It has to resonate on a spiritual and emotional level with you before it can move others. Not just the lyrics, either… think about the emotion of the music and the importance of a great resonant mood-setting melody—and not just the message of the words you are writing.”
Blue Monkey
“Embrace the times when nothing is obvious, and to allow for things to be confusing. Being in flow means that not everything makes sense all the time. Because we grew up with tangible goals like finals and graduation, we’re always looking for some kind of indicator that we’re on the right path. But there is no right path, there is only movement and stillness.”
Brad Delson, Linkin Park
“You really gotta love [what you’re working on] in the studio to have the conviction that this is something important to share. If we’re not listening to it instead of everything else in the world… we wouldn’t expect anyone else to care.”
George Whitty
“Learn to get things framed but not necessarily finished, so the ideas can keep flowing without you stopping to ‘perfect’ things; the minute The Perfectionist shows up, half your mind is diverted off of the original inspiration.”
Toby Gad
“The less you learn, the more you find your unique way of interpreting. The only way to survive is to have your own distinct identity in which you do things. Schools probably teach you the opposite… Do things your way. Try to be truly original and listen to your own instincts.”
Rachel Stilwell
“Make sure you register your copyrights with the United States Copyright Office, which can usually be done D.I.Y. If you don’t have an ownership dispute, there’s no excuse for not registering your work. If you have work that is copyrightable and it is infringed before you have a registration with the Copyright Office, you have much less recourse against the infringer.”
Kiesza
“It is about creating one-of-a-kind pieces, focusing less on perfection and more on authenticity. For me, it is a way of connecting more deeply with the process than with the result.”
Heidi Vincent
“Creative control is important—you end up being more authentic. You maintain ownership of masters, royalties (long term earnings), and have a stronger negotiating power later—you understand what’s going on and how it works.”
Yungblud
"The boundaries placed on art often make it mediocre, because it’s not supposed to be that way. It’s not supposed to be so paint-by-numbers… In the past, the only parts of my career that I regret, or that maybe weren’t real, were when I listened to other people too heavily.”
Marcus King
“Be as truthful as you can. And when you feel like you don’t fit in, that means you’re creating your own path. That’s going to be the hardest path to take. And as long as you’re looking behind you and see the road that you’ve created, you’re going in the right direction."
Greg Spero
“A balanced lifestyle is essential to surviving the life of a musician or industry creative. It’s not healthy to just engage in the roller coaster of recording and touring without giving any attention to overall emotional and physical wellness.”
