Nov. 4, 2025

How Do You Go from small Gigs to Arenas?

Show Notes
Transcript

In this episode of the Music Business Newsletter with Matthew Rix, I read an email from an independent artist whose band is ready to make the leap from the local scene to the big stage.
They’ve been grinding for years pulling solid crowds in clubs, releasing music, and building a loyal following. They have around 18,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, 9,000 on Apple Music, and regularly play to 150-person crowds across Texas.
Now they want to know:
How do we get booked for bigger shows arenas, festivals, or national tours?
What does it take to go from opening for local acts to opening for major ones?
Do we need a manager or agent to make that happen?
In this episode, I break down:
-What booking agents and promoters actually look for
-Why numbers don’t always equal ticket sales
-The difference between “readiness” and “wanting it bad enough”
-The real steps to growing from bars to big stages
If you’ve ever felt like your music deserves a bigger audience, this episode is for you.
Do you have a question about the music industry?
Go to https://MatthewRix.com.
Include as many details as you can because your story will help thousands of other artists walking the same road.
#MusicIndustry #IndependentArtist #LiveMusic #Touring #MusicCareer #ArtistAdvice #BookingShows #MusicBusiness #MattrixMinute #MatthewRix #MusicMarketing #PlayingLive #HowToGetGigs

Listen to Mattrix Minute for daily Music Business insight with the hype.
Spotify
Apple Music
Amazon Music
YouTube

WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:02.600
And today on the Music Business newsletter, we got an

2
00:00:02.600 --> 00:00:04.759
email from an artist who wants to know how they

3
00:00:05.120 --> 00:00:08.400
scale up the venues that they play. They're a band

4
00:00:08.400 --> 00:00:10.960
out of Texas. But before we jump into this email,

5
00:00:11.240 --> 00:00:13.359
I'm gonna go ahead and ask you to like, leave

6
00:00:13.400 --> 00:00:16.079
a comment. If you agree, disagregeous, leave a comment, Make

7
00:00:16.120 --> 00:00:18.559
sure you subscribe, Share this video with your friends in

8
00:00:18.600 --> 00:00:21.239
the music industry. And if you have a question or

9
00:00:21.280 --> 00:00:23.199
a comment on the music industry that you want me

10
00:00:23.239 --> 00:00:25.600
to answer, all you gotta do is go to Matthewricks

11
00:00:25.640 --> 00:00:28.839
dot com click submit your question, give me as many

12
00:00:28.879 --> 00:00:33.600
details as possible, and I will answer it here. Now

13
00:00:33.640 --> 00:00:36.320
for the email, he says, Hey, Matthew, I really respect

14
00:00:36.320 --> 00:00:38.759
the advice you give artists. It's straight to the point

15
00:00:38.840 --> 00:00:42.960
and based on real experience. Well, thank you for the compliment.

16
00:00:43.000 --> 00:00:46.000
That is very kind. Let's continue with the email. He says,

17
00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:48.640
I'm reaching out because my band and I are at

18
00:00:48.679 --> 00:00:51.520
a place where we feel ready for the next step,

19
00:00:51.799 --> 00:00:54.679
but we're not sure how to get there. Sorry, as

20
00:00:54.679 --> 00:00:57.280
a good problem to have, Sarry's a great problem to

21
00:00:57.280 --> 00:00:59.079
have when you're like, Okay, I kind of feel like

22
00:00:59.119 --> 00:01:01.840
we're kind of outgrowing the pond that we're in and

23
00:01:01.880 --> 00:01:04.439
how do we scale to the to the next part,

24
00:01:04.519 --> 00:01:08.079
Email continues, We've been playing around Texas for the past

25
00:01:08.120 --> 00:01:12.239
few years, local clubs, festivals, and mid size venues that

26
00:01:12.280 --> 00:01:16.040
hold two to three hundred people. We usually pull one

27
00:01:16.159 --> 00:01:18.680
hundred to one hundred and fifty people when we headline.

