Author: Jack M

Support Life And Music

D.R.E.A.M.

Data Research Education Awareness and Music

V.

This is How We Do It 

This D.R.E.A.M. Report made possible through a generous grant by the Arizona Eastern Star Foundation. For more information about the Arizona Eastern Star Foundation, please visit https://www.azoes.org/az-oes-foundation.html

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The first four monthly D.R.E.A.M. reports focused on specific topics relevant to the living/working conditions of modern musicians. They’re great! You can find them here: 

1. Unique Risk Factors (September 2025)
2. Substance Misuse (October 2025)
3. Through the Mirror (Two articles) (November 2025)
4. Here Comes Success (December 2025)

This month’s report is a bit different. We’re going to take you on a tour of the D.R.E.A.M. factory to reveal our processes and goals, and to shed a bit more light on our intention and purpose for the program. 

No one really knows how the game is played / The art of the trade / How the sausage gets made.

But first, introductions. 

The D.R.E.A.M. Team. 

We’ve received content/expertise/proofreading/editorial contributions from the following Support Life And Music’s Advisory Council (SLAM Band) members on some or all of the reports:

• Jack Mangan
• Sarah Hyde
• Dr. Sheila Unwin, Ed.D
• Dr. Carolyn Cavanaugh Toft, Ph.D

Overview and purpose: 

I want to see a change in the future / I’m gonna make the best of what I have

We’ve shared figures in our previous D.R.E.A.M. reports to illuminate society’s great musician mental health crisis, an issue that’s gone almost entirely unaddressed – – or worse, romanticized – – for over a century. Musicians are far more likely to die of suicide or accidental death than the rest of the population. This is one of the most at-risk of all professions. Musician lifespans are shorter. 

In spite of these sobering facts, the professional mental health communities and the music business are sorely lacking in musician-specific information, data, and resources. Support Life And Music exists to strengthen mental health and well-being for musicians and fans. We’re generating topic-driven data reports to reduce these knowledge gaps. Music industry and/or mental health organizations can leverage the data in thousands of beneficial ways – – independently or in collaboration with S.L.A.M. The possibilities are endless, including: 

• Spotting trends and commonalities in behaviors, perceptions, attitudes, coping and preventative measures, etc. 
• Analyzing the findings to identify, strengthen, and fine tune the positive, helpful concepts. 
• Analyzing the findings to identify, debunk, and devise preventative systems and measures against the negative, destructive concepts. 
• Equip music industry entities of all kinds with the tools needed to enact information-based systems and safeguards to protect their artists and consumers.  
• Equip counselors, therapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, and others with musician-specific info to develop musician-specific mental health therapies, educational materials, and situational understanding. 
• Sharing insights and data heretofore unknown and unavailable.
• Education, positive encouragement, and enlightenment. 

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Methodology and Sources: 

I’m gonna show you how it’s done done done. 

• Data: For the first four reports, we analyzed all available recorded SLAM: Music Survival Guide transcripts, seeking commentary from panel guests and participants related to the article’s topic. This is the process.
  • Acquisition:

• D.R.E.A.M. Team members with professional data analytics backgrounds perform keyword searches of all related terms.
  • For the first report, searches were conducted across multiple transcript files. For all subsequent searches, the quotes were drawn from a Master data file, consisting of all existing transcripts compiled together.
    • D.R.E.A.M. Team analysts checked the episodes to find new comments and to verify the accuracy of the transcribed comments.  
• D.R.E.A.M. Team analysts reviewed the SLAM: Music Survival Guide episodes seeking relevant commentary/quotes as data points. 
• At times, D.R.E.A.M. Team analysts utilized so-called “AI” tools (e.g.: NotebookLM, Google Gemini, ChatGPT) to scan the transcript files seeking relevant usable commentary as datapoints. The analysts quality-checked all AI findings. 

Analysis:  

• The D.R.E.A.M. Team then identified trends, commonalities, and themes in the pool of acquired data points. These points were also tallied and quantified to enable counts and charts in the output. This has been done leveraging human professional data analysis backgrounds. On reports II and IV, “AI” tools also contributed to this analysis. 

