Ken McCarthy sent me a quick note yesterday:
“For the first two years when he arrived in NYC, John Coltrane was available to play on anyone’s record for union scale. It only lasted two years, but still…imagine that.”
Ken says: “How many “legends in their own mind” are unwilling to work cheap (or free) until they prove themselves?”
http://www.youtube.com/user/JazzVideoGuy#p/a/u/1/mAyDIhy5V5s
(If you’re into jazz at all, this is a great video.)
I have said many times that talented marketing consultants are only available for about 2 years. After that they become prohibitively expensive and often they form their own band rather than playing for somebody else’s.
Now (thanks to Ken) I call that “The John Coltrane Phenomenon.”
The best way to get your 10,000 hours in is to get PAID to practice. Even if it’s the wages of a union musician. Most of the best marketing people I know (Howie Jacobson immediately comes to mind) spent a couple of years in this mode.
Most people don’t know that guitarist Jimmy Paige played elevator muzak for awhile, until he got sick of it and formed Led Zeppelin.
When you’re playing for other people you encounter all kinds of things you’d never find all by yourself and it perfects your chops.
If you know that there’s a John Coltrane genius lurking deep inside of you, don’t deny him any opportunity to develop his vocabulary. Even John Coltrane was not above playing with whoever would hire him for a buck seventy-five an hour, for a little while.
Perry Marshall
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About the Author
Perry Marshall has launched two revolutions in sales and marketing. In Pay-Per-Click advertising, he pioneered best practices and wrote the world's best selling book on Google advertising. And he's driven the 80/20 Principle deeper than any other author, creating a new movement in business.
He is referenced across the Internet and by Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, INC and Forbes Magazine.
11 Comments on “How to hire jazz legend John Coltrane for "union scale"”
Hey Perry,
Great reference! As probably one of the few (perhaps only?) professional Tenor Sax player & 6 figure earning Adwords consultants around this post certainly caught my attention.
For those looking to break into independent consulting/management I’d also offer this piece of Jazz related advice. When you’re starting out NEVER TURN DOWN A GIG if you’ve got the time no matter how insignificant or “beneath you” you might think it is because you never know what life changing connections can come from it.
Charlie Parker played bar mitzvah’s, Coltrane played in cheap blues bands where he’d have to “walk the bar” or stand up on the bar and play as a cheap stunt. Either gig on it’s own might not seem like a path to anything greater but that trumpet player also sitting in that night might be the next Miles Davis or the piano player the next Thelonious Monk and that one chance encounter could be the key to breaking through for you.
For me personally it was taking a job with a little 2 man hole in the wall start-up spending only about $5k a month on adwords that were “looking for an adwords guy”. Within a year and a half I was able to build that out successfully to a $25k/day campaign (following plenty of Perry’s advice BTW) and long story short, that led to the confidence, experience and connections I needed to make that break from the Dilbert cube and go out on my own as an Adwords consultant and manager.
The point is I almost turned down the job offer with that little no-name start up because I had previously worked for a big household name internet co. This was going to be a big step backwards in my mind but that bit of advice from my old Jazz teacher rang in my head. “NEVER TURN DOWN A GIG!”
Great story! A must-read for all aspiring and current entrepreneurs.
It’s interesting to reflect back on my own career progression with this in mind:
As an employee, I dreamed of freelancing & consulting, thinking that I had perfected my chops.
As a freelancer and consultant, I learn so much each day — still perfecting my chops and loving the thrill of the hunt!
And I’m hopeful that someday someone will talk about me in my industry with the same awe that they talk about Coltrane in his “industry”.
Sonny Rollins and Pat Martino are two other jazz greats that remind me greatly of this Trane story. Pat Martino actually having been a close, personal friend of Coltrane as a child in Philadelphia. One of the best albums that I own is Kenny Burrell and John Coltrane on Prestige. If you don’t have it, get it. Today. Great stuff.
I like this idea and notion that greats don’t just ‘pay their dues’ but actually build a reputation one thing at a time. For Coltrane, it’s one amazing solo after another. For an athlete, one amazing play after another.
One thing though, Coltrane wasn’t going around playing with just anyone! These guys paying union dues were absolute masters who have stood the test of time. People mention Elmo Hope, Red Garland, Philly Joe, and Donald Byrd almost as much as Trane these days. So maybe looking at Coltrane specifically, he was part of a culture brewing with excellence and masters from which he just happened to stand out from-being the genius. What great company though! Jeez!
Just for what it’s worth
Amen brother.
And then after putting your 10,000 hours in you can have a church named after you. So, if you’re in SF hit the church of Coltrane and skip the stodgy church organ music and get a “Love Supreme” as part of the sermon.
I recently took the plunge decided enough was enough – without taking any action then all the stuff I was learning was pointless. I was looking for some cycling coaching services and found I couldn’t afford them – but the one I really wanted had a poor website and marketing strategy – so I spent a couple of hours putting together a marketing report and sent them a JV offer.
They were well impressed – agreed almost the same day to our partnership and so far so good things have been developing very well in both areas – cycling and marketing!
Roll on paid clients!
Ps. It has done a huge amount for my confidence and I am still learning everyday – I am very grateful for that moment when I put myself out there with the possibility of being rejected! Scary stuff at the time but well worth it in the end.
I wish I was as talented at something as Trane is on the sax. Anyway, I’m a huge fan. Have been for years, which is probably why I put my sax down many, many years ago.
Like the consulting plan. I think I would be very interested in that.
Perry,
This encouragement couldn’t have come at a better time.
For the past 21/2 years, I’ve been writing copy and have been a PPC/SEO specialist for a local ad agency. Our client base is around the country, but is mostly local markets.
I’ve passionately been tearing through your materials, learning direct response copywriting/marketing, joined PPC Classroom 2.0 (great program. I learned a ton, but got my google account shut off and really don’t have the budget to start off with PPC affiliate markeitng right now. Creative ad agencies pay crap.)
I’ve had it. I’m fed up working at a creative ad agency where there’s no accountability. I’m the only one who can reduce my job to numbers. Nobody in creative thinks about generating leads(and like you said, we get clients by having a lady cold call all day!)
Anyways, I’m now starting off as a local internet marketing consultant. It’s really amazing once you get out there and talk to some people. EVERY BUSINESS OWNER I TALK TO IS INTERESTED IN MY SERVICES! They don’t all buy, but everyone is interested. Business’s need help now!
If you have these skills, and need to get going, then you’re doing a disservice by not getting out there and helping business owners.
You have mentioned this “consulting” idea in several settings over the past month or so. Sounds like you need to offer a program on setting up and running a consulting practice with a Perry Marshall brand.
We may be doing that later this year :^>
Good, thought-provoking post Perry.
Timely for me as I’ve just recently read both Stewart Copeland’s and Sting’s autobiographies (just in case, that’s The Police’s drummer and bassist/songwriter/lead vocal).
Both are excellent and illustrate your point wonderfully – they were working their nuts off for others for next to no money for years before the big payoff came.
Sting’s story (“Broken Music”) is brilliant – penetratingly insightful, soul-baring, and even difficult to put down. And’s that’s even before he gets into his career with the Police…
Major takeaway from his book which I think you’ll relate to (paraphrased): “Versatility is for Show, Personality is for Dough”) – Sting explains that while auditioning to recording labels (inc Virgin, who liked his early band Last Exit) they got nowhere as a band playing cover versions, nightclub, cruise liner music and so on. The up and coming successful bands of the time were those with energy and focus, like the Sex Pistols, the Ramones et al. These guys ushered in the Punk era which Sting realised was the way to go. And the rest as they say is history…