28
00:01:19.599 --> 00:01:23.319
Not bad, I mean, that's not That's not a bad

29
00:01:23.439 --> 00:01:27.760
start to be headlining shows like that. You're playing, you're

30
00:01:27.799 --> 00:01:30.480
playing smaller size venues, but you guys are making some

31
00:01:30.560 --> 00:01:32.519
you guys making a couple of bucks doing this. You're

32
00:01:32.519 --> 00:01:35.959
having a pretty pretty good sized fan base in Texas there,

33
00:01:36.480 --> 00:01:39.480
so let's continue, He says. The energy at our shows

34
00:01:39.599 --> 00:01:42.920
is incredible, but we want to level up. Here's where

35
00:01:42.920 --> 00:01:47.200
we're at. Numbers wise, he says, roughly around eighteen thousand

36
00:01:47.680 --> 00:01:51.719
monthly listeners on Spotify and around nine thousand monthly listeners

37
00:01:51.760 --> 00:01:55.840
on Apple Music, around sixty five hundred followers on Instagram,

38
00:01:55.879 --> 00:01:58.640
and a growing TikTok presence. I don't know what the

39
00:01:58.680 --> 00:02:03.799
growing TikTok presence know, but eighteen thousand monthly listeners on Spotify,

40
00:02:03.959 --> 00:02:06.760
nine thousand monthly listeners on Apple Music, that number is

41
00:02:07.040 --> 00:02:11.039
really high for Apple Music and if that's an accurate number,

42
00:02:11.759 --> 00:02:15.280
good for you guys. I am confused, though. You got

43
00:02:15.319 --> 00:02:19.879
eighteen thousand monthly listeners on Spotify and nine thousand monthly

44
00:02:19.919 --> 00:02:23.039
listeners on Apple Music, so you're talking twenty seven thousand

45
00:02:23.520 --> 00:02:27.560
monthly listeners between those two and you're only pulling one

46
00:02:27.639 --> 00:02:30.039
hundred and fifty people. Now, I do wonder if every

47
00:02:30.039 --> 00:02:33.000
weekend you guys are headlining a show, so that's why

48
00:02:33.039 --> 00:02:36.199
you're not pulling more. But if you really do have

49
00:02:36.240 --> 00:02:40.080
twenty seven thousand monthly listeners, I would assume most of

50
00:02:40.159 --> 00:02:45.639
them would be in Texas. I'm not sure why you

51
00:02:45.639 --> 00:02:48.319
guys are only pulling one hundred and fifty people for

52
00:02:48.400 --> 00:02:53.719
a headlining show. Also, sixty five hundred followers on Instagram. Yeah,

53
00:02:53.759 --> 00:02:56.759
that's good and a growing TikTok presence. I don't like,

54
00:02:56.800 --> 00:02:58.800
I said, I don't know what that means. I don't

55
00:02:58.800 --> 00:03:01.919
know if you got twelve thousand hours or twelve. But

56
00:03:02.520 --> 00:03:04.479
if these numbers are accurate, you guys are off to

57
00:03:04.680 --> 00:03:07.080
You guys are really good. You guys are in a

58
00:03:07.080 --> 00:03:10.479
really good place. He says. We've released twelve singles and

59
00:03:10.560 --> 00:03:15.960
two EPs so far in twenty twenty five, all independently. Geez,

60
00:03:18.680 --> 00:03:22.680
So a typical EP is four songs. So I'm just

61
00:03:22.680 --> 00:03:28.240
going to assume those two EPs are songs that you

62
00:03:28.240 --> 00:03:33.840
guys previously released in the twelve single category. I would

63
00:03:33.840 --> 00:03:36.319
hope so, because if not, that's twenty songs you guys

64
00:03:36.360 --> 00:03:40.199
have released in eleven months. You guys are busy, mane.

65
00:03:40.240 --> 00:03:44.919
I will say that all independently, we've opened for a

66
00:03:44.919 --> 00:03:48.680
few national acts on small stages and the response was great.

