First things first - download your free transcription. (Raw video of the 4 grooves below the article.)
Had an interesting discussion during one of my coaching groups the other day. One that touched on what ended up being the twin themes of this week’s video:
1) What are the limits of “click bait” - is there a slippery slope where the tiniest effort to describe what you do in a more-exciting-than-strictly-anodine way is already a transgression and you might as well just promise to double (triple) people’s hand speed in 2025?
2) How is the sausage made. How does one command the attention necessary to get traction for a band or “personal brand” in 2025.
The later is the subject matter of the video that, at the time of that discussion, was already on the “editor’s desk”, and the former is what it promises.
Every so-often, I like to give people a peek behind the curtains, to see what’s currently working to make a career as a “pro drummer”. For purposes of today’s video, I’m defining “pro drummer” as “making a good living playing the drums full-time”, though, as you’ll see, I include teaching - at least the way I do it - in that category.
It is perfectly acceptable to play the drums as a hobby, with a band, with a series of bands, or otherwise. There are some amazing drummers who have that relationship with the drums, and it’s one I had for all but the past 2 years. If you’re in that position you can continue to enjoy the drums and get better year-after-year, or eventually “go pro” after building up enough momentum.
But this video tries to dissect in an unflinching way what I see as the headwinds and tailwinds of the current “climate” if and when one makes that jump.
Because it’s not 1990. I don’t think you can succeed in building a broad audience without social media. (Sorry - I might be wrong. And “broad audience” isn’t what everybody wants, or should want…)
But it’s not even 2014, because a ton of drummers have already gotten online.
It’s not even 2020, because now there’s a generation of “social media natives” who also have “first-call” level skills.
So is it time to throw in the towel? Not quite. As I’ll discuss, the very fact that it’s “hard”, means the competition for “didn’t wash out at long form after 2 years” is smaller than you might think.
Anyway, I’ll dish about it as frankly as I know how. And to the clickbait angle, my recent philosophy has been “start with the title”, then make sure the video delivers. The “bait” in clickbait implies a bait-and-switch; not an outrageous promise you fulfill. (I’ll leave you to judge whether I succeeded.)
Also forgive the “road digs”. I had a video for this week filmed in the New York studio, then deleted the audio from my DAW, like a champ (more behind the scenes), trying to save memory, so this week’s is a “run and gun” from Beautiful Malaga, where I don’t even have the lights in storage back in Barcelona. Pero bueno. (“But whatever.”)
Know you’ll enjoy this one.
Here’s the “raw” video of the 4 grooves I used to accompany this video.