Business communication advice for musicians
It happened again. Using the contact form on her website, I sent a note to a musician who advertised voice lessons and asked about rates, times, and the possibility of studying with her. Then I waited. And waited. That was over two months ago. I’m still waiting for a reply. An isolated incident? I wish it were so. Sadly, this is just another incident in a long list of musicians communicating badly.
When did not replying become the default mode of (non) communication for so many self-proclaimed professional musicians? Yes, people are busy. Yes, there are so many forms of communication and some of them (such as email) are dated. But when one advertises avenues through which they wish to be contacted, replying to inquiries is part of running a professional business. I get it; I’m Gen X so perhaps I’m too old-fashioned to understand the subtly of letting a non-response be a response, but at the risk of looking hopelessly ancient, choosing to “ghost” people who contact you feels like a one-way ticket to not getting paid.
The music industry consists of people of multiple cultures and age groups and many of us were trained to believe that being considered a serious musician required us to develop professional communication skills. Early in our careers we learned that these skills rested on courtesy and promptness. We knew that if we put ourselves out in the world and told people we were available through certain forms of communication, our professionalism required that we take the time to respond to people when they contacted us through these avenues.
Yes, everyone’s busy. But being busy isn’t an excuse for ignoring people. I suspect I’m not alone in this when I write that the handful of musicians who have behaved this way toward me are individuals I don’t consider professional. Why? Because if they don’t have enough self-preservation to maintain their business communications, how can they be trusted to follow through on anything I may be willing to pay them to do?
The rules of generally accepted business communication practices aren’t difficult; one doesn’t need to be a professional writer or salesperson in order to communicate well. There are, however, common courtesies that musicians would be wise to observe if they want to continue to grow their careers and be taken seriously in the industry. Here are 5 of the most important things to remember:
Respond, preferably within 24-48 hours.
If you’re experiencing a particularly busy time, set up automatic replies telling people when you will get back to them. Check your email inbox and spam folder daily. Ditto for any messages that may come through social media platforms on which you are active. Responding promptly tells people that you respect them. It tells them that you value their business.
Learn how to say no
I suspect that some people avoid responding to people because they don’t want to say no. If this is you, create a generic “thanks but no thanks” response that you can use when needed. Doing this shows courtesy and professionalism. Ghosting is the tool of passive-aggressive unprofessionals and has no place in business communications.
Keep it formal
Avoid emojis or profanity, and use proper spelling and punctuation. Assume you’re writing to an elderly authority figure and communicate accordingly. You can always relax your tone once you get to know the person with whom you’re corresponding.
Meet agreed-upon deadlines
If you agreed to do something by a certain date, do it, or at least send a note explaining why you need extra time. Blowing off something you agreed to do without alerting the other party is rude and unprofessional.
Be gracious
If someone is reaching out to you about an aspect of your business, they are doing you a favor. As such, courtesy and gratitude needs to shine through every response. Professional musicians earn their living through the largess of fans; it’s best not to bite the hands that feed us.
It’s not a coincidence that the most successful musicians I know are also superior communicators. They respond promptly. They do what they say they’ll do. And they treat all comers with courtesy and respect. They’re wise enough to know that the “nobody” they blow off today may be the “somebody” in a position to hinder their career in a few years. They never assume they’re too important to be respectful to those who reach out to them.
And so, at the risk of sounding like the Emily Post of communication etiquette for musicians, communicate with others as you would wish them to communicate with you. This conscientiousness and courtesy costs little but rewards bountifully.
Photo by Austin Distel, courtesy of UpSplash