Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Danielle Taylor. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Danielle thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you take us back in time to the first dollar you earned as a creative – how did it happen? What’s the story?
My very first music dollar was earned in 2012.
I’d performed a bunch before, but never for any amount of money. Finally, I was asked to perform at a winery in Malibu, CA. They offered $50 for 3 hours of performance and I was elated!
Earning money instead of “getting exposure” was awesome!
The crowd was built in, so I didn’t have to bring fans, the winery let me sell my merch (I had CDs and t-shirts), and they gave me free wine while I played. It was a great set up haha
I became a regular at this particular winery and eventually, dared to venture out and find new venues that would pay me.
Over time, as I became more experienced, my price for performance grew until I was earning a legitimate income.
I will always love that little Malibu winery, for their kindness, and for being a safe space to build my career.
Danielle, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Sure! My journey in the music business has been a wild one! I’ve basically always been a music lass — I was raised in a family that put a high value on music and encouraged me to learn an instrument. I started on the clarinet when I was in 3rd grade and continued the study of classical music up through college. It was a great education and the skills I developed (practice, time management, perseverance) would help me later in life as I built my independent music career.
In 2007 I decided I no longer wanted to study the clarinet… I wanted to sing and write songs. I didn’t know where to start, I didn’t play any instruments besides the clarinet, and I didn’t know how to write songs. So, needless to say, I had a lot of work ahead of me. I listened to some of my favorite songs, studied their structures, took notes, and tried my hand at writing. I found a free piano and taught myself to play — practicing 4-6 hours every day. I put an ad on Craigslist for a band and found some players. Some guys came and went, but one player stuck with me for the long haul. We were pretty awful to start, but we had heart and determination so we kept at it.
In 2011, after a couple years honing our craft, we released our first EP. We put on our first big concert and I got a taste of the music business in full effect. I had to find musicians, pay them to rehearse and perform, make flyers to promote the event, book the venue, sell tickets to bring a crowd to my event, design the show (set list, lighting, sound, and staging), select openers, and then of course, I had to put on a bangarang performance. It was a lot and I loved it!
I continued learning the business, performing, writing, and creating music. In 2014, I was performing enough to make the leap to full time musician, so I quit my 9-5 job. THAT’S when the really hard work began. Now I, and I alone was responsible for earning every penny. I quickly slipped into a routine of reaching out, booking myself, writing music, performing, and sleeping. That was all I did. The threat of not making enough money was always at my heels, so I was always motivated haha.
Over the years I got to work with some incredible Grammy winning producers that really elevated my game as an artist and creator. I learned to consider all elements of a song, not just the melody, lyrics, and piano line. I started taking voice lessons and became a stronger singer. I took an interest in engineering and mixing so my demos would be a clearer representation of my vision. I invested in myself, often going into debt, so that I could learn and progress year after year. Creating music was an economic risk and meant I had to perform more and more until the debts were paid off.
But the risk was worth it. I worked with the best people I could find and in turn, started creating music that the world responded to. In 2016, I made my first full length record and it was picked up by program directors at SiriusXM. That was HUGE for me. Not only did it validate my artistry and give me a much needed boost of confidence, it also greatly boosted my income.
After the success of my 2016 record, I kept performing, creating, and sharing songs with my new friends at SXM — I also started getting placements in overheads across the world, terrestrial radio placements, and the occasional tv placement. All of which meant more money.
2016 was also the year I stopped chasing the LA music scene and started creating my own. Every 6 months or so, I would find a venue, select one or two openers, and put on my own headlining show. I ran everything — I risked everything — and at the end of each event, I reaped the rewards of incredibly hard work. The shows were wonderful and the crowds always had a great time. The openers were remarkably talented, and my fans loved them just as much as they enjoyed me. They got paid, I got paid, the staff got paid,… it was great.
2020 and the Rona days kind of put the kibosh on live performances and I really had to pivot. I started producing artists. I kept recording and learning new techniques myself, but I really jumped in to producing with both feet. I studied with 6x Grammy winner, David Greenbaum, and learned as much as I could about producing… and specifically mixing. I wanted to be the kind of producer that I’d previously worked with. Someone that would not only guide the song, the structure, the lyrics, and the melody, … but also someone that could mix the track to keep costs down.
Opening my world up to production made me instantly interested in helping other artists. I found that many artists didn’t know about PRO’s, copyrights, metadata, licenses, etc… I wanted to help them create great music, but I also wanted to help them find a money making path forward.
I had several friends in the sync-licensing world and new that I could at least get for others what I’d gotten for myself, if not more. So I created a music library (Chance Recordings) and started pitching music ~ about 45% of which I had produced. I also built out my company (Kimble & Taylor Productions) to be a fully licensed, bonded, and insured Talent/Booking agency.
When the world started to turn again, I was in full swing :: Producer – Librarian/Sync Agent – Talent/Booking Agent.
Today, my three-pronged trifecta business is in full swing. I find a talented artist, produce a song (or album), add them to my music library, and book work for them. I’m all about empowering musicians to do what they love — helping to create an income that grows and allows them to be full time creators.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
Go to live shows.
Music is free and everywhere — so while I’d like to say, “buy music” … I know that’s not realistic anymore.
No matter where my music journey takes me, I will always be an artist first and foremost. I will always create and release new music, and I will always perform live. I hope that throughout my journey, the people that love my music will come see me perform it.
The biggest thing society as a whole can do to support musicians, is to go to their shows. Buy the $15 ticket to see someone you enjoy perform. Cheer them on, take video if you’re so inclined, but SHOW UP. Live performance is how musicians get better at their craft, it’s how they feel out new material, get over stage fright, and find their swagger.
It’s also one of the largest sources of income for beginning and mid-level musicians.
If you love someone’s music, following them, streaming their music, and/or watching their videos is not enough. We get literal pennies for anything digital. It’s no secret that streaming platforms basically don’t pay artists at all — and getting a few thousand followers is great for our confidence, but it generally provides bupkis in the tangible world.
We need money to be artists full time — so come to our shows. Show your support by physically showing up.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
There are a million resources out there and choosing what to read is a daunting task.
I’ve always been an avid reader of ‘Music Connection’ — they offer fast, free, comprehensible advice as it relates to the music business.
I also love the newsletters from ASCAP and the Recording Academy. Wonderful, experienced, intelligent people share their insights every week and if you read the articles, you can really learn a lot.
I also try to befriend wise folks — people that have experience doing what I want to be doing. I find they’re an unending source of knowledge an inspiration.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://danielletaylormusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danielletaylormusic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danielletaylormusic
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielletaylormusic
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/danielletaylor_
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/danielletaylormusic
- Other: https://chancerecordings.com https://kimble-and-taylor.com https://music.apple.com/us/artist/danielle-taylor/376312162 https://open.spotify.com/artist/7sXPxWcXq4L8IQ3uIHiVkr?si=s5E2UU3TRsegsmOsrpbhJw
Image Credits
Credits: Brent Powell Reina Mora Brian Kimble