Output: 

• The report format has remained fairly standard, with only minor changes in each. Every report includes S.L.A.M. branding and title in the header, opening text explaining the purpose and theme of the report, and a presentation of the data itself. Relevant charts are inserted into the report for emphasis, clarity, and to enhance visualization. Pertinent song lyrics and/or references are often added too, to increase readability and relatability for the reader. Thunder only happens when it’s raining.
  Conclusion paragraph(s) follow the data, followed by an explanation of the data, tailored to the current report. The boilerplate explanatory text is as follows: 

The S.L.A.M. internal Data Research Education Awareness Music Team (D.R.E.A.M. Team) analyzed the full spoken content of 36 different “SLAM: Music Survival Guide” panel discussion recordings, tagging meaningful statements across various categories. This report focuses on quotes associated with the concepts of success. We did not seek to confirm or debunk the truth or validity of any statements made. The purpose was to analyze, process, quantify, draw logical connections, find meaningful commonalities, themes, and/or contradictions between the statements, and ultimately share the recorded observations, feelings, concerns, beliefs, philosophies, etc., in the speakers’ own words and lyrics. No judgments of the speakers or others present on the call are intended, nor should any be inferred. The speakers were invited to participate in “SLAM Summit: Music Survival Guide” panel discussions. All episodes are publicly available or are scheduled for release at http://www.supportlifeandmusic.org/voices. The quotes in this report will be kept anonymous, and are not intended to be taken out of context as any kind of reflection on any persons involved in the conversations. Some of the content presented has been edited to:Remove extraneous words and phrases, like “you know,” “um,” “like,” etc., as well as to remove repeated or stammered words/phrases. Correct obvious Zoom transcription errors in translation, dictation, or grammar. (crosschecked against the actual episode audio.)No statement was changed, no quote was edited to directly or indirectly change its original meaning in any way. The “Conclusions” sections of this report were written solely in-house at Support Life And Music, and its recommendations are drawn from S.L.A.M. backgrounds in the music industry and mental health, as well as from the designated data set. All facts, figures, opinions, conclusions, and suggestions in this article are presented solely for informational purposes. There are mental health improvement techniques that can be undertaken by anyone in any situation to benefit themselves and others, but consultation with a certified mental health professional is always recommended. See the Support Life And Music website for an expansive list of healthcare providers.

Reports III and IV have included a References section for all lyrics citations. Such References will be included whenever necessary. 

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Review process: S.L.A.M.’s D.R.E.A.M. Team includes members with professional business data analysis backgrounds, plus one member with a Ph.D in Psychology, and one with an Ed.D. in Leadership and Learning. Depending on availability, internal team members review the articles prior to publication to ensure quality control, veracity, accuracy, and acceptable grammatical presentation.  

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Publication and sharing: The article is then published in the Articles section of the Support Life And Music official website. https://www.supportlifeandmusic.org/Articles/

The articles are then shared by Support Life And Music and its various members across various social media platforms. Links have been sent directly to external mental health Ph.Ds, professionals, and experts, as well as music industry and philanthropy subject matter experts. 

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The D.R.E.A.M. future: 

I believe / We can change anything / I believe / We can rise above this / I believe / There’s a reason for everything / I believe / In my dream.

♮ More power!

SLAM: Music Survival Guide transcripts will continue to be one source of data. We are working toward utilizing more robust database technologies, which will allow for more sophisticated analytics options and greater data integrity, efficacy, efficiency, and security. The master transcript file will then serve only as a backup, until it can be sunsetted. 

♮ Added data collection methods: 

• For some reports, Support Life And Music will leverage inhouse data analysis and marketing experience to conduct targeted surveys of specific and/or general population groups. The questions will be crafted and refined with the help and guidance of the D.R.E.A.M. Team’s data experts and smart people (Ph.D.s, Ed.D.s). 
• The surveys will also be conducted by specialized professional marketing firms, when applicable, appropriate, and budgetable. Independent firms hired by Support Life And Music will enable options to conduct and analyze highly-scalable survey responses for use in D.R.E.A.M. reports. 

♮ The request line is open! 

We will work with individual orgs and persons to create bespoke D.R.E.A.M. reports. We’re taking requests! Please feel free to contact us to talk about pertinent topics you’d like to see covered. We’ll also reach out to make suggestions that will benefit specific people, companies, organizations, causes, etc.  

♮ Peer review. 

Our internal review process will continue, but in the future, each report will undergo review from at least one external subject matter expert before publication. 

♮ Increased circulation, visibility, impact. 

Increasing the scope of D.R.E.A.M. subscriptions, emails, press, social media, dialogue – -i.e. Stoking greater interest and broadening readership.  

*A note on frequency: The D.R.E.A.M. reports will continue to release on a monthly basis, allowing for occasional months with no publication.
At the inception of D.R.E.A.M., we’d entertained the notion of doing two reports per month. . . but then we came to our senses. Regardless of staff and resource increases, the 10-12-per-year cadence will likely never change.  

♮ Help! 

