The path to a successful music career, as many have learned, is not one that is clearly defined.
Musicians, producers and intermediaries, such as bar owners, all have different formulas for finding success. They are all in agreement about one thing, however: the fact that no formula can guarantee entrance into the big industry of music.
For one local band, the general agreement is that hard work is the best way to begin the quest for stardom.
Starkville band Young Agent Jones has become well educated on the struggle to find a way into the industry. Formed in 1996, the band started their career completely from scratch, lead singer Jason Jones said. They did everything on their own, from show bookings to money handling to promotion, and they continue in that tradition today-even though their fan base has greatly expanded since ’96.
For Young Agent Jones, the early difficulties and hard work have begun to pay off. Though the band is currently under contract with a recording studio in Jackson, they have not yet made the leap onto a major label.
“We got signed by Sonic Temple Recording Studios in Jackson because a couple of guys who had decided to create their own recording company saw us perform at Jubilee Jam in 2000,” bassist Ben Hoege said. “We signed a contract with them agreeing that they would produce our first album for free and that we would eventually pay them back through CD sales.”
Although it seems that fate played a role in the group’s first big step, Jones said the opportunity would never have come if he and his band mates had not already worked incredibly hard.
Hoege said the band’s success thus far is based on a number of factors.
The group built a strong fan base in Starkville then began venturing out of town to gain further support.
“One of the best ways to get out there is to meet up with out-of-town bands and trade up shows,” Hoege said.
Rick Welch, owner of Rick’s Caf Amricain, also said networking is the best way to build up a band’s reputation.
“You have to play as much as possible as often as possible and perform anywhere and everywhere that you can. That’s why bands like Ingram Hill from Memphis are going places. They took anything they could get in the beginning, including a lot of terrible shows,” Welch said. “But playing a lot means getting better and it means having better experiences that might turn into good songs.”
Another way to seek entry into the music world is to create demos and give them to agents and bar owners. While Young Agent Jones chose the “do-it-yourself ethic,” many groups put their demos out in hopes of being picked up by an agent who, in turn, handles show bookings.
“Shopping demos to agents is a completely different world than what we’re part of,” Hoege said. “An agent would be helpful, but we haven’t found anyone who would serve our interests the way we would want them to.”
Welch, on the other hand, said he feels that putting out demos is an important step in the networking process.
“I have booked a few bands just because of their CDs,” Welch said. Agents listen to me, so if I send material to them, they may start booking bands in their market. If the response is good, the band’s playing area will increase. Beyond that, word gets out pretty quickly.”
Mississippi State graduate Josh Byrd is currently working for Grassroots Music, a distribution company based in Nashville, Tenn. Although he performs
Christian music, the basic building blocks for being picked up by the company were the same for him as for people seeking success in other genres.
Byrd said that in his opinion, the steps to success involve putting out a record, forming relationships and “getting out there and playing your butt off.”
“You have to hit the road and play for anyone and everyone that you can. You hang out with the people you play for and they tell their friends about your show so that the next time around you may have twice as many people,” Byrd said.
Like Welch, Byrd said finding success is more about the relationships you build than the music you create.
“People help their friends, basically. It’s a give and get thing, even if you don’t think of it that way,” Byrd said.
Mississippi native Jerry Bridges, who produced four gold albums for Waylon Jennings and worked with a number of big names like Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton and Tom Jones, said he believes the key to breaking in to the industry is effective management.
“The first thing you have to do is find someone who believes in you, like a record producer, and then you have to get good music out there. Management is the key link to making it big, but there is no set way to get there,” Bridges said.
The different formulas for finding success in the music world are endless, but the idea of connecting with people through hard work seems to be the common element in everyone’s opinions.
“Opportunities are not as available in Starkville as they would be in a big city, but with talent, a lot of hard work and a little luck, it doesn’t matter where you’re from,” Welch said.