097 – Don’t Wait Until Your Golden Years: The Musician’s List-Building Wake-Up Call

Have you ever wondered what happens to talented musicians who spend decades perfecting their craft but never build an audience? Are you currently so focused on creating great work that you're neglecting the relationships and contact lists that could sustain your career in the future? Perhaps you assume that your talent alone will eventually attract the recognition and financial rewards you deserve, or that social media platforms will always provide access to the people who matter most to your career. In this eye-opening episode of Creativity Excitement Emotion, David shares a sobering case study of working with a veteran musician in his golden years who possesses substantial talent and decades of excellent work, but virtually no audience to monetize it. Through this real-world example, David reveals the harsh reality of what happens when list-building and relationship maintenance are neglected throughout a creative career—and why it becomes exponentially harder to build an audience when you finally need one. Whether you're just starting your musical journey or have been creating for years without systematically building your contact database, this episode provides both the wake-up call and practical strategies needed to ensure you don't find yourself with limited options when you're ready to monetize your life's work. Sponsors: Productivity, Performance & Profits Blackbook: Get a free copy of the “Definitive Guide to Productivity for Artists and Entrepreneurs.” Highlights: 00:17 – This is the situation you don’t want to find yourself in… 01:55 – The preventable reality 03:26 – Relying on systems that may not last 05:46 – Small practices that build rapport 06:35 – The value of building relationships with a wide array of people 07:59 – Updating your list as time moves forward 09:52 – You don’t have to do this perfectly 10:49 – Refreshing your database 11:17 – Monetization challenges 13:51 – Closing thoughts Summary: In this sobering and practical episode, David shares insights from working with a veteran musician in his golden years who finds himself with decades of excellent work but virtually no audience to monetize it. Through this real-world case study, David delivers both a cautionary tale and actionable guidance about the critical importance of building and maintaining contact lists throughout a creative career, before it's too late. Key Themes & Takeaways The stark reality of reaching later career stages without an audience despite quality work Why list-building and relationship maintenance are non-negotiable for sustainable creative careers The predictable ways networks naturally shrink over time without intentional effort How to build meaningful contact databases that provide options for future monetization The difference between social media followers and owned contact information The Golden Years Reality Check David opens with a sobering case study of a veteran musician facing monetization challenges: A client with substantial body of work but minimal audience or contact list Decades of performances and collaborations that never translated to owned relationships The harsh reality of having limited options when trying to monetize without an existing audience How even talented, experienced creators can find themselves isolated in their later years "He asked me how we were going to monetize his work. This is where I got to talking about his email list. It's not something that he spent a whole lot of time, in fact, really any time building through the years... he did not have a list, he did not have traffic, he did not have a following or an audience." This opening immediately establishes the stakes while providing a clear example of what happens when relationship-building is neglected throughout a career. The Preventable Crisis David emphasizes that this situation, while common, is entirely avoidable: The same time resources available to everyone (24 hours, 365 days) can be used differently How craft development often happens in isolation, but audience building requires different strategies The missed opportunities at every performance, collaboration, and professional interaction Why waiting until monetization becomes urgent makes the challenge exponentially harder "There's something you can do about it today, tomorrow, the day after. You’ve got the same 24 hours a day everyone else does... with all the performances he's done, with all the people he's worked with... There were surely handshakes, there were surely people met along the way." This section emphasizes the urgency of taking action while also acknowledging that most musicians face this challenge, as audience building isn't an intuitive aspect of artistic practice. The Network Shrinkage Phenomenon David explains the natural forces that erode professional networks over time: How life transitions (family, career changes, relocations) naturally separate people The tendency to form "situational frien