Zach Harmon: Blog

At a recent show of mine, someone asked me a question that I’ve never been asked before. The young lady asked, “What did you think was your big break in the music business?” To be completely honest, I really had no idea on how to answer that. I’ve never thought of myself as having a “big break”…but, maybe I have. After thinking about the recent months of my career, I’ve realized that it has been slowly inclining its way up, and I’ve been so busy working each step to realize the actual progress I’ve made. I mean, after all, I’ve been working in this business for almost 10 years now, and have seen some highs, the lows and a lot of struggle (and success) for myself and fellow musicians.

So, for my first series of blogs, I’ve decided to explain what I’ve done to reach the point I’m currently at and share some things I’ve learned about surviving in this business. Whether or not my career is actually what people consider “making it,” I’ll give my best insight and advice.

My first suggestion (to all musicians) is not to wait around on your “big break,” but instead focus on those “small bends.” Ignore that old cliché, “look at the big picture!” It takes many strokes of a paint brush before a masterpiece is created. The “big break” only happens to one in a million, and for everyone else, it takes hard work and dedication. Some artists go at it their entire lives and release many albums, but still do not make that giant leap that they’ve been waiting for, and in a lot of those cases, it’s because they were waiting around for their “big break.” Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will your music career.

So, how do we look at a music career in “small bends?” Well, it’s a process.  The best thing to do is to start off with a strong list of goals. Then, for each goal, make a “To Do” list to reach that goal, then get started on the leg work. Do your research when needed and never pass up advice from successful, tenured people in this business. Check off each step on your “To Do” list until you’ve made each goal a reality. Then post up or file away the “To Do” lists for each goal you’ve completed, as a reminder of all the things you can accomplish if you set your mind to something. No matter what you do, DO NOT throw them away! You may think it’s pointless, but when you’re in the middle of a slow month and things don’t seem to be “taking off” in the best way, these lists are nice reminder of the progress you’ve made, and inspiration can be found in them.

That’s all I have for this first blog in my series. Come back next week to see more. We have a lot of specifics and overall ideas to discuss.

 If anyone has any specific questions or comments, please ask and comment away in the comment boxes at the bottom of the screen.

“Musicians don’t make fans…fans make musicians.”

-Zach Harmon