67
00:03:49.960 --> 00:03:53.800
You've opened for a few national acts on small stages.

68
00:03:53.919 --> 00:03:56.879
So is these national acts that are small and you

69
00:03:56.919 --> 00:03:59.919
were just nothing wrong with this. I'm just I'm trying.

70
00:04:01.599 --> 00:04:04.520
So I would gather that you guys, you got some

71
00:04:04.719 --> 00:04:07.719
national band who probably plays in front of two three

72
00:04:07.800 --> 00:04:10.800
hundred people. You guys open for them. That's cool. That's

73
00:04:10.840 --> 00:04:12.240
a great way to make new fans if you can

74
00:04:12.280 --> 00:04:16.199
get those shows. Awesome, he says. The response is great.

75
00:04:16.519 --> 00:04:19.639
People were singing along, buying merch and following us after

76
00:04:19.680 --> 00:04:26.600
the show, following you home on Instagram. I don't, I mean,

77
00:04:28.360 --> 00:04:31.800
you know we're gonna go to the circle, k now,

78
00:04:32.199 --> 00:04:34.959
I don't, but hey, you know they're following you. That's awesome.

79
00:04:36.000 --> 00:04:38.360
He says. We know how to work a crowd, and

80
00:04:38.439 --> 00:04:41.120
we know we've got something special. This whole email is

81
00:04:41.199 --> 00:04:45.199
just one long paragraph, Like there's no there's no spaces

82
00:04:45.240 --> 00:04:49.360
in anything, there's no breaks. It's just one long email.

83
00:04:50.120 --> 00:04:56.279
So I'm trying to like break at different places. Prefer

84
00:04:56.319 --> 00:04:58.079
a to hear emails yell before you send them, because

85
00:04:58.079 --> 00:05:01.079
we do it and it's pretty bad. But anyways, he says,

86
00:05:01.120 --> 00:05:03.439
we know how to work the crowd, and we know

87
00:05:03.480 --> 00:05:05.920
we got something special. That's always good. When an artist

88
00:05:06.000 --> 00:05:07.759
knows they have something special. You don't really want an

89
00:05:08.199 --> 00:05:11.000
artist who who's like, yeah, I mean, I guess we're

90
00:05:11.120 --> 00:05:15.800
kind of somewhat good and decent. The email continues, but

91
00:05:15.920 --> 00:05:20.000
here's the problem. We can't seem to break into bigger venues.

92
00:05:21.800 --> 00:05:25.160
I mean, if you're if you're playing, if you're selling

93
00:05:25.160 --> 00:05:29.480
out one hundred and fifty person clubs, the next realistic

94
00:05:29.639 --> 00:05:37.800
place would be two hundred and fifty person venue. So

95
00:05:37.879 --> 00:05:42.160
you should be able to you should be able to

96
00:05:42.199 --> 00:05:46.079
get the book those without a problem if you're selling

97
00:05:46.079 --> 00:05:49.680
out one hundred and fifty Oh but wait, he says

98
00:05:49.680 --> 00:05:52.079
in the email. Every time we reach out to booking

99
00:05:52.120 --> 00:05:58.519
agents or promoters for our local arenas and amphitheaters, it

100
00:05:58.600 --> 00:06:10.879
feels like we don't even get considered for those. In audio,

101
00:06:10.920 --> 00:06:15.439
I'm just blinking. Every time you reach out to booking

102
00:06:15.480 --> 00:06:22.199
agents or promoters for arenas or amphitheaters, it feels like

103
00:06:22.319 --> 00:06:32.319
we don't even get considered. Well, if you're reaching out

104
00:06:32.399 --> 00:06:37.120
to arenas and amphitheaters trying to get the opening spot

105
00:06:37.199 --> 00:06:41.759
on a tour in that area, the bigger the shows

106
00:06:41.879 --> 00:06:46.160
like that, they don't bring. They don't bring local openers on.

