Jason Flom – HuffPost 9.5.14

Mike Ragogna: Jason, what advice do you have for new artists?

Jason Flom: It’s interesting. It’s changing. I think the most important thing is to get out there. Get out of your garage if you’re in there practicing, play as many shows as you can, make your presence known on social media any way you can, put content out there. In this day and age, it’s really important to put content out there. And I guess believe in yourself until the evidence against it becomes overwhelming. You and I both had that experience. I heard the first Van Halen record and I said, “Okay, f**k it, I’m hanging up my guitar. I might as well try to dunk a basketball. This is ridiculous.” Be very cautious early on with who you get involved with in terms of managers and agents, there’s going to be all kinds of people coming at you with all kinds of offers that may look very tantalizing but do your research, make sure as best as you can that the people that are going to be a part of your inner circle are people who can actually help you. Be aware that this business is a business of rejection and disappointment. Some of the biggest artists I’ve ever signed have been dropped from other labels, maybe more than one. Katy Perry was dropped from two labels when I signed her. Kid Rock had had two record deals, neither of which had worked out when I signed him. It’s a difficult one because some people will read this who maybe don’t even have the talent and will say, “Well, Jason said just keep at it!” There’s no magic formula, but I think you should read the audience as best as you can. When you’re playing a show, you’ll see what songs react better, you’ll see what they vibe for, you can see it online now, too, and then go towards what works. Then the only other thing I would say is stay true to yourself. You have to do what you do and try to be the best at it.