How I Started My Next Life (And Became a Music Business Zombie)

I am a music industry zombie. I am one of the teeming masses of independent music people who have invaded the music industry and began turning them into people like me.

How I Became a Zombie

When I dreamed of how I would find my Next Life, I was working a regular corporate job and doing music on the side. I had been a professional musician for several decades by this point, but the thought of trying to support my family in music was scary and seemed impossible. The only people I knew that lived doing music full-time were just barely making it. I had a wife and kids to feed and mortgage to pay. The time for fooling around was back when I went on the road with that Holiday Inn lounge pop band in the 80's...but that's another story.

I had managed over a decade to successfully make some money and have fun with my music on the side, working out of my home studio, and maybe going out to local studios. During this time I met a producer who worked with artists regularly and seemed to live somewhat comfortably. I saw it was possible, but it took leaving my comfy corporate job to kick start me into music full-time.

Note: I am not condoning a lifestyle or career decision here, it's just what happened to me. Those were lean years at first. Lots of Ramen noodle eating and fretting about where mortgage would come from. But I managed to take a part-time music business producing artists and doing music arrangements and turn it into a full-time successful and now thriving 13-year-old business that is what you see today at CreativeSoulOnline.com

I had started going to music industry conferences around that time, especially those geared towards "independent artists". These were offered by the GMA on the Christian side, and other conferences on the secular side. In those days (mid to late 1990s) indies were viewed as complete wannabes. All the classes were "How to meet a producer" or "How to get signed" or "How to find a publisher". The idea of being a working, successful music person (or business) was not taken that very seriously at that time, as the only ones doing it successfully were in the Southern Gospel or Urban Gospel genre, or were die-hard singer-songwriters or rock bands that toured every blessed night! It was all about being discovered.

But it all changed around the turn of the century when the CD re-buying frenzy began to wane. There are great books about this like "Appetite for Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry in the Digital Age", or anything by Derek Sivers, whose company CDBaby helped change the entire industry (and spread the music industry zombie virus). Steve Jobs also helped with iTunes and the iPod, almost singlehandedly beginning the end of the CD, and with it the music industry's grip on sales.

By the mid-2000s it was obvious things were changing. Labels started downsizing, and everyone started looking for work.

I just kept doing the work I had always done, working with independent artists and helping them make great albums and find success. We were the tortoise that just kept on slow and steady (duh, zombies).

In 2004, I met a Grammy-winning engineer in Nashville who listened to what we were doing and said, "You need to bring your business to Nashville. It will change your world."

So I did. Up until then I had operated in Lexington, Kentucky, a nice sized town. But Nashville would present a new opportunity to work with the very best of the Christian genre. It would also be a great place to spread the virus.

Up until now, my particular virus had been constrained to the Bluegrass, but once we arrived in Nashville, the floodgates opened and artists started coming in droves to work with the very best in the Christian music world. Players, engineers, studios, and finally producers, who for years had been exclusively working with the major labels, were lining up to work for us. Every day someone new was (and still is) knocking on our door to offer their services. Why? They have been turned.

The music industry is like that fortified stronghold you see in zombie movies. A small contingent of folks stay inside, locked away from the growing hordes of the undead. But some zombies (like me) had found a way inside and were slowly turning those folks into people just like me – people looking to work and make a good living working for whoever needed our help.

So, here I am now in Nashville, one of the busier folks as others that had found success early in the old business model find that system no longer works in the real world.

I’m a music business zombie, but I’m a working music business zombie, in a world where there are more music zombies than music business people. And I think I’m okay with that.

Feel free to join me anytime you're ready to turn...

EC
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Eric Copeland is president of Creative Soul Companies, a thriving music consulting, production, and marketing business outside Nashville, TN. For more info on Eric check out http://www.EricCopelandMusic.com

A Conversation with Music Producer Eric Copeland

From a recent interview with MACKIE, a Christian Entertainment News Magazine. 

MACKIE:  How Long have you been involved in the entertainment business?

EC:   Well, I used to go to dances my father played when I was a kid and watch his band. Also, I was in church choirs and marching bands that traveled extensively as a teen. But I have been doing gigs professionally (both live and studio) since I was 18. In my early 20s I lived in Chicago and worked in several bands and with vocalists, but it wasn’t until the early 1990s that I began to work seriously as a producer for artists. Since then it has been a steady build of our music production and artist development business now known as Creative Soul.

MACKIE:   When did you know that you wanted to be in this business and what was your motivation?

