Industry Insider: Dave Fowler on His Career, Artist Development & the Modern Music Industry

Dave Fowler is a respected musician, producer, and songwriter who has served as Editor-in-Chief and Co-Owner of Bass Frontiers Magazine.

Fowler has toured with a remarkable lineup of artists, including Billy Bob Thornton (The Boxmasters), Dolly Parton, Tracy Lawrence, Dr. John, Lorrie Morgan, and many more. His studio credits feature collaborations with Toby Keith, Micah Roberts, and Bill Szymczyk (The Eagles).

On television, he has appeared on shows such as The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The View, The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. In 2012, he was honoured to direct and hire artists for the Presidential Elections.

Fowler joins us for our column, Industry Insider, to discuss his career, artist development, the music industry, modern challenges facing artists today, and more.

Do you think traditional artist development is a dying art, with labels more interested in viral potential than fostering long-term careers?

Dave Fowler: “Well, first off, let me start by saying the business is so upside down. I’m not sure it will ever return to anything that resembles normal, but yes, labels fostering and nurturing an artist for a long-term career I feel are long gone, for instance… George Strait, I do believe, was fostered through two or three full-length records before he began to take off, and today, he’s considered the King case in point!”

Do you believe the responsibility for artist development now lies more with the artists themselves, or should labels and managers still play a bigger role in shaping careers?

“I believe with social media and all that, the burden of an artist’s career now rests squarely on the artist’s shoulders. The label basically wants you to build the house, and then once it’s built, they want to live in it. That’s kind of a crude way to put it, but that is the analogy as I see it. The flip side of that coin is it does require a lot of costs to nurture an artist’s career until you find success, and that can run into a lot of money, and it is now extremely difficult to recoup because record sales are not what they used to be with downloading and streams. In all honesty, that has kind of killed our business.”

What’s one hard truth about the music industry that no one prepares you for when you first enter it?

“It’s an extremely difficult journey. It’s not for the faint of heart, and if you like a normal life and a steady paycheck, this business is not for you.”

What’s the biggest mistake artists make when they first start building their team (managers, agents, publicists, etc.)?

“What a lot of new artists do not understand is they don’t need a manager or anything else until there is something to manage. A lot of these new acts feel like they need a manager right off the bat they do not understand management is more than a full-time job. So unless you can pay somebody what they’re worth, it’s a very vicious circle unless there is something to manage, and you are actually generating a lot of income. There’s just no need for it until you get way down the road into your career.”

Dave Fowler, photo by Mark Horan

What’s the most valuable long-term professional relationship you’ve built over your career, and how did you maintain it?

“I learned the value of people very early on in my career whether it’s the head of Sony Records or a powerhouse manager, like Clarence Spalding and record producers like Bill Szymczyk who did The Eagles. But I also found great value in getting to know the fans on somewhat of a personal level and making them feel like they were part of what I was doing and that they were welcome to get to know me. And as a result, I have friends all over the world from 40 years of touring, and I know for a fact, a lot of those fans have spent their absolute last nickel to come to see me from time to time.”

What advice would you give for cultivating lasting relationships in the industry?

“Just be nice and be professional and with communications being at an all-time high, it’s easy to stay in touch with people whether it’s the janitor cleaning up after the gig or fans or a record executive.”

How important do you think it is for artists to take a stance on social or political issues?

“With popularity comes tremendous responsibility. In my opinion, evil exists because good men do nothing. I think it’s ok to have an opinion, but you have to be very careful. Most certainly you can alienate part of your fan base. It’s a fine line…”

Do you think there’s too much pressure on artists to be ‘content creators’ in addition to musicians?

“I don’t think new artists think about this. It’s just now become part of who we are it’s now normal and it’s part of building a career through sheer hardcore, social media, and online strategies. Building your fan base… It’s just what it’s become for new artists!”

What’s the biggest challenge in breaking through the noise of today’s saturated music market?

“If it’s real, you will feel it, and if you feel it, you will usually buy it, at least that’s how it works for me with music. If I really feel what the artist is conveying through their music without fail, I will go support them and buy it.”

Do you think playlist culture has made it harder for artists to build a cohesive body of work, like an album?

“This is a definite 100 percent yes when we were kids. We bought the entire record because we enjoyed holding it looking at it, reading the liner notes, and all that came with the excitement of a new record from our favourite band or artist as a musician. We wanted to know who played on it and we followed those musicians, most of them played on many hit records. Today if you just like a song, you have the option of downloading that one song and bypassing the rest of the artist’s work. I don’t like it but again it’s where we are as consumers.”

How do you manage to stay true to your artistic identity while still keeping up with the rapidly changing industry?

“Honestly, I just enjoy being me. I like to be hired because of what I may bring to the table that’s different from any other bass player. I’m certainly not the best and I don’t want pressure being the best. I just enjoy what I do and I hope people hire me for what I’m able to bring to the table. I’m so glad I never let this sort of thing get inside my head. I’m happy being who I am.”

How has your definition of success changed over the years? Is it still about fame and financial rewards, or have other aspects become more important?

“In my opinion, I’m one of the most successful guys out there. I get up every day and I do pretty much what I want to do. I have not got rich doing this but man oh man, I have lived an amazing life and it continues 40 years and counting!”

The music industry is known for its relentless pace. How do you personally deal with burnout, and what advice would you give to younger artists struggling with it?

“Harley Davidson motorcycles. They are very dangerous, but it is my release from the rest of the world. I highly recommend them but if you choose to get one, please be conscience and aware when you’re riding. Again, they are very dangerous.”

