SM: It’s tough for most artists to move between different careers and stay relevant as you have in this business What are the core foundations in your life today?
GC: The most important thing in my life today is my family and God. I’m not looking for the next major record hit. I found true contentment doing what I originally set out to do. Play music! God has blessed me with the gift and ability to create music that touches people without them even knowing it. My music plays in the background of scenes which you would only notice if it wasn’t there.
SM: You also have a successful marriage and family life through it all, which is awesome.
GC: My wife and family have always supported my musical career. They know that music is an essential part of who I am that can’t ever be removed or distanced from. I spend about 4 days a week working on my music, but make sure that when Friday comes around I’m trying to spend as much time as I can with them. It’s not easy but you have to schedule yourself to balance between work and life.
SM: What advice can you give aspiring artists in this business? So much has changed since you began as an artist.
GC: When I first decided to make music a serious career, the industry worked in a VERY different manner. All you had to do back then was write a killer song, record it, get it played on the radio and, if it broke Billboard’s top 20, you had it made. The whole concept worked around the sale of records, and later, CD’s. That’s all gone now. For the most part, people don’t buy music anymore. Even downloads are not making the same numbers as before. Streaming is the new sales agent, but musicians can’t get paid anywhere near the money they use to with records sales. Hell, they can’t even buy a cup of cappuccino from streaming royalties!
So, you have to look into other areas if you want to make a living from your music. And you can’t just work one aspect of it either. An artist today has to play as much gigs as possible, get heavily involved with social media with YouTube, Twitter Facebook etc. and, of course, look into music licensing for film and TV. All those markets have to be worked continuously if you want to make a living at this. Find a unique approach. Don’t do what everyone else is trying to do.
Also, don’t worry about how to make millions of dollars doing this. Those days are kind of over for the majority of artists out there. Only 1% of bands and artists are making the kind of bucks Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus and Bruno Mars are making. The fact is that there are thousands of artists that you probably haven’t heard of who are making a very good living in music, they’re just not living in a 3 million dollar mansion in Bellaire.
“Do it Because You Love It” This comment has never been more accurate than it is today, if you don’t do it for the love of it, you will lose interest, become bitter and feel as if you’re wasting your time.