Jaci Rae's Story
My name is Jaci Rae. I was once a struggling musician who didn't know where to go or who to trust in an industry that eats people alive. I hope that by sharing my story you can benefit from the many mistakes I made along the way.
I knew what I wanted to do by the time I was three years old, however, everyone around me kept telling me to forget about it. No one makes it in the music industry. I had no one to help me reach for my dreams- and at three I certainly had no road map to get there.
So I did what I could. I sat in my room night after night, long past my bedtime, with my ear pasted to a borrowed radio (we were very poor) dreaming about a time when I would stand up on stage before thousands of people who were singing my songs.
By the age of nine, I saw a woman singing on the stage of a little diner. I spent many hours listening to her, hoping to summon up the courage to ask the owner of the club if he would let me sing as well.
One day, despite my painful shyness, I tugged at the hem of his coat, staring intently at my shoes, and pointed at the lady who was singing. I told him "I can do that." He laughed and told me I could come back on Monday, and he would let me try.
I quickly ran over to my best friend's house announcing that we had a gig in three days. She said, "What's a gig?" When I told her, she said I was nuts. She had never sang before an audience before or played a guitar in her life. Finally, (because there was NO WAY I was going on that stage alone), I talked her into it.
I quickly ran home, grabbed an old guitar with three rusty strings, and promptly went over to my neighbor's house who then taught three chords. A few rehearsals later, my best friend and I were singing to a crowd. To our amazement, we were asked back.
Knowing nothing about booking, management or accounting, we did our first gigs for free. But our duo was not meant to last. The following year my friend moved away and I was on my own.
That was the beginning. The road was rough, with no financial, emotional or even automotive support. Yes, I had to get myself to gigs however I could. But I continued on. I was ripped off, underpaid, not paid at all, left stranded all over the world, and had to learn the hard lessons of the road all by myself.
I've spent countless hours learning to market myself, book myself and get paid. As a result I am blessed to be considered an expert in the field of independent music. I've also spent a lot of time with well known music industry decision-makers learning the ins and outs of the music business. These same people were kind enough to share their own advice for you inside The Indie Guide to Music, Marketing and Money.
I wrote The Indie Guide because I don't want you to make the same mistakes I did. I want you to succeed! I wish you all the luck in the world with your dreams!
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