Dustin Bates – HuffPost 9.9.14

Mike Ragogna: What is your advice to new artists?

Dustin Bates: Focus on songwriting. The song is the most important piece of the equation. This advice likely sounds obvious to non-artists, but I constantly see artists focusing too much energy on the wrong things. Getting big gigs and selling tickets, for instance, does not matter very much in the long run. Finding a “manager” will not do as much for you as writing a great song. Besides, the managers will come if you have the songs. Getting things like the performance, sound, look, and stage presence down are fantastic, but they all exist so that you can most effectively convey your songs. If your songs suck, nobody cares. Oh, and have fun and don’t quit your day job prematurely.

MR: What’s the best advice ever given to you?

DB: I think the most effective advice I’ve ever received has boiled down to “you can do it” and “don’t give up” from those whom I respected and trusted. As simple as it is, coming from the right people, it can provide a considerable amount of confidence when in the trenches working hard towards achieving difficult things.