EC:   I was always creative, and just naturally made stuff, whether it was songs, stories, comics, drawings, or what have you. I don’t think I ever really knew what a “music producer” was until the 90s though when I met another producer who worked in the Christian music business, and I began to see that someone could do this for a living. Since I started seriously writing songs at 13, my goal was to become a working songwriter. I now realize that dream, inside of my production business for clients.

MACKIE:   Who has helped you along the way and inspired you the most?

EC:   The aforementioned producer helped and mentored me very much. I've had many great mentors here in Nashville too. I truly believe in the mentor/apprentice mode and mentor several young producers now myself. My parents were both musicians, and completely understood my passions and goals, so they were a great help. My wife of 23 years though has probably been my most faithful supporter though, as well as challenging me to keep things real and pay attention to my home life and family, and not just “the music business”.

MACKIE:   What are some of the highlights of your career so far?

EC:   Highlights continue daily. Since I work with independent artists, every project and ministry we assist is a highlight. We've seen countless lives touched and saved from the work we do for artists. To be honest, the ability to be here in this point in my life, making a good living in this work after 20 years while others are trying to find work is probably the greatest blessing. I also have been blessed to pursue personal projects recently that have done quite well.

MACKIE:   Have you received any special awards or achievements?

EC:   We have received a few awards here and there, including a national Telly, and many of our artists have received awards from various contests. But our greatest achievements are what we create every day. We consider each album that we finish, each ministry we help establish, and each creative artist we help grow our finest achievements.

MACKIE:   Do you have any special events, shows/gigs coming up?

EC:   We are working on a very special project called “We Are Creative Soul” that features 15 of our artists and is a celebration of what we do here in Nashville. We are co-producing it  with legendary producer Phil Naish (Steve Curtis Chapman, Point of Grace), and it is a very big project with a bunch of new music. It will be a audio, video, and graphic project and should be completed in the next few months. We’re really looking forward to it.

MACKIE:   Where do you see yourself in the next 5 or 10 years?

EC:   I would imagine I will be close to where I am now, still serving artists and growing ministries. However, I also know that moving into higher realms of creating is my personal goal. New personal projects, books, and developing ideas has always been my passion. Creative Soul is running more smoothly, and I could see one day handing the reins to someone to continue this work and putting my entire focus on new creative projects. But I love teaching, coaching, and leading, so that will likely be part of the next life also.

MACKIE:   What would you like your legacy to be?

EC:   I think we have already been instrumental in leading the new industry of independent Christian artists, helping establish a new music business order. No longer is the only way to be a working, worldwide ministry  to get “signed” to a label deal. Artists can follow God’s lead and get started, and make a very high end project and promote it to the world, and that is what we help people do.

MACKIE:   Do you have other interests?

EC:   I also write fiction, and am an avid sports fan, especially basketball. I play, watch, write about, think about and crave basketball. Love the NBA, but get it honestly since I was born and raised in the hotbed of college basketball, Lexington, Kentucky, home of the Kentucky Wildcats. I also love to read, play PS3, and watch entirely too much TV.

MACKIE:   Any special words of encouragement or advice for our readers?

EC:   No matter what your dream is, no matter what the longings of your creative soul, work tirelessly to achieve them. Spend time working on your creative talents, no matter what anyone says or does to discourage you. God gave us these gifts to use for His glory, and we have a responsibility to use them in that way.

If you can’t do it yourself, find someone to mentor you, to talk to, and to guide you. Talk with your pastor, your creative friends, or come talk to us. But go after it. You probably already feel the Holy Spirit telling you, leading you, and prodding you to do this. It’s not about fame or fortune, but doing God’s work through the talents He has given you.

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For more on Eric Copeland, see his personal website at EricCopelandMusic.com or his Christian music production and artist development site CreativeSoulOnline.com

MACKIE, Christian Entertainment News Magazine is a division of Taylor Bear Productions, a DOLERN Media company.

Writing What You HAVE to Write

Sometimes there is no reason behind a song you write.

I don't mean there's nothing behind the lyrics or the inspiration for the song, I just mean it may never be a song that is meant for any kind of recognition, fame, or even sharing.

That may sound strange, but sometimes I think we all put too much expectations on the songs we write, paintings we paint, blogs we blog, or anything we create. We do it and wonder, "I can't wait to see what THIS does!"

The Brother-in-Law and the Banjo...

I almost hesitate to tell people what I do anymore.

I'll meet a stranger and we're exchanging pleasantries when the subject comes up.

"So what do you do in Nashville?"