The musician mental health crisis is real. It’s critical. It’s devastating. It’s so embedded in our culture, that few acknowledge the need to push back. Musicians living unstable, shortened, tortured lives – – hey, that’s just how it’s always been. “The price of fame. Artists are crazy. What are you gonna do?” Our greatest struggle as an organization has been raising awareness of the seriousness and severity. We may never fully convince the larger population, but we won’t stop fighting to save and improve music lives. We’ll continue battling, using our Artist Voices, D.R.E.A.M, and help directory. 

Thank you. 

The next D.R.E.A.M. Report will be topic-driven.

Any requests?   

References.

-Lin-Manuel Miranda “The Room Where It Happens” (2015).Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording) [Album]. Atlantic. 

-Queensryche “Best I Can” (1990). Empire [Album]. EMI USA. 

-Huntrix “How It’s Done” (2025). KPop Demon Hunters (Soundtrack From the Netflix Film) [Album]. Interscope, KidinaKorner.

-Fleetwood Mac “Dreams” (1977). Rumours [Album]. Warner Bros. 

-Joe Satriani “I Believe” (1989). Flying in a Blue Dream [Album]. Relativity. 

Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth of Overkill talks music, Thrash, music business, getting paid, Metallica, vocals, drinking, drugs in the scene, New Jersey, New York, survival, and being a regular guy. Overkill were one of the bands who helped define the Thrash genre. Bobby’s voice is iconic.

Hosts: Jack Mangan and Rich Catino (MetalAsylum.net)

Lyrics Reference: Overkill

SLAM Bumper: Doro Pesch

Quotes from this episode:

-It’s almost like the secret silent killer, isn’t it?

-I’m grateful to be able to have lived my life in Levi’s and motorcycle boots.

-I was drinking with Pete Steele. I mean, what do you think’s gonna happen?

https://wreckingcrew.com/Ironbound/

Keith Roth! Satellite radio listeners hear his distinctive raspy voice on SiruisXM’s Ozzy’s Boneyard and Hair Nation, but he’s also a musician who’s worked with. . . too many projects to list, including David Johansen, Bon Jovi, The Ramones, The Dictators, and Frankenstein 3000.  

Lyrics Reference: The Rolling Stones 

SLAM bumper: Burton C. Bell and David Ellefson

Three Episode Quotes: 

• There you go, let’s put that on a poster and sell it.
• Kids mature a lot quicker in New York. It’s just because of a product of surroundings, but it’s the greatest city in the world.
•  I get on that treadmill, and by the time I get off it, it is therapeutic.

https://www.siriusxm.com/hosts/keith-roth

Michael Brandvold and Evo Terra return to discuss the pros and cons of music streaming for fans, musicians, performers, and everyone else. 

Lyrics Reference: Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers 

SLAM Bumper: Sam Saltman

Quotes: 

-I still buy vinyl, but here’s the thing. I don’t buy vinyl to actually listen to vinyl. I buy vinyl from artists I love to support the artist. 

-You can take steps on your own, on your own website, to make it super convenient and dirt cheap for the listener to download your stuff. 

https://michaelbrandvold.com

https://simpler.media/

Monique Powell, iconic singer of Save Ferris, who were one of the absolute best of the 90s Ska bands, and are still delivering good times and great music today.    “I believe that every person that buys a ticket to a Save Ferris show is precious, and deserves our love and respect.” “I cared immensely about them, but they didn’t care about me.” “You make your own waffles in the morning.” https://saveferris.com/

Two of the world’s top media strategists and thinkers join hosts Jack Mangan and Dr. Sheila Unwin:

Ariel Hyatt of CyberPR and Megan Matousek of Loco+. 

Lyrics reference: Prince

SLAM Bumper: 10 voices in 1 minute

• “He was one of the… he still is one of the most dynamic and sexy performers I’ve ever seen.”
• “How can you start a movement, even if it’s only 20 people, in your dining room listening to your album?”
• “They all have their own beautiful art and skill, and they’re not getting seen because of the algorithms.”
• “I worked for George Lucas. . . and George Lucas was the innovator of ownership and IP.”

CyberPR

Loco+

Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad

Lyrics Reference: Grand Funk Railroad 

Bumper: Brian Pulido 

• The most incredible first-hand Jimi Hendrix story I’ve ever heard. 
• “Come over here and put your hand on the television set.”
• “That’s what’s the matter with the world, is corporations.”
• “When I died, Dude, I was in heaven.”

