From: Phoebe Katis

Re: The Modern Music Business

Hi Bob

I really enjoyed this read. I am a new fan of your newsletter, and I love the direct & refreshingly ‘here’s what’s what kid’ nature of your words, especially with this article.

I manage two TikTok viral stars who have combined forces into a power group and are about to embark on their second US tour, playing 350-700 cap venues. They sold out 7/9 of their first tour shows, over 3000 tickets. They are the perfect example of what you advise below: artists who found a niche in the intensely saturated world of music making, found and & marketed themselves to their audience, and are now stepping out and jumping head first into the touring game. Transferring online viewers to bums on seats is no easy task, but they are out here doing it better than most. They created something unique and refreshing (as you said, their fans believe they are seeing something they cannot get anywhere else) while being two of the most down-to-earth, funny, engaging, and genuinely excited people I know. They are electric violinist Mia Asano and Ally The Piper (multi-instrumentalist and bagpipes). Their music combines rock, metal, pop, celtic, and so much more; their intense respect and love for their instruments and the history of their musical influences charm the pants off of millions worldwide.

Working with musicians who get it, as an artist and a manager, is so refreshing. No label is coming to sweep us off our feet. That just doesn’t happen anymore. We build our careers first, then labels step in when the time is right to open doors and provide finances we may not have been able to access. And if they don’t come knocking? We can do it ourselves! The internet is an incredibly powerful and scary place for creatives. Every day, a new swathe of artists & viral videos & trends come to light; & we either have to say ‘not for me’ or jump on the bandwagon. Admittedly, this is exhausting. But it is the world we live in as creatives, and we must keep up. This can be overwhelming. This can be demoralizing. But at the end of the day, if you truly believe in yourself as an artist and creative, if you truly believe you have something worth sharing, you’ll find your path amongst the madness. Understanding the new world order as a musician and artist is something I certainly wasn’t taught in school (I’m 31, and my BA in Music had zero business elements, ha!), but it is definitely something I’m constantly learning about now. I’m intensely proud of my girls Mia and Ally, not only for their own journey but also for what they are teaching me with my own artistry.

I think you’d like them… here’s them in action on their last tour; the music is their cover of The Devil Went Down to Georgia.

Thank you for reading!

Phoebe

www.phoebekatismusic.com