107
00:06:47.519 --> 00:06:52.360
That's a traveling tour package. Unless you know your local

108
00:06:52.439 --> 00:06:57.560
radio station and whatever part of Texas you're in has

109
00:06:57.600 --> 00:07:02.120
like a radio stage by the wine tent or something,

110
00:07:02.160 --> 00:07:05.000
then you can probably get something like that. But if

111
00:07:05.000 --> 00:07:10.439
you're reaching out to arenas to try to get the

112
00:07:10.519 --> 00:07:17.399
opening spot in Houston for Metallica, yeah, you're not going

113
00:07:17.480 --> 00:07:19.279
to be considered for that because also you have to

114
00:07:19.279 --> 00:07:23.800
remember something ninety nine percent of every opener on a

115
00:07:23.839 --> 00:07:26.439
big tour that's playing arenas or amphitheaters they paid to

116
00:07:26.480 --> 00:07:31.120
get on that tour. They or the label paid somebody

117
00:07:31.120 --> 00:07:33.720
paid really good money for that opening spot, and they

118
00:07:33.720 --> 00:07:35.800
just don't give it because you called them on a Tuesday.

119
00:07:36.360 --> 00:07:39.160
But let's continue. He says, we're not trying to headline

120
00:07:39.240 --> 00:07:42.720
Minute Made Park in Houston or anything. We just want

121
00:07:42.720 --> 00:07:45.199
to shot at opening for a bigger tour and getting

122
00:07:45.240 --> 00:07:50.199
on those large festival stages. My guy, you're playing in

123
00:07:50.240 --> 00:07:54.560
front of one hundred and fifty people. You know. When

124
00:07:54.560 --> 00:07:56.720
I first originally read this email and you're like, we

125
00:07:56.720 --> 00:07:58.959
want to scale up, I thought you meant to two

126
00:07:59.000 --> 00:08:03.160
hundred and fifty people, not twenty thousand people. You do

127
00:08:03.399 --> 00:08:08.160
know the definition of like walk before you run, like

128
00:08:08.279 --> 00:08:13.519
before we're gonna go play large festival stages, and it

129
00:08:13.560 --> 00:08:15.600
seems like you probably want to want the one pm

130
00:08:15.639 --> 00:08:17.759
spot on that large festival stage, probably want like the

131
00:08:17.800 --> 00:08:23.079
eight pm like right before Green Day. You're gonna have

132
00:08:23.160 --> 00:08:27.000
to get a lot more people at your shows besides

133
00:08:27.040 --> 00:08:31.360
one hundred and fifty people. So the email continues, It says,

134
00:08:31.439 --> 00:08:35.399
it's frustrating because we've put years into this. We've built

135
00:08:35.440 --> 00:08:39.840
everything from the ground up. No label, no management, no

136
00:08:39.960 --> 00:08:45.399
big budget marketing, just sweat, late nights, a whole lot

137
00:08:45.399 --> 00:08:47.559
of booze, and a love for what we do. See,

138
00:08:47.559 --> 00:08:50.440
that's your problem right there. I'm sober. I don't drink.

139
00:08:51.159 --> 00:08:54.960
That's your problem, y'all drinking way too much booze and

140
00:08:55.039 --> 00:09:00.200
thinking that y'all deserve to be on an arena stage,

141
00:09:00.799 --> 00:09:06.080
but down the whiskey and realistically. I speak realistically on

142
00:09:06.240 --> 00:09:08.799
this channel too, artists, and I ask you, and I

143
00:09:08.840 --> 00:09:12.600
do it in the metrics minute, be realistic where you're at.

144
00:09:13.399 --> 00:09:16.080
If you're selling out one hundred and fifty people, you

145
00:09:16.120 --> 00:09:21.519
do not deserve an arena, an amphitheater, a big festival stage.

