INDIE INSIDER
Music BC ’ s Phoenix Program Part 2 : Lessons Learned
By Michael Raine
Last issue , we spoke with Music BC Executive Director Alex Grigg , Nettwerk Music Group ’ s Terry McBride , and program founder Mariel Beros about Music BC ’ s Phoenix Training & Professional Development Program and , more broadly , why better business education for artist managers , agents , and indie label owners could have a profound impact on the Canadian music industry . But what lessons did the participants of the Phoenix program take away ? Here , we catch up with a few attendees to find out .
“ I ’ m sitting here right now with a binder that ’ s probably 60 to 100 pages of [ information ] and , I mean , this is all quotable stuff ,” enthuses Lyle Chausse , a B . C . -based radio promoter , merchandise supplier , and an artist manager for the bands Toque , The Wild !, and Whale and the Wolf . “ One of the things that Phoenix taught me is to better secure my business . One of the biggest concepts I came away with is ; what are you offering people ? As an artist , I think you have to ask that question , and then as a business , you have to answer that question .”
One of the key practices employed at Phoenix during the first of two three-day courses was to get all attendees to do a SWOT analysis of their business – that is , identify their strengths , weaknesses , opportunities , and threats . It ’ s as applicable to artists with career aspirations as it is to any business or industry professional . It helps clarify where you are and where you want to go , professionally speaking , and most importantly , how to get there .
“ It stopped becoming about , ‘ Well , my artist is doing this ’ and ‘ My artist is doing that ’ and ‘ This is happening and that ’ s not happening .’ It became about what our own goals were for the business . What we wanted to get across . I think that often , in the business of music , we get so caught up in who we are working with or what we identify with that our own goals are [ put aside ],” says Kate Wattie , founder of indie label and management company Tonic Records , which represents The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer , Leeroy Stagger , and others . “ We forget that that should be our first priority , maybe not in a selfish way , but , ‘ Here ’ s our long-term goal .’ It was great to have to think about it objectively like that .”
Wattie says Phoenix made clear the reactionary nature of the music industry – that labels , managers , and artists should keep an eye on long-terms goals and not be so single-mindedly focused on the current tour or album release . Obviously immediate tasks and needs require attention , but a lack of long-term vision and planning can create short-term paralysis if things don ’ t fall into place ideally . “ We ’ ve always had strategic plans , but this is more about building goals and how music and life can work together . How can we build this so that it ’ s not just about one album or , ‘ With the next album , we want to get here ’? How do you want your music career to look ? I found that taking that pressure off the immediate album that we ’ re working on or with or whatever , I find that it ’ s already making some changes with those artists .”
“ I ’ ll give you a good example with Harpoonist that just happened ,” continues Wattie , explaining that a year ago , after playing bars in Toronto for years , they considered playing The Great Hall but balked at the suggestion because it could be too much of a leap . When the band was back in Toronto in January of this year , they went for it . “ Obviously , a year ago we chose not to take that risk , which was probably a good move , but primarily because we were over-thinking it . Now , our long-term goal is to break out of that , partly just for our own creative challenge . So , in one or two years from now , if it fails , will our lives be over ? No , no one will even remember . In that sense , I think it has made a huge difference because it ’ s those kinds of things that seem very small but where I find that my thought process has changed ,” she says before adding with a laugh , “ Thank god the show actually did do well because if it didn ’ t , that would ’ ve been fully on my head .”
10 • CANADIAN MUSICIAN