So you want to make it in the music business or help your child to? A few years back a friend of a friend asked if we would help them get appointments at record labels so they could get a record deal. They wanted to just show up in New York so that their kids could get famous. They actually thought it was that easy! Ahh…only if it was that simple! With us it was shear luck that we got connected in all areas and things just started lining up with no plan whatsoever. You are saying “What? Is it shear luck?” Well, for us it wasn’t luck…because we don’t believe in luck, but more like prayer and work. Thomas Jefferson hit the nail on the head when he said….“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.“
Last year, I quoted Green Day as saying that they thought they weren’t the most talented band out there but worked hard for years. It’s not like I am going to talk about working hard again but let’s face it if you are trying to make it out there in the music business you are going to have to work hard. That means the parents, the band, and the team.
But working hard doesn’t mean that you’ll do anything to get to the top. Let me repeat that. Working hard does not mean that you’ll do anything to get to the top. Do you remember being protective of your child when they were younger and haven’t been as much as they have gotten older? Then now’s the time to reset the protective button. I have seen first hand bands or performers that will do just about anything to get well known. Believe me, nothing’s worth your integrity or your child’s…nothing. There are predators in the entertainment business as well as anywhere else. I am not trying to scare you but to make you aware. When kids are desperate to be famous and start to trust those around them, that can make them vulnerable to predators.
Parents, please, please be protective. If someone tells you, you are overly protective, smile to yourself. Chances are they probably don’t have children and when you protect your child, you are doing your job. After all, no one has your child’s back like you do. My husband and I have had to say no to things many times because it was more important to keep our kids protected then to have them take on a certain project or particular situation even if we knew it would move their career forward.
I highly recommend that one or more parent be present at every situation whether it be at a set, touring, in the studio. You’ll want to make sure they are not overworked or being asked to do things that they are not comfortable with. It’s hard for a kid to stand up to an adult as it is and throw in a professional situation where they are recording or performing makes it doubly difficult. Your job is to be their filter, to keep them from being taken advantage of, and to keep them comfortable with all that is going on around them. If you think you can’t do that alone then bring another trusted adult with you and if your job pulls you away from being with your child have somebody you totally and completely trust go in your stead. I have seen kids on tour at age 16 with no parent around for the whole tour and it baffles me. For us, my husband has been there with the boys every step of the way. He’s had people try to tell him how to parent on the road and he’s had to tell them to stay in their own lane.
People in the business may make you parents feel like you are in the way…and well…you are. But when it’s all said and done, being “in the way” is more like you are “on the way” and that can bring more confidence and success then being out of the way.
