Bev Barnett is a music marketing expert, singer, songwriter, guitar-string jewelry maker, and blogger. Bev had never been on stage before she was 40 years old, but in the past 12 years she’s really made up for lost time, recording three CDs and touring the Western half of the US with her husband, guitarist and songwriter Greg Newlon.
Bev has served on the nonprofit boards of Guitars Not Guns, West Coast Songwriters, Folk Alliance Region West, and a new nonprofit that she and Greg have recently created called Woodshed Music and Arts. She’s been a guest lecturer for UCLA’s undergraduate Digital Music Marketing program and presented marketing and digital media workshops at FAR-West, SWRFA-Colorado, and the Empower Music & Arts Conference in Orlando, Florida.
If you had to describe yourself as a band, song, or genre, what would it be?
I would describe myself as eclectic, like a public radio station. I may be more like All Things Considered in the morning and then in the afternoon a local folk show, and then in the evening I may feel more like dance music. It’s kind of all over the map, but it’s all good!
How did you get started in the music business?
I first began performing with my husband 12 years ago, and like most musicians, I found that he liked to let the music speak stand on it’s own without all the promotion. That is when I found that marketing music and musicians had a lot in common with the type of marketing that I was doing at the time. As it turned out, the two are not that different.
At the core, when you are promoting something and you really boil it down, it’s about what’s in it for the customer, the listener or the audience. It cannot all be about the musician, it’s got to be more about what the musician brings to the party.
What’s been your proudest moment in the music business?
I was preparing some of my own marketing material and I asked my clients to tell me, in their own words, what I had really done for them over the years. Cosy Sheridan, a long time client and good friend, said “you have helped make it possible for me to be a touring musician, by giving me the gift of organization and confidence.” That was definitely a proud moment.
Who helped you along the way?
Every performer that has performed in one of our series has helped us. We learn so much from the community of artists around us.
What would you consider your biggest failure and what did you learn from that?
As a musician, my biggest mistake was trying to push down doors. We pushed, and internally it just ate us up with bitterness and jealousy. What we learned is that we go where the yes’s are. And the patience to do that is hard, but when you do what you love, and you trust what you know and you just allow things to happen, it’s not only easier, but it’s so much better. In following the yes’s, were found it so much more fulfilling.
What’s been your key to success?
Go where the yes’s are. Do what you love, and trust what you know. If you are true yourself, it will all work out.
Top 3 takeaways to support your success in the music business:
- Don’t try to push doors down, go where the yes’s are.
- When marketing your music, find your audience first, ask them how they connect with one another, and then go there.
- Take your own advice and listen to your own songs–be authentic.
The best ways to reach Bev Barnett:
Bev’s website: http://www.bevbarnett.com/
Bev and Greg’s music: http://www.bevandgreg.com/
Bev on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bevbarnett
Ross
This was a really great episode! Loved hearing Bev’s insight and story. Definitely a lot of advice to take on board, and plenty of food for thought. Great show!
brian gore
Way to go, Bev!