146
00:09:21.919 --> 00:09:25.720
You do not. And that's awesome that you guys have

147
00:09:25.840 --> 00:09:29.559
had this success. You guys have really good numbers for

148
00:09:29.679 --> 00:09:31.879
a band who needs to scale up to two hundred

149
00:09:31.879 --> 00:09:37.440
and fifty people at your venue, not Minute Made Park

150
00:09:37.480 --> 00:09:41.000
in Houston where the Astros play, the baseball team, the

151
00:09:41.080 --> 00:09:47.399
Major League Baseball team, a lot of sweat, late nights,

152
00:09:47.559 --> 00:09:50.679
booze and love for what you do minus the booze.

153
00:09:51.000 --> 00:09:53.919
That's all great. You know you guys aren't relying on

154
00:09:53.960 --> 00:09:58.759
a management, big budget marketing. I do wonder, though, how

155
00:09:58.799 --> 00:10:08.000
you're getting eighteenth monthly listeners on Spotify with sixty five

156
00:10:08.120 --> 00:10:12.919
hundred Instagram followers and you're selling out one hundred and

157
00:10:12.960 --> 00:10:15.559
fifty people on a show. I don't know how often

158
00:10:15.679 --> 00:10:20.120
you guys are headlining shows, but he doesn't put that

159
00:10:20.159 --> 00:10:22.240
information in there, so we can just kind of speculate

160
00:10:22.279 --> 00:10:24.440
in our heads. He says, I feel like we deserve

161
00:10:24.480 --> 00:10:27.840
the opportunity to be seen on a bigger stage. You deserve,

162
00:10:29.919 --> 00:10:32.960
so does the band who's playing and selling out their

163
00:10:32.960 --> 00:10:35.639
headlining shows with one hundred and fifty five people and

164
00:10:35.639 --> 00:10:38.840
one hundred and seventy five people and two hundred and

165
00:10:38.840 --> 00:10:42.200
twenty five people. Like, there's probably ten thousand artists in

166
00:10:42.200 --> 00:10:44.679
Texas right now who have better numbers than you, who

167
00:10:44.720 --> 00:10:49.960
also deserve to be on a bigger stage. So he goes.

168
00:10:49.960 --> 00:10:53.080
So my question is, how does an independent band actually

169
00:10:53.159 --> 00:10:59.200
get from the club circuit to the arena level. I

170
00:10:59.240 --> 00:11:03.440
don't think an independent band gets from the club, sir.

171
00:11:03.600 --> 00:11:06.240
I mean, the next step from playing one hundred and

172
00:11:06.279 --> 00:11:11.039
fifty people is not an arena level show. It's just

173
00:11:11.120 --> 00:11:17.000
not like unless your last show was five years ago

174
00:11:17.399 --> 00:11:20.600
and you've had eight number ones and you've had everything

175
00:11:20.639 --> 00:11:22.440
go viral and now you guys are gonna go do

176
00:11:22.519 --> 00:11:26.000
your next tour, But you do not go from one

177
00:11:26.080 --> 00:11:31.879
hundred and fifty people venue somewhere in Texas to an

178
00:11:31.919 --> 00:11:36.600
arena level because you're your leap frog in big clubs,

179
00:11:36.639 --> 00:11:44.000
your medium sized clubs, theaters, I mean large parking lots

180
00:11:47.159 --> 00:11:51.399
in Texas, fish fries, and we're jumping, we're leap frogging

181
00:11:51.519 --> 00:11:57.200
all of that. To just go to an arena, you

182
00:11:57.279 --> 00:12:00.879
must be the lead singer of this band, no disrespect,

183
00:12:01.639 --> 00:12:05.120
you don't. There's no possible way. It would be an

184
00:12:05.159 --> 00:12:09.559
act of God and God alone for an independent band

185
00:12:09.600 --> 00:12:13.120
to go from one hundred and fifty people club to

186
00:12:13.240 --> 00:12:16.000
the arena level. I mean, I guess you could book

187
00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:19.159
an arena and just play it. But for you to

188
00:12:19.240 --> 00:12:22.200
open up for an arena level style band, it's because

189
00:12:22.240 --> 00:12:26.039
you deserve it. No, it ain't gonna happen. People say never,

190
00:12:26.080 --> 00:12:30.879
say never. I'm saying never. I'm saying never. This is

191
00:12:30.960 --> 00:12:35.080
delusion right here, and I here's the thing. I'm gonna

192
00:12:35.080 --> 00:12:37.480
call you out in your crap right now because I

193
00:12:37.480 --> 00:12:40.440
don't believe you've done eighteen thousand monthly listeners on Spotify.

