Download my FREE ebook “The Indie Musician’s GuIdebook” Below
This is a quick 22 basic guidebook meant as quick read for anyone who isn’t getting everything they want out of their music career/hobby/business/whatever. Music is a wonderful bit of real magic with which music makers get the privilege and burden to be intimate. The longer someone has been in music, hopefully the more they learn about music and quite possibly the business that usually goes unseen. Having been making music for a long time and starting at the very bottom to move up to the middle where I literally make a living making music, but am not currently signed to a major label (and for good reasons), I offer the perspective of someone who sees making a living making music as not a thing of so much luck, but rather an absolutely attainable goal – one which I want to see more musicians/artists/singers/rappers/etc to realize.
Nice to meet you…
My name is Richard Cooper, but my friends call me Coop and I’ve been making music for a long time although I’ve taken plenty of time to pursue other interests and I still do. Music helps me to do that and I wouldn’t be able to say that if music didn’t pay so well. That’s right, you heard me. Music pays well today and in the past three days I’ve made over a grand without hardly even trying. This book and the site I’m building isn’t just directed at how to get a record deal for a million dollars although that’s not as hard when you have a solid plan which I’ll talk about too, but instead I’m putting this all together because I want to show that it’s possible to make a decent living making music even if it’s not your full time gig. Taking some advice here will make the time you do spend making music or doing the related work more fruitful too. From one music maker to another, let me pass you some notes… -Coop
But, who am I?
Well, presently, as far as music is concerned, I’m the city lead for Sofar Sounds Las Vegas, I perform a various spots around the city for cover gigs and original shows, private events/parties/weddings, stay loosely connected with the open mic scene, record, mix, produce, songwrite, do session musician work for the over 50 instruments I play both for myself and for a multitude of artists around town and afar as well as doing jingles, movie scores, mentoring at local schools, teaching guitar/piano/drums/bass, record/edit music videos, doing booking for various venues, provide business consultation, graphic design, photography, show design, singing lessons and singing coaching, arranging, band fill ins,cartoon voice over and background music, e-commerce setups, merch work, ghostwriting, beatmaking, dancing, writing (like this book and these blogs) so much, oh and at the moment I’m in the middle of a 175+ date plus tour.
Outside of that I’m an author, a poet, a videographer, filmmaker, cartoonist, web designer, re-seller, marketing specialist, baker, all around handyman, inventor, scientist, and I’m running for president in an attempt to raise awareness for small business owners like most of you hopefully.
Life is dope.