Dave Fowler, photo by Rick Malkin

In retrospect, how much of your success do you attribute to hard work, and how much to being in the right place at the right time? Can artists manufacture their own luck, or is it mostly out of their control?

“No doubt I have put a lot of work in, so nothing comes without hard work and perseverance. It’s not going to just magically come to you networking and meeting musicians or artists who are doing what you are aspiring to do is a big deal. It doesn’t have to be a major rockstar; you can find successful musicians who are playing with artists and are very accessible and willing to share advice. Again, finding musicians that are in the spot you want to be in and setting realistic goals, one by one to achieve that is very key in my opinion.”

In your experience, how important is timing when it comes to releasing music? What’s the worst timing decision you’ve witnessed?

“Everything in this business is a luck of the draw. I don’t necessarily believe there is bad timing. You just have to make the absolute best recordings possible put them out there and hope the public grasps it and loves it.

“Case in point. I co-produced a record with a young artist named Travis Tidwell. He’s one of the most gifted cats I’ve run into in years, superb artist, guitar player, and a great singer-songwriter. Unfortunately, we finished his record right at the onset of the pandemic and put it out. I think for that reason it died a slow painful death. It was so not fair to Travis, but he is still plowing along, and I’m helping him all that I can. He’s a great great talent and a wonderful young man. Look him up, you won’t be sorry!”

How do you think the artist-fan relationship will evolve over the next few years as direct-to-fan models become more prevalent?

“This is the most crucial of all relationships developed. I cannot stress enough, how important it is for an artist to get to know their fans when they are on the rise. And it’s important on some level that they maintain those friendships and relationships as they grow as an artist. You cannot place a value on this but at the same time as the artist becomes more and more popular, it becomes much more difficult to be accessible to the fans. It’s just impossible after a certain point due to the demands that will be placed on the artist’s time.”

What do you think will be the most significant shift in music consumption over the next decade?

“This is the million-dollar question. If I had the absolute answer to this, I would be a mega-millionaire in a few years. Nobody knows everyone is trying to figure it out, including me.”

How do you see the relationship between music and visual content evolving in the era of YouTube and TikTok?

“I think it has evolved as much as it can. There will be changes and improvements as time goes on, however, this is both good and bad. People now hear with their eyes, they expect (something) visual. There was a time we put a record on and had to use our imagination for whatever was going on while the music was being made. Now there’s nothing left to think about and be creative about in our own minds when listening to our favourite music.”

What role do you think branding plays in an artist’s long-term success?

“People now have to identify an artist with a brand, whether it’s a logo or a certain sound that the artist creates or the style of songwriting or whatever the case may be, but branding has now become an extremely important part of building an artist’s career. As an artist grows they have teams around them. This becomes more and more relevant more independent artists should get hip to this… I don’t think this aspect of this part of an artist’s career is going away ever.”

Do you believe there’s a resurgence of interest in concept albums, or are they becoming a relic of the past?

“To me, it’s definitely a relic of the past. Kids today do not care about things like the kind of guitar Jimi Hendrix played or a 1960s Fender bass guitar. They are perfectly fine with getting the cheapest thing possible to beat on a few hours and lay it aside. They simply don’t care about it the way I did when I grew up. So concept records are absolutely a thing of the past unless you’re in my age group at least that is my thoughts on that particular subject.”

How do you feel about the growing trend of artists using crowdfunding platforms to finance albums or tours?

“It’s very important to understand that nothing is possible without the fans. This will never change if they do not consume your product and attend your shows and buy a t-shirt. You cannot keep the wheels rolling. It’s impossible without the fans.”

What’s your opinion on the rise of artist-led businesses, like labels and studios? Is this a smart move for long-term career growth?

“Recording records and putting out material with current marketing costs can get very expensive. Unless the artist heading the label has massive success and very serious influence I do not recommend trying to start your own label and break a new artist that is not known. It’s a very arduous and difficult process, not to mention expensive as heck!

“A lot of these acts that have a hit or two need to save their money and prepare for the future because it’s a very uncertain business. This is the most unstable of all businesses and a guaranteed money loser. So if you’re fortunate enough to make some money, take my advice and save it!”

What’s your take on the importance of artist documentaries and behind-the-scenes content for building a fanbase?

“Fans love feeling like they are part of your career so behind-the-scenes video is a really big deal to them. It makes them feel like they are there in the moment and being in the know, I cannot stress this enough. It’s a very important part of the process in my opinion.”

How has your view on the role of a manager evolved over your career? What do you think makes a great manager today?

“I have always felt that a good manager will have vision, but the most important thing beyond that in my opinion is they really watch out for their artist’s finances because nothing lasts forever. You want to be sure as a manager that your artist will have some money when all is said and done because it will end! So many great artists wind up broke because of poor management and bad advice.

“It’s not popular to tell an artist when they are spending too much money, but it is your duty as a manager to try and help them whether or not they receive it is up to them, but you have a responsibility to help them in that area.”

What do you believe is the next big disruption waiting to hit the music industry?

“Without a doubt, the next pandemic, and there will be one in my opinion.”

What’s your view on how artificial intelligence is shaping music production, creation, and marketing?

“I’m not a fan. AI is a negative thing to me all the way around.”

How do you think the rise of AI-generated music will impact the careers of human musicians?

“Nothing will ever take the place of a band sitting in a room and making music together. There’s a certain breathing element happening when guys are sitting together and playing music together. It has heart and it breathes and you feel it. AI will never achieve that not ever.”