Jason Mraz – HuffPost 7.14.14

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

Jason Mraz: I would just say get out there and play. If you’re a new artist, practice your art and share it. Set up shop somewhere, whether it’s a street corner or a coffee shop. I got my start in a coffee shop that didn’t even have live music. I wanted to play in coffee shops that did have live music, but I didn’t have an audience. I didn’t really have anything to offer those coffee shops, so I went down the street to a place that didn’t have live music and I said, “Hey, can I bring some speakers and some music on Friday night?” They said, “Sure.” By the end of the Summer, it was packed every Friday night. You couldn’t even get in. That’s what I try to encourage artists to do, make a home for yourself where it’s easy for the community to find you and by playing often you’ll improve as a writer, as a performer, and you’ll develop a loyal fan base. I think these days, new artists have a tendency to try to cut corners. Maybe they want a Kickstarter campaign and have an audience pay for their album. Well, you can also go out there and play enough gigs and earn money for that album and the music will probably be better and your listener will probably be stronger because you’ve actually spent more time on the road and in the venues. I think it’s important to earn your fan base and not just try to immediately advance to the top. If you ride to the top quickly, you’re liable to fall as quickly. Take your time. It’s a long journey ahead of you as an artist. There’s nowhere that you’re supposed to be other than right now living inside of your art.