194
00:12:40.480 --> 00:12:42.519
I don't believe you've done nine thousand listeners on Apple

195
00:12:42.600 --> 00:12:44.879
Music a month. I just don't, now with the one

196
00:12:44.919 --> 00:12:49.279
hundred and fifty people, not with you being this absolutely

197
00:12:49.360 --> 00:12:51.720
in denial about where you're at, to think that you

198
00:12:51.759 --> 00:12:54.799
guys deserve to go from one hundred and fifty person bar.

199
00:12:54.960 --> 00:12:56.320
Let's its not even call it a club. You played

200
00:12:56.320 --> 00:12:58.159
a bar for one hundred and fifty people, nothing wrong

201
00:12:58.200 --> 00:13:00.679
with that, But you think that next step is an

202
00:13:00.720 --> 00:13:02.919
arena level show and you deserve it. I just don't

203
00:13:02.919 --> 00:13:04.600
think your numbers are real. I think you're lying to me.

204
00:13:05.200 --> 00:13:08.600
I think you're trying to play me. Anyways, the email continues,

205
00:13:08.639 --> 00:13:13.960
Do we need a booking agent? Yeah, I mean if

206
00:13:14.000 --> 00:13:16.080
you want a booking agent to help book you two

207
00:13:16.159 --> 00:13:19.080
hundred people clubs, yes, if you're looking for a booking

208
00:13:19.120 --> 00:13:22.960
agent to get you in an arena or a stadium, No,

209
00:13:23.080 --> 00:13:24.639
you're not gonna get a booking agent to do that.

210
00:13:24.960 --> 00:13:27.440
I mean you'll find some. You'll find some chump will go. Yeah,

211
00:13:27.600 --> 00:13:30.600
I'll call. I'll call the Cowboys stadium, see if they,

212
00:13:30.720 --> 00:13:33.360
you know, let us play. They're not gonna do it.

213
00:13:34.120 --> 00:13:35.960
But if you want a booking agent to, you know,

214
00:13:36.000 --> 00:13:38.879
help book your two hundred, two hundred and fifty person clubs,

215
00:13:38.919 --> 00:13:41.799
absolutely go for it. They also ask, besides the booking agent,

216
00:13:41.799 --> 00:13:46.080
should we get a manager with connections? What you want

217
00:13:46.080 --> 00:13:49.559
a manager? You're going to hire a manager? Give him

218
00:13:49.600 --> 00:13:57.559
money to try to get you to play an arena show, like, yeah,

219
00:13:57.879 --> 00:14:00.639
I mean, here's the I I think you're the type

220
00:14:00.639 --> 00:14:02.320
of band who would fire your manager in a month.

221
00:14:03.600 --> 00:14:06.120
If you had an honest to god legit manager who

222
00:14:06.120 --> 00:14:09.000
would tell you the truth and be honest with you

223
00:14:09.080 --> 00:14:10.799
and go, you're out of your minds. You're not playing

224
00:14:10.799 --> 00:14:12.799
an arena. Don't even start thinking about it right now,

225
00:14:12.960 --> 00:14:15.000
you'd fire him. You're the type of band who would

226
00:14:15.000 --> 00:14:17.120
fire that manager and probably be a really good manager too.

