braving change

Since March 2020, every single person I know has been challenged and tested - physically, mentally, emotionally, professionally, personally, geographically, academically, philosophically, you name it.

This is my message to say to you - whoever you are, reader - I am proud of you. I’m proud of us.

We’ve come a long way in terms of giving ourselves grace, allowing ourselves to do what we can, to be flawed, to not be able to - and in that willingness to be vulnerable, we’ve done amazing things.

I say this with confidence, because I’ve seen it throughout my network - whether people are working in music, in health care, in education, in technology, in animal care, in law, in advocacy, in activism, in front line services, and in the most remote of complexly intricate sciences that we didn’t even know existed. I’ve seen people give themselves time to take breaks, take space when they needed it, spend time and be present with family, and I’ve seen them take CHARGE. Taking breaks, taking space, and being present with family did not stop them from ACTION.

As vaccinations are making their way around the world to our loved ones, fans, and colleagues in music, we are once again putting our best efforts to problem solving, process creation, and endeavoring to present shows and festivals as safely as possible. Our work of surviving a pandemic is not yet come to an end, as we navigate variants and those resisting getting vaccinated. As we reopen doors to physical gathering spaces, we proceed with caution. The new work of thriving after a pandemic is still ahead of us - and that may take even more guts than the stuff we’ve shown thus far. This is a beginning, not an end or resolution. No conclusion is foregone or challenge off the table in this science non-fiction, suspense, drama, love story, documentary, action movie!

My wishes for my friends and colleagues are as follows -

Let’s walk forward with care - for fans, for artists, for crew, and for one another. While our eagerness to have concerts again may propel us forward, and apply familiar pressure that “the show must go on,” we must stay aware and vigilant.

As I see many presenters and talent representatives receive Shuttered Venues Operators Grant approvals from the US Small Business Administration, I am hopeful, grateful, and optimistic about our music community’s future. We have organizations including NEVA and NITO to thank for advocating to #SaveOurStages - We’ll be thanking the board, staff, members and partners of those organizations for a long long time. Passionate humans joined forces to make that happen, and the ripple effects will be felt for several years. At Mmgt, we are grateful. And we’re glad we stuck together and toughed it out. We’re here, still standing and ever stronger, ready to champion our artists on the road ahead.

Let’s be mindful, move with intention. Many have fought hard to make re-opening and concerts possible. Let’s do our part to keep everyone safe so we don’t have a false start. So we really can celebrate the live touring industry’s grand re-opening.

Let’s make change together - for those who have been unsupported, under-represented, disenfranchised, AND for ourselves. Making change is not charity or philanthropy. It is necessary, and will ultimately lead to more culture, more community, more commerce, more music. More more more more.

We’ve had many opportunities to learn over the last year from books, movies, panels, webinars, interviews, articles, phone calls, emails, Zooms, texts - in every media and every way. Examples have been laid out for us, all the evidence anyone could ever need. It’s a good time for us to reflect on what it is we’ve learned actually, and what it is we are going to DO.

On their new album, Della Mae will release a song that says “We can’t just go back to the way it was before. […] The system works just exactly how it was designed.”

In the music industry, we like to look at the system as if we’re outside it and say “they” made it that way. And yes indeed, they sure did. But now it’s ours, and it’s ours to steward. Ours to shape. Ours to change.

So, friends, let’s design a new system!

A system that rewards musicianship, creativity, smarts, and heartfelt expression, not cronyism.
A system that seeks diversity and expansion, not uniformity and restriction.
A system that welcomes those who want to be involved and do their part.
A system that is scalable, transparent, and admittedly human (but not individualistic or personality-driven).
A system that listens to fans’ tastes rather than seeking to control them.
A system that celebrates longevity alongside emergence.
A system in which all players have an opportunity to earn a fair wage commensurate of their skills.

What else should be on the wishlist? Join me! Make some wishes!!

Let’s make a list together, and then ask ourselves where our industry is measuring up, and where we can make change. The walls might not come down overnight, but we can chip away and chip away, as our predecessors did for decades before us, to get us all further down field. Let’s make a better music industry. Let’s not let up. Let’s get up. Let’s go!

Let’s keep kindness - for each other and ourselves. During the pandemic, giving each other permission to be flawed, take a day off, or get something done late because we had to take care of ourselves did not end our industry. If you actually look at everything we accomplished, while at the same time giving ourselves permission to be flawed, there is a real lesson there.

I remember a day last summer when someone sent me a frantic email, frustrated I didn’t reply quickly enough for something they considered urgent. It stood out to me. I hadn’t gotten an angry/frenzied email in a while, and as a manager, I was used to getting them all the time. But during the pandemic, it became culturally insensitive to be rude or entitled when sending requests. None of us knew what was happening in each others’ homes, or what others were up against. We carried ourselves and conversations differently. We were a kinder music industry. For over a year.

We asked people how they were doing. We made time in every meeting to hear about their pod, their dog, or how it was to work with their kids in the house. We were human together. We were patient with one another. We didn’t just let each other of the hook. We put the hooks away.

That didn’t lead to a lack of productivity. Not at all. My friends and colleagues, and everyone on our team, worked as hard as we ever have to help our artists, fulfill our promises, and keep offering programming for fans. We put out records, we put out videos, we issued press releases, we launched fundraisers, all night marathon jams, and presented virtual conferences - with our hands tied behind our backs. But we did it all with kindness.

Please… Can we keep it?