Jay Jay French – HuffPost 12.14.11
Mike Ragogna: What advice do you have for new artists?
Jay Jay French: Stay in school, and get a law degree. Get out of the music business as fast as you can, it’s a sinking ship and it’s a mess. When I started out I was twenty years old, gasoline was 39 cents a gallon, hotel rooms were $19.99 a night, truck rentals were $25 a week, you got paid a $150 a night to work in a club, you could work 6 nights a week, you could drink at 18, and there was a record industry where you could dream to become a rock star in. Now, gas is $4 a gallon, hotel rooms are $300 a night, truck rental is $500 dollars a week. Not only can you not get paid to play a club, you have to pay to play the club, the drinking age is 21, the clubs are about 30% what they used to be back in the day, and there’s no record industry. Knowing that, if you do want to continue, knock yourself out. It’s a very screwed up situation right now. I would say that if I was twenty and I looked at the facts that I just gave you and I could make a decision, I’m going to still chance it, that I’m going to get something on YouTube. And it happens because there’s never been more music created than there is today. However, the opportunity to be come the rockstar or the millionaire or to tour and make a lot of money is almost non-existent with new bands. That’s really the scary part of it. I don’t know if I would venture forth at the age of twenty knowing that the system has crumbled. Sometimes though, ignorance is bliss, so if you don’t care, and “I’m going to make it anyway,” and if you’re going to succeed, you’re going to need that attitude. Then I say knock yourself out. You really have to have a vision and you have to be very entrepreneurial. It’s not for the weak-minded or weak-stomached person. A band is a tough thing enough, especially as an entrepreneurial business. If you don’t have that entrepreneurial ability, don’t start. You’re going to have to confront tons of problems and make your own way. Music has that allure, you get addicted to it. That’s what I had. That’s what all my friends had, so best of luck to you. Just look at the playing field and make good choices.