227
00:14:17.879 --> 00:14:19.600
So they asked if they need a booking agent, if

228
00:14:19.600 --> 00:14:22.799
they need a manager. A viral song. A viral song

229
00:14:23.000 --> 00:14:27.279
is the right step in the right direction. But a

230
00:14:27.360 --> 00:14:30.919
viral song is not going to get you in an

231
00:14:31.000 --> 00:14:35.159
arena as the next step. You know. I mentioned Forrest

232
00:14:35.159 --> 00:14:37.399
Frank a lot here, and he's an awesome guy and

233
00:14:37.440 --> 00:14:40.559
he makes great music. And when he came out and

234
00:14:40.600 --> 00:14:42.399
he popped and he blew up, and everybody was talking

235
00:14:42.440 --> 00:14:47.759
about Forrest Frank. He was playing pretty big sized clubs

236
00:14:48.720 --> 00:14:52.320
and theaters on his first tour. The next tour was

237
00:14:52.360 --> 00:14:58.440
an arena. He wasn't playing the equivalent of a chucky cheese.

238
00:14:58.639 --> 00:15:02.320
And then months later it goes to an arena. But

239
00:15:02.480 --> 00:15:06.720
also with that you know, leveling up that he did.

240
00:15:08.519 --> 00:15:12.080
He had millions upon millions upon millions of plays every month.

241
00:15:12.639 --> 00:15:18.240
He had so many videos going viral. He had way

242
00:15:18.279 --> 00:15:23.240
more than eighteen thousand monthly listeners or sixty five hundred

243
00:15:23.240 --> 00:15:29.440
followers on Instagram, and he did it so a viral song. Yes,

244
00:15:29.519 --> 00:15:32.679
it's a step in the right direction. But now you're

245
00:15:32.679 --> 00:15:34.559
gonna just be trying. I mean, you guy, You guys

246
00:15:34.600 --> 00:15:36.200
just write a lot of songs. If you guys have

247
00:15:36.320 --> 00:15:39.639
literally put out twelve singles and two EPs in eleven months,

248
00:15:41.000 --> 00:15:43.240
you're probably flooding. You're probably putting too much out in

249
00:15:43.240 --> 00:15:44.879
the market right now, and you're not gonna get that

250
00:15:44.960 --> 00:15:49.240
viral song. The email continues, We're not afraid of putting

251
00:15:49.279 --> 00:15:51.240
in the work. We just don't know what the real

252
00:15:51.279 --> 00:15:53.759
path is. There is no real path. I try to

253
00:15:53.799 --> 00:15:57.840
be as optimistic and encouraging to every artist that comes

254
00:15:57.840 --> 00:16:00.759
my way because it is It is a gift when

255
00:16:00.759 --> 00:16:04.320
you guys trust me to speak into your career. There

256
00:16:04.360 --> 00:16:07.440
is no real path to go from a venue or

257
00:16:07.480 --> 00:16:10.399
a bar of one hundred and fifty people to an

258
00:16:10.440 --> 00:16:16.159
arena level amphitheater size show. There's no there's no real path,

259
00:16:16.840 --> 00:16:18.799
not how quick do you want to get there? He says,

260
00:16:18.840 --> 00:16:21.559
any advice or insight you could give would mean a lot.

261
00:16:21.639 --> 00:16:27.720
Quit drinking, Quit drinking, be honest about where you and

262
00:16:27.759 --> 00:16:31.320
your band are at, be happy where you're at. If

263
00:16:31.320 --> 00:16:32.879
you would have came in this amount and said we

264
00:16:32.919 --> 00:16:34.360
want to move up to two hundred and fifty people,

265
00:16:34.360 --> 00:16:37.320
I'd be sitting here for the last twenty minutes just

266
00:16:37.480 --> 00:16:40.000
gassing you guys up about how great your numbers are.