Another author panel! Three incredible Southwest authors talk music, creativity, overcoming the battles, persistence, and other great stuff. Featuring: S.C. Mendes, Jenn Czep, David Lee Summers

Lyrics reference: Iron Maiden

• “It’s not a cult. It’s not a cult.”
• “Bill and Ted. . . were Wyld Stallyns. . . they had the video they were making, they had cool-looking instruments, they had a logo, but they didn’t know how to play, and they probably weren’t gonna get Eddie Van Halen to join them.”
• “I’m just gonna sit here and teach myself the accordion and put out an album of my hot accordion licks.”
• A spectacular recording SNAFU occurs. We intentionally kept some of it in the episode.  

http://www.davidleesummers.com/index.html

https://www.bloodgutsandstory.com

www.easalle.com

Among S.L.A.M.’s Core Values is a deep appreciation for great music – – especially for the musicians who are making it today. It’s one kind of life for me this music you hear.
What follows is a list of 2025 album releases recommended by our Executive Director, Jack Mangan. This is not a Year’s Best countdown, just some suggestions for interesting, enjoyable new music. All of these are albums that should hold their luster in the future, after the shiny newness is gone.
S.L.A.M.’s focus remains on the fight to protect musician and fan mental health and well-being. This list is served up purely for your listening pleasure. That’s a positive and healthy thing in itself, isn’t it? There will be a brief note about each so you know what you’re in for. 

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A few notes on this list: 

Unless otherwise noted, these weren’t selected for their relevance to Support Life And Music’s mission of protecting musician and fan mental health and well-being. These were chosen just to share some aural beauty with your ears, your mind, your heart, your soul. 

Jack’s professional music background is steeped in Heavy Metal. There’s a fair bit of that here, but this list is NOT Metal-focused. There are probably about 45 different genres crammed into the 17 selections listed below. If you want the denim and leather, then check out Rich Catino, Jack Mangan, and S.L.A.M.’s own Mark Pruett covering their Top 20+ Metal albums of 2025 at MetalAslylum.net .

Why 17? Why not a round number like 10 or 20? . . . . Dunno.  

If you know any music geeks, then you know it was impossible for one of them to limit a list like this to only 17 albums. Please bear with Jack at this difficult time. 

These are presented in no particular order. 

On with the show. 

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• Professor Elemental – The Love Album.

Quietly one of the wittiest, cleverest, funniest, nerdiest, and most talented Rap MCs working today; the Professor consistently delivers tight, mesmeric lyricism over some of the best beats in the business. You need to get into Professor Elemental – – and his rival/friend/peer, Mr. B., the Gentleman Rhymer (whose 2025 album “B-CURIOUS” is also smashing.) Chap-Hop is a delightful niche sub-genre.

• Vintage Caravan – Portals.

Wait, you aren’t familiar with Vintage Caravan? They started out as teenagers, but their 70s Rock retro tunage has been brilliant from the get-go. Their songwriting chops keep reaching new levels of depth and maturity with each release, and “Portals” continues that trend. They’re the greatest thing out of Iceland since Bjork. 

• David Judson Clemmons – Everything a War.

Blends of 90s Folk Alt Rock blended with touches of The Arcade Fire and hints of Pink Floyd. The songs on this record ache with sincerity and beauty. This one flew under the radar, but I’m grateful to have spotted it.

• nine inch nails – Tron Ares Soundtrack.

Ever-dependable Trent Reznor hearkens back to a lot of his old tricks (along with his recent nin collaborator, Atticus Ross). It is no mean feat to follow up on Daft Punk’s masterful “Tron: Legacy” soundtrack, but nine inch nails do a heckuva job, with songs that are hooky, catchy, meaty, and perfectly crafted for the techno-unreality of Tron. 

• Roswell Six: Terra Incognita: Beyond the Horizon.

A fantastic, star-studded Prog-Rock odyssey based on Kevin J. Anderson’s lush “Terra Incognita” Fantasy novels. This is no vanity cash grab; these songs are well-written and meticulously executed. We had the honor to talk to some of the Roswell 6 crew (Kevin J. Anderson, Michael Sadler [of Saga], Bob Madsen) on SLAM: Music Survival Guide 34 – Terra Incognita. 

• Johan Niemann – The Vast Expanse.

Solo instrumental album from Evergrey guitarist, Johan Niemann. Hauntingly beautiful in a Gilmour-ian way, with some lovely subdued Satriani touches too. 

• Gösta Berlings Saga – Forever Now.

Gösta Berlings Saga’s music is primarily instrumental. It sounds like the soundtrack to the most exciting, tense, edge-of-your-seat espionage thriller on the big screen. Put on your sunglasses and drive around with this on. You’ll feel like the coolest mother****ker on the road.

