In this monologue, veteran music industry consultant Wendy Day cautions independent artists about a common scam where individuals charge $500 to "analyze" their songs and pitch them to tastemakers. She explains that such paid feedback is not a standard practice, that industry insiders often lack the skill they claim, and that artists should instead focus on building a real fan base and direct audience engagement. Day debunks the myth that talent alone secures a record deal, citing examples like Tupac, Biggie, and Eminem, and emphasizes that success depends on a strong team, buzz, market knowledge, and hard work. She advises artists to invest money in creating and promoting music rather than paying gatekeepers, while acknowledging that those who choose to pay for such services are free to do so, but should be aware it’s not a normal or effective path.
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Hi guys, thanks for joining me. You know, the music industry can be extremely treacherous, right? I guess you guys know that. And there's a lot of sharks, and there's a lot of people out here that are trying to make money and either they think they know what they're doing and don't, or they're inept at what they do, but they still have business cards, they still meet you, and they still charge you for what they do. Um, so this segment is dedicated to helping to protect you guys from getting scammed, and I would say that 90% of the people that I've met in the music business aren't able to do the job that they say they are, either again through being inept or just not, not skilled enough to do it. They think they can, but they can't deliver. I've gotten 3 emails in the past month from people that have asked me questions and complained about a person in the music business who is charging folks $500 to analyze their songs. And it appears that what, you know, at least the 3 different people that hit me up, what they've done is they've paid to have— 2 of them have paid, one has not. Um, apparently they reach out to this person because they want this person to either manage them or work with them in some sort of capacity, and the person says, you know, great, you know, I'd be happy to work with you, but, um, you're gonna have to send $500 to one of my guys, and we will analyze your music, we will send it to a few tastemakers and get some feedback. And anytime that you have to pay somebody for feedback I'm a little nervous of that. I just— I, first of all, I don't quite understand why somebody would charge for that. And even more importantly, I don't understand why somebody would pay for that. So I'm not telling you not to do it. I'm just saying that it's not normal to do that. It's not standard. Um, I'm not trying to stop anybody from making money off of the music industry. You know, the attitude out here is that if someone is dumb enough to do it, then there should be somebody out here to collect the money for that. I don't subscribe to that theory. I like the guy that is doing this, but I'm going to tell you guys, since you're here and you're learning about the music business, that you do not have to pay someone to listen to your music. You do not have to pay someone to give you feedback. The truth is, what someone inside of the industry thinks about your music really doesn't matter. We live in a day and an age where you can go right to the fan and you can get feedback from people who will buy your music. Those of us in the music industry are not going to pay for music. We get it for free. So why not get the opinion from people in your area and fans, people that may come to a show. They'll pay to come to a show, they'll buy a t-shirt, they'll stream your music, they'll download your music. Why not get feedback from somebody that can really financially benefit your career, as opposed to somebody that you think is going to put you on or sign you to a label You know, I can't think of anyone that I know— I've been doing this 24 years— I can't think of anyone that has ever heard a, a demo tape or a demo CD or music or seen a live show from an artist and immediately signed that person and said, okay, I have to have you. I just, you know, even, even like Tupac and Biggie, that's not how— Eminem, Eminem, that's not how he got on. Like, yes, talent matters, but talent is not the most important thing, you know. It depends on who your team is, what's your buzz, what are you doing in the marketplace, you know, what are you rapping about, who's around you, how knowledgeable are you about how this works, how hard are you working to build success for yourself. These are things that people look at before they sign you to a deal or agree to invest in you. To get you to the next level. So all that to say that for you to send music to somebody and pay them to listen to your music, it just, it, it just doesn't make sense to me. I just don't understand why you would do it. And again, I'm not trying to block you. If you want to do it, go for it. I hope it works out for you. Maybe you will be the one person that somebody hears the music and says, oh my God, I have to work with this person. Just know that it's not normal, and it's obviously somebody making some money. And again, I'm not trying to stop anybody from making money, but there's just better ways to spend your money. Why not put money into actually working your music and building your fan base so that when you get to a point where you're ready to either find an investor or to have a label sign you, you've actually got a nice little fan base that you can turn to. To, um, support your efforts. Okay, that's just my opinion. Hope y'all are doing well today. Take care. Bye.