267
00:16:40.759 --> 00:16:43.000
And I'd be gassing you up about how smart this is,

268
00:16:43.039 --> 00:16:44.960
and I wonder what you're doing, and I'm impressed with

269
00:16:45.000 --> 00:16:46.960
these numbers. But then you say we want to go

270
00:16:46.960 --> 00:16:50.720
from one hundred and fifty person venue to arena level

271
00:16:50.720 --> 00:16:54.960
show because we deserve it. So my advice would be

272
00:16:55.840 --> 00:16:59.720
quit drinking, be honest about where you're at in your career,

273
00:17:01.159 --> 00:17:03.720
and be grateful for where you're at, and level up

274
00:17:03.759 --> 00:17:07.119
by going to a venue or a bar that's fifty

275
00:17:07.119 --> 00:17:09.920
to one hundred people more. You probably won't sell it

276
00:17:09.960 --> 00:17:11.880
out the first time, but now it gives you something

277
00:17:11.880 --> 00:17:14.480
to work with. The email also continues, we believe in

278
00:17:14.519 --> 00:17:16.480
what we're doing and we just want a fair shot

279
00:17:16.519 --> 00:17:21.039
at proving it to a bigger audience. How many artists

280
00:17:21.119 --> 00:17:25.519
do you think are going to bed tonight believing in

281
00:17:25.599 --> 00:17:29.000
what they do? Millions around the world. Does every one

282
00:17:29.039 --> 00:17:31.880
of them get a shot, a fair shot, to play

283
00:17:31.920 --> 00:17:35.039
an arena show, to play an amphitheater? Does every one

284
00:17:35.039 --> 00:17:37.240
of them get that shot because they believe in themselves?

285
00:17:38.200 --> 00:17:40.480
You got people who believe in themselves who don't even

286
00:17:40.559 --> 00:17:42.440
have a song out yet do they get to play

287
00:17:42.440 --> 00:17:46.079
as well? Like you're not entitled to anything. This is

288
00:17:46.119 --> 00:17:50.640
why this entitlement attitude that you have in this email.

289
00:17:52.799 --> 00:17:58.079
I don't believe your numbers are real. I just don't.

290
00:17:58.559 --> 00:18:00.519
It's just the way it is. Do you not think

291
00:18:00.519 --> 00:18:03.400
that you're doing eighteenth tough? If I okay, if you

292
00:18:03.519 --> 00:18:06.279
really are selling out one hundred and fifty people a

293
00:18:06.440 --> 00:18:10.799
die in Texas every weekend once a month, whatever, you're

294
00:18:10.839 --> 00:18:17.759
probably doing at best fifteen hundred monthly listeners on Spotify.

295
00:18:18.559 --> 00:18:21.839
But thanks for the email, Good luck to the band. Hey,

296
00:18:21.880 --> 00:18:24.720
and you know what prove me wrong? You guys get

297
00:18:24.759 --> 00:18:27.799
that arena show. I will fly to wherever it is

298
00:18:29.200 --> 00:18:31.319
and come watch you guys play, and I will buy

299
00:18:31.359 --> 00:18:34.720
an overpriced shirt because when you play arenas, everything is overpriced.

300
00:18:36.240 --> 00:18:39.319
So prove me wrong. I hope you do, but you

301
00:18:39.319 --> 00:18:42.880
don't get a fair shot music industry. Life does not

302
00:18:43.000 --> 00:18:45.440
owe you anything because you believe in what you're doing

303
00:18:45.480 --> 00:18:47.720
and you deserve a fair shot. Nothing in life happens

304
00:18:47.720 --> 00:18:51.599
that way. But good email. Hopefully you guys were entertained.

305
00:18:52.039 --> 00:18:53.720
And if you have a question on the music industry

306
00:18:53.720 --> 00:18:56.279
that you would like for me to answer, just go

307
00:18:56.359 --> 00:19:00.359
to Matthewicks dot com click submit your question, give me

308
00:19:00.400 --> 00:19:05.039
as many details as possible. Maybe you can invite me

309
00:19:05.079 --> 00:19:07.720
to your arena show as well. But until next time,

310
00:19:08.079 --> 00:19:09.400
I will talk to you later.