• Galactic Empire – Cinemetal

Virtuoso musicians doing Djenty Prog-Metal instrumental covers of the greatest cinematic scores of the past 50 years, with a predilection for John Williams. The songs are heavy and thumping, but still retain their grandeur and elegance. Do not miss GE’s version of the classic Toho Godzilla theme. 

• The Reticent – please

OK, this one is highly relevant to S.L.A.M.’s mission. It’s an emotionally devastating, unflinching look at suicide in modern society. The music is unforgettable and gut-wrenchingly beautiful. 

• Say She She – Cut & Rewind.

Try to dislike Say She She’s 2025 Discodelic Soul album, “Cut & Rewind.” You cannot. It’s impossible. Song after song, their infectious, Pop-friendly, smooth, grooviness will get under your skin. Kudos to past SLAM: Music Survival Guide guest, Nathan Carson (episode 36), for making me aware of them.  

• Blood Vulture – Die Close.

A gorgeously dark vampire-themed wall-of-sound with crunchy downtuned power chords and the mightiest of clean vocals. It actually functions as a full album listen (!), building up the climactic masterpiece of the titular final track. For pure listening enjoyment, this was my favorite of the year.   

• Castle Rat – The Bestiary.

Gorgeously dark. . . wait, I’m repeating myself. This has very little in common with the Blood Vulture record. There’s a reason why Castle Rat were the breakout stars of 2025. “The Bestiary” is loaded with lush, D&D-informed Stoner/Folk/Doom/Classic Rock. Top-tier songs, actively-engaged production, and Riley Pinkerton’s killer vocals = instant classic.   

• Gento – Bioscope.

Fans of modern-era Tangerine Dream take note: this one is for you. No surprise there, since Thorsten Quaeschning (Tangerine Dream) and Steve Rothery (Marillion) are the masterminds behind it. Smart; entrancing, magnetic: “Bioscope” is everything I want from Electronic instrumental music (that used to get lumped into the New Age section of the record store.)   

• Nite – Cult of the Serpent Sun.

Raspy monotone vocals on to-the-point, melodic, Ghost-meets-AC/DC-meets-Accept Traditional Heavy Metal, loaded with power chords, open chords, single notes, and arpeggios. Great songwriting, great music. Acknowledged: some may find Van Labrakis’s guttural voice offputting, but I love it.

• Brass Against – VI.

A brass band accompanied by some other instruments and a rotating cast of amazing vocalists interpreting classic Hard Rock songs of the 1990s? So much could go wrong, but these vocalists bring so much soul to their performances. These songs just crackle with life and energy.

• Durand Jones and the Indications – Flowers.

A 2025 discovery for me. Durand Jones and the Indications are part of the modern Psychedelic Soul movement, along with bands like Thee Sacred Souls and Black Pumas. They bring a modern sensibility to sounds steeped heavily in the traditions and genius laid out in 1970s non-Funk/non-Disco R&B by the likes of Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Roberta Flack, Al Green, Stevie Wonder, et al. Nick Hornby must be listening to this on repeat. 

• Jason Bieler and the Baron Von Bielski Orchestra – The Escapologist.

Jason has consistently been one of the best and most ambitious songwriters of the past decade, delivering music that resists categorization. He takes you on turns from playful to bouncy to dark to neck-moving to disturbing to uplifting to heart-rending – – sometimes in the same song. His Baron Von Bielski work is brilliant, and feels like a continuation of what began with his beloved 80s-90s band, Saigon Kick. 

Seven-year-old Gladys Knight accepts her trophy for winning on Ted Mack’s Amateur Hour radio show (1952).

Support Life And Music

D.R.E.A.M.

Data, Research, Education, Awareness, and Music

IV.

This D.R.E.A.M. Report made possible through a generous grant by the Arizona Eastern Star Foundation. For more information about the Arizona Eastern Star Foundation, please visit https://www.azoes.org/az-oes-foundation.html

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“I feel I’m on top again, baby.” Love and Rockets

Methodology for this report:

72 interview excerpts pulled from 36 SLAM: Music Survival Guide podcast episodes, totaling about 28.5 hours of conversation, were thematically coded into 8 categories capturing different definitions of the meaning of success in relation to the music industry. Interview excerpts were found by searching 125 keywords related to the word “success”. Each quote was coded to its primary category. We then calculated the number and percentage of quotes assigned to each category to identify which understandings of success were most frequently described.

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Categories

Longevity, Resilience & Growth: 

“I’ve had my share of sand kicked in my face, but I’ve come through.” Queen

22% of interview excerpts revolved around the category of longevity, resilience & growth. Many artists noted that success was not instantaneous, and that not giving up through all of the ups and downs was the central component of their career achievement. Without the experience of failure, it is difficult to understand that you have succeeded.

“We’ve been in it for a minute, and we’ve had our successes, and we’ve had our struggles as well… because that’s also part of success…having a trial, having a setback, having the winds of change. That’s all a part of being a career artist, a career musician. Peaks and valleys… It’s not always an upward trend…we survive all the rest of it… [What] goes up, must come down, and then maybe we can somehow try to get that kite to soar again.“ 

A few artists discussed that while some people have natural talent, most people need to learn and grow to become successful. 

“…It’s about doing the work, putting in the practice, putting in the work, and always striving to be better than you were before. It’s not about being better than anybody else, It’s being better than who you were last week, last month, last year.” 

Financial Sustainability & Economic Stability: 

“You’re a million dollar man that ain’t got no dough.” A Tribe Called Quest

16% of interview excerpts involved conversations around success being defined through making money. Financial sustainability was often correlated to discussions around music becoming a career, especially when there was not a ”9-5” to fall back on for stability. 

“This is about making money. This isn’t about just doing this to hang out and have a good time and be with your buddies. It’s not ‘music friends,’ it’s ‘music business.’ There’s more letters in the word ‘business’ than the word ‘music,’ so you have to understand that if you are committed to doing this as a career, that means you’ve got to make money. You can’t record without money. You can’t tour without money. You can’t do anything without money.”

Large sums of money did not surface as the goal, money was more of a means to have the ability to make more music. 

“The cool thing is, if you can find enough supporters, and… everyone just donates a little bit, it can be really successful … we’ve got the funding… we can move forward and get people what they want, which is more music, right?” 

Artistic Integrity & Creative Control: 

“And you’d be happy as hell to get a record deal / Maybe your soul you’d sell to have mass appeal.” Gang Starr 

Almost as prevalent as making money, artistic integrity and creative control made up 15% of the excerpts. Making music that you are proud of, that is an outward expression of yourself and not because someone told you what to do or how to do it was essential to the feeling of success. 

“I used a string quartet on an album of mine… I was so thrilled. But, you know, you had to pay for their time… I was at a gig with the funk band that I was in at the time, and there was a sub sax player that was playing with us, and I was playing [the album] in my car… and he was listening to it and he was like, ‘What is that?’ I said. ‘Oh, this is my new album…’ He’s like, ‘Is that a string quartet?’ I said, ‘Yeah,’ and he was like, ‘Must be nice to have a string quartet on your own album.’ I looked over at the car that he had driven to the gig, which was like that year’s model… I was in a 14 year old pickup truck, with literally a cardboard back window …I’m driving a cardboard car so that the money I do have I spend on a string quartet so that my album can sound really cool… You’re driving a brand new car that you spent your money on. So it’s just the choice that you’ve made is to have a brand new car. The choice I’ve made is to have a POS car and have a string quartet on my album, because to me, that’s way more important than what I’m driving. Who cares what I’m driving… as long as it carries the gear? It’s choices, and that’s the magic of this independent endeavor, is. It’s all choices.”

The idea of “selling out” or making music to become rich and famous led to demotivation, working in toxic situations, and becoming more emotionally tied to what others thought of your music. This is a dichotomy which artists find themselves in. One needs to make money to keep doing art, but if one makes money doing art then they risk becoming a “sell out.”

“That to me is what’s so important for an artist to understand…Your art is going to live forever and it’s going to be your name on that and you need to be proud of what you created, whether it sold a hundred copies or a million copies. You don’t want to, 20 years from now, go, ‘Oh, my God! I’m so embarrassed! I listened to that producer, and I recorded this album, and it’s an embarrassment to me. I wish I could remove every copy in existence…’ You want to be able to sit here and go, ‘I’m proud of it.’ I don’t care if nobody else gets it yet, because, as we were just talking about, they may get it in another 5 years, 10 years, 20 years. You created what you want to create. You weren’t chasing trends… Every artist that’s been through a major label probably has a story of, ‘Oh, yeah, the second album, the label said I need to record more songs like this to become bigger and more popular.’ And what inevitably happens with every one of those artists, they record something they’re embarrassed by. and it never became bigger than that previous album. But guess what. The manager’s name isn’t living on forever. The marketing person isn’t living on forever. The radio promoter isn’t living on forever. You are, because it’s your name plastered all over the front of that album cover. You better be happy to live with that as part of your legacy.”

Professionalism, Discipline & Work Ethic: 

“Do what I do professionally / To tell the truth I am exactly what I want to be.” Beastie Boys

13% of the excerpts discussed that success was more than just playing the notes, it is the whole package: commitment, work ethic, working well with others and delivering on your goals.

“There’s this one thing that independent musicians can do, which is, teach yourself to be able to communicate to other artists in the most efficient way possible… I can come in and just rely on my skill as a bass player, because I’ve been playing for 30 years and read the chart, and we can efficiently get everything done in as little time as possible, because there’s no money for rehearsal space.”

“Take your time with your art and make sure that you’re happy with it. Stay out there playing, live, honing your skills, playing your catalog to new people, and when it’s time for that new music to come out…those people will be ready for it.”

As you hone and develop your skills, you are provided with new opportunities. New environments and experiences may come with unanticipated stressors. 

“It really came down to crunch [time] again. It seems to be a thing… The record’s due in 2 months. We haven’t written a note yet… What are we waiting for!? …Here we are. Here’s a record… I mean we did it, and I am very happy with most of it. And that’s cool. But getting into the band that has this insane list of legacy players. I was so stressed out that I became my own worst enemy because I was totally tense and stressed all the time.”

Love of the Craft & Intrinsic Motivation: 

“Gonna make it in a Rock and Roll show.” Diamond Head

Do you remember the last time you experienced childlike joy from doing something you love? This intrinsic draw to music, and love for the craft drove 9% of the conversation around success. 

“That’s why I do this. I would not do this unless I loved writing songs. It is not for fame, it is not for money, it is not for anything other than just, I love writing songs.”

“Do you know what? You just hit the nail on the head there, love it! I never thought about money… I loved playing guitar… I put on AC/DC’s ‘Let There Be Rock’ and plugged in my guitar, and just started playing along. There was nothing to it. I wasn’t trying to impress myself or anyone else, or play for anyone. I was just playing for the fun of it…I think it’s the love and the passion that sometimes people forget. That’s the number one, most important aspect.”

As mentioned earlier, the journey is not easy, and there are unanticipated stressors. The ability to turn to the craft that one loves to manage the aspects of the process was also an important aspect of this category.

“Music is a medicine, and whenever you play you just forget everything else around.”

Connection, Community & Impact: 

“The money that came and the public acclaim / Don’t forget what you are, you’re a Rock ‘n’ Roll star.” The Byrds

Putting yourself out there artistically and having your art received showed up as success in 9% of the interactions. The feeling of success was especially profound when the impact of the art created positivity and generated a community of fans. 

“I think these songs are amazing… If they knew the impact that they have on people. I’m sure that I’m not the only one that could say this, their music has probably healed a lot of people in some ways.” 

“A lot of people think you can buy your way into this stuff now, maybe some… But can’t buy the hardcore fan, the forever fan, or the people that … connect with what you’re doing. To me, that’s the best reward out of all of this. That’s the payoff there… I really feed off of that connective tissue of playing, and that’s why I’m always in the audience when I play. I always try to get out there, no matter what. No festival [has] ever stopped me from getting out to the crowd, no matter how difficult, you can ask anybody… that’s the best part of the show, being with the people and singing with them, and that’s cool… I’m so beyond grateful to have done what I’ve done, and you can’t buy that.” 

The impact and the community that one’s music centered around was unfortunately not always positive, but remained impactful. 

“It happened to me in my early years…. drugs and alcohol and success… at a time in our business when this stuff was kind of celebrated… as they said, ;If you remember the eighties, you weren’t there.’ There was a lot of that.”  

Agency & Autonomy in One’s Career: 

“I write the songs that make the whole world sing.” Barry Manilow

Many people can make music, but navigating your career strategically was the centerpoint of 9% of the excerpts.

There seem to be common pitfalls that are easy to fall victim to in the industry, for example: ending up in toxic situations or being taken advantage of. If you can avoid the pitfalls and make it out the other side, you can make music successfully. 

“I think that is a big cause of depression… Other people in their lives that they’re dealing with, whether it’s a negative boss at your job… Life is short… Just go. You have to face fears every day in life, and that’s how we grow. If you’re in a situation like that, do everything you can to get out of it.”

“It’s been great to see that we’ve not only survived, but we’ve thrived… It’s my name on the door and star of the show. I think about ‘How would I like my band to be run based on how I’ve been in bands myself. How do I want to treat these guys, how would I like to be treated…?’ Pass the torch… walk the talk … I feel like I’ve fallen upward into a really great… musical endeavor.”

