Industry Insider: Anthony Vanderburgh Discusses the Music Industry and Career Success

Despite his humble beginnings growing up in Toronto, Anthony Vanderburgh has gone on to a career that most could only dream of. Vanderburgh is an Emmy Award-winning songwriter, musician, composer, and producer. For over 30 years, he has been employed by musicians, networks, record companies, and more to apply his unique skillset as a composer and a musician. In his illustrious career, Vanderburgh has composed soundtracks for over 200 television episodes. One of the true highlights of his career was winning an Emmy in 2009 for co-writing the theme song to the animated teen comedy 6teen.

Vanderburgh has also worked extensively as a music producer and musician. He was instrumental in the early success of singer-songwriter Amy Sky, Juno Award-winning heavy metal band Slik Toxik, and Chicago singer Neil Donell. He has also written songs with Alanis Morrisette and David Cassidy. As a guitarist, he has toured extensively with an assortment of acts. Over the years, he has accompanied artists on the road, such as Roch Voisine, Dan Hill, Glass Tiger’s Alan Frew, and many more.

Lately, Vanderburgh has focused a lot of his creative attention on writing. He recently completed his first-ever novel titled Careful What You Die For. It is an adventure thriller that is set to be released in January 2025. The novel focuses on David Wesson, an unemployed musician and single father who gets tangled up in a terrifying plot.

Vanderburgh joins us for our Industry Insider column to discuss his career, the music industry, his definition of success, and more.

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

Anthony Vanderburgh: “One of the hard truths is that the real world isn’t a TV show like The Voice. There is rarely feedback. If someone doesn’t like your material, you just never hear from them again. There are exceptions, of course, but you’re often sending to people who receive thousands of submissions.

“Note: It’s best to send your work to multiple places. Then you aren’t living or dying, