(Short answer in case you want the Cliff’s Notes: I don’t know).

By “sweet deal,” I mean start working ground up with an established touring artist, work for free, do the odd jobs, get more responsibility, get to do cooler stuff, travel all the time, start meeting the movers and shakers of the the industry’s genre.  This is what I’ve done in the past year and a half.  I’ve had people tell me I’m a genius, I’ve had people ask for my formula.  I’d love to take credit for being a genius and a diabolical mastermind, but I can’t.  I can re-trace my steps on the timeline but I can’t really say most of them were aimed at upward mobility.  Most of my trajectory has been organic and logical, as in “Hey, I’m bored.  Why don’t I do this?”  Or “Hey, I’ve got an idea, let’s try it.”  While I can’t map it out because this exact path probably will not work for anyone else unless the personality chemistry is just right, there are hopefully bits to be gleaned for any artist looking to up their level and their game.  I’m breaking this down into Rules, with plenty of anecdotal evidence.  Work with whatever strikes your fancy.

Rule: Be Useful

I started working with Susan (the previously mentioned “established touring artist”) in the summer of 2008.  It came about because I had an opening slot for a gig she was playing outside of Dallas, five hours away from Austin.  I already knew Susan, had opened for her before, and we had traveled together once, so I knew we got along and that she was cool.  Cool enough to say yes when I approached her with the idea of riding with her to that gig outside of Dallas (because openers don’t get paid and a free ride is always good), and in return I would sell her merchandise for her all weekend long.  It helps to have someone hauling that sort of stuff in and attending to it all night; it increases sales and gives the artist less to worry about.

So I did it and the merch numbers were excellent, and I had an invitation to be the Merch Girl any time I could.  I was only working working part time in Austin, so I had a lot of free weekends.  I’d hop in the van, wear the t-shirts with pride, enjoy meeting Susan’s fans, upsell and upsell again.  I’d help load-in the equipment and load-out when everything was done.  Any musician knows, this is just useful stuff to have done for you.  There’s so much stimulation for an artist at a show that having little things taken care of by a responsible person goes a long way.

In reality?  In my mind?  I was just trying to do everything I could to earn my place in the van.  I was benefitting immeasureably by watching one of the most professional and entertaining performers I had ever seen perform multiple times a month, seeing nuances in shows, seeing how really good gigs go well and how maybe not-so-good gigs can still go well.  I took it all in, and I found that the more useful I made myself, the more opportunities I had to learn things.

Weird how that works.