Article: Tara Shannon offers a fresh take on “making it” in the music industry with her new book

This article was published byApt613.ca on August 30, 2023. You can find it here. Apt613 celebrates what’s up and coming for Ottawa arts & culture.

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“Let’s get away from this idea, this Cinderella story we’re sold, that you have to slug it out until somebody with power discovers you, plucks you from the masses, determines you’re ‘special-er’ than everyone else and elevates you to stardom.”

Tara Shannon tells me this as we chat by video about her new book, You and the Music Business, which launched on August 24.

“This book happened as a result of wanting to reach more people who are artists—the ones who don’t have coaching or management or a team—[to give them] something that could help them feel better and help them introduce tools in their life to have balance and really understand the core principles of business, so they can start building theirs around music.”

Tara is a thriving musician, with her next album coming out in 2024. She’s also a record-label owner, active music coach, and mom of seven. She’s written music for the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association and the United Way and sits on the board of the Ottawa Music Industry Coalition [https://ottawamic.com/].

“Music is everything,” Tara says. “It’s sound medicine, vibrational medicine. Music is a really powerful energy that connects us all, because it reminds us to feel in a culture where we’re in our heads way too much—this invisible rat race of trying to make it or get there or be successful or however that’s defined. Music is that thing that causes us to pause. It brings us back to the moment.”

You and the Music Business is about music—and more. “To be successful in the business of music, you need to be successful in the business of you,” Tara says. Both in her book and through her website, Tara coaches artists to “see themselves as a business and to understand themselves in a way that will foster the ability to create a sustainable living with their music.”

“Anybody who’s struggling through their music career and trying to figure it out, who’s being beaten up a little bit or feeling alone—this book definitely will help with that. The most important thing that the book will give you is knowing how to take your power back, so you’re not waiting for someone else to give you permission to live the life you want for yourself, to realize the vision that you have for your life.

“This [book] is not ‘this is how you make it in the music business.’ There are some really great books out there that cover all of that. This is ‘why do you want to be in the music business? What’s motivating you? Why do you want that or why do you think that’s the next best thing to do?’”

You and the Music Business will help those “looking for clarity on how the music business works,” Tara says, but it’s also meant to help an artist “feel peaceful and powerful as an independent music creator.” The book shares strategies on coaching, management, and teamwork—the tools to have balance in a “build a business” approach that appeals to musicians and a broader range of artists.

When asked about her own music, Tara laughs. “I’m a country girl. I love country music and that’s where my heart is as a songwriter. But I’m not country enough for country music as an artist. I’m more… inspirational country soul… I talk about my story, and I really let people into my life, and so this record I’m working on now is adult contemporary soft rock with a touch of soul and a touch of country.”

Though she’s often in Nashville, Tara always comes back to Ottawa. “I’m very connected to the Ottawa music community. I’ve been on the [Ottawa Music Industry Coalition] board for the last five years or so. I’m very passionate and focused on helping—in any way I can—the ecosystem of music thrive within Ottawa. Developing and uplifting artists but also helping to create more of a growth funnel, if you will, for artists within the city, so that they don’t have to go elsewhere to find the support services that they need.

“This is my favourite place to play,” she adds. “I just love Ottawa. Ottawa has this amazing music community that people just don’t know about. It’s a beautiful city and the diversity in the music and the culture, and the richness of the culture is so unique to the area... I love being part of that, in that conversation and trying to help Ottawa turn into a music city.”

You and the Music Business is published by Lucky Book Publishing (LBP), a hybrid publisher focused on making book publishing accessible. Tara explains that her experience with LBP mirrors the message in her book about the Cinderella-type story of being discovered.

“That’s not likely to happen because it’s too high-risk [for the industry],” she says, but “you don’t need a million fans to make a living. You just need to find your people and relationships and monetize that so you can earn a living.”

Find Tara and get her book at www.jointara.com.