The Doobie Brothers’ Tom Johnston – HuffPost 6.18.14

Mike Ragogna: What advice do you have for new artists?

Tom Johnston: Well I’ve been asked that a lot, and the music business has changed so drastically from when we came in–it’s like night and day. Number one: Be as good at your craft–whatever that is, singing, playing or both–as you possibly can. Practice as much as you can, but I have to be honest with you, and this sounds cold but it’s the truth: you’d better find somebody that’s connected. Play as many shows live as possible. That’s another hardship because nowadays the venues that used to be available for doing that have stunk, a lot of times you have to pay to play it if you’re just starting out. Radio’s changed, how you buy music has changed, how music is brought to the public as far as streaming and downloading has changed. Radio is still the same in as much as you hear it on the air, but radio has changed a lot. My advice is make sure it’s what you really want to do and you’re going to have to get used to the idea that you’ll really have to work at it unless you know somebody who’s high up in the hierarchy.