Artists House Vault: The Importance of Networking

You’ve heard it before, and maybe a lot of you who read Artists House are already the choir, but the fact still remains that you’ll find little success in the music business (or any for that matter) without putting some effort into networking.

Personally, the word ‘networking’ has always been a little intimidating for me. Countless professionals and professors told me again and again that it’s all about networking. In my mind that meant that you had to be a taskmaster about it - business cards readied in the most accessible pocket, poised to convince every person you come across that you are the next great thing, your elevator pitch polished and ready to roll of your tongue.

As I’ve come to discover, networking can be a lot more personal, relaxed, and indirect than that. What networking really means is simply stepping outside of your current circle of friends - stepping outside of your circle of comfort. If you do that, you are networking. Who you want to reach out to and how you do it is a completely personal choice.

Every city has professional organizations. In this video Dave Olsen, VP of Business and Legal Affairs at Alfred Publishing discusses the importance of being involved in these organizations.

Next, John Kellogg, an entertainment attorney, performer, and professor, talks about the importance of keeping your eye on the right people and to never burn any bridges:

John makes some great points in that video about identifying people whose values align with yours - you don’t necessarily need to be thinking about whether that person can build your career right now. It’s just about finding people you admire, and building authentic relationships with them regardless of whether they are going to help you.

Attorney Dina LaPolt is founder of LaPolt Law, P.C., an entertainment law firm based in Los Angeles, CA. I wanted to share this video with all of you last because it is the tone I believe we should all embrace going forward. Above all else, I believe this is the most important key to building great relationships: Just be a nice person.

In an industry that is too often considered to be cut-throat and thick-skinned, a little bit of nice goes a long way.