Personal Fulfillment, Relationships & Quality of Life:

“I can’t complain, but sometimes I still do.” Joe Walsh 

Above and beyond the music and the job, having a quality life came up 7% of the time. Our discussions centered around making music in the music industry, but topics like family, taking time off, and being around people that bring you joy could not be left off the table. 

“If more of the world could go to a campsite and play gin [the card game] for 4 hours next to a lake, I think a lot of the world’s problems could be solved very easily.”

“I think that that’s something that I look for everywhere in life: being around people who inspire you. And those people are usually the ones who have sort of achieved something.”

Taking the time to reflect and be grateful was also another important aspect of this category. 

“I mean. I remember 2016 watching Iron Maiden and going, ‘Wow! That must be amazing. 90,000 people, look at the people. They’re going wild.’ A year later, I was doing it. I would have never guessed in a million years that I would be on that poster for 2017, and I did it. I did it. And if it was the only thing I ever did. I went to the Holy Land.”

Conclusion: The word “success” on the surface seems pretty simple, but from the number of words people use to describe success, to the complex and even dichotomous meanings shared about success, we can see that it is far from simple. There are unique aspects for musicians related to the categories we discussed, for example the business side of music is necessary at times and can bring unanticipated stressors, but is also a foundational outlet for joy. Yet the categories uncovered from these conversations are highly relatable to any career, a journey we all find ourselves in. 

“I came, I conquered / Escaped the slaughter / I live undaunted

Let me take you with me / I think you’ll dig the scene” Warrior Soul

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More about D.R.E.A.M. Reports and Methodology

• The S.L.A.M. internal Data Research Education Awareness Music Team (D.R.E.A.M. Team) analyzed the full spoken content of 36 different “SLAM: Music Survival Guide” panel discussion recordings, tagging meaningful statements across various categories. This report focuses on quotes associated with the concepts of success. 
• We did not seek to confirm or debunk the truth or validity of any statements made. The purpose was to analyze, process, quantify, draw logical connections, find meaningful commonalities, themes, and/or contradictions between the statements, and ultimately share the recorded observations, feelings, concerns, beliefs, philosophies, etc., in the speakers’ own words and lyrics. No judgments of the speakers or others present on the call are intended, nor should any be inferred. 
• The speakers were invited to participate in “SLAM Summit: Music Survival Guide” panel discussions. All episodes are publicly available or are scheduled for release at http://www.supportlifeandmusic.org/voices. The quotes in this report will be kept anonymous, and are not intended to be taken out of context as any kind of reflection on any persons involved in the conversations. 
• Some of the content presented has been edited to:
  • Remove extraneous words and phrases, like “you know,” “um,” “like,” etc., as well as to remove repeated or stammered words/phrases. 
  • Correct obvious Zoom transcription errors in translation, dictation, or grammar. (crosschecked against the actual episode audio.)
• No statement was changed, no quote was edited to directly or indirectly change its original meaning in any way. 
• The “Conclusions” sections of this report were written solely in-house at Support Life And Music, and its recommendations are drawn from S.L.A.M. backgrounds in the music industry and mental health, as well as from the designated data set. All facts, figures, opinions, conclusions, and suggestions in this article are presented solely for informational purposes. There are mental health improvement techniques that can be undertaken by anyone in any situation to benefit themselves and others, but consultation with a certified mental health professional is always recommended. See the Support Life And Music website for an expansive list of healthcare providers. 

References

Love and Rockets. So Alive (1989). Love and Rockets [Album]. Beggars Banquet.

Queen. We Are the Champions (1977). News of the World [Album]. EMI – Elektra.

A Tribe Called Quest. Show Business (1991). The Low End Theory [Album]. Jive.

Gang Starr. Mass Appeal (1994) Hard to Earn [Album]. Chrysalis – EMI.

Beastie Boys. Pass the Mic (1992) Pass the Mic [Album]. Grand Royal – Capitol Records. 

Diamond Head. It’s Electric. (1980). Lightning to the Nations [Album]. Happy Face Records.

The Byrds. So You Want to Be A Rock n’ Roll Star. (1967). Younger Than Yesterday [Album]. Columbia. 

Barry Manilow. I Write the Songs (written by Bruce Johnston. Ironically.). (1975). Tryin’ to Get the Felling [Album]. Arista.

Joe Walsh. Life’s Been Good. (1978). FM: The Original Movie Soundtrack [Album]. MCA. 

Warrior Soul. Downtown. (1990). Last Decade Dead Century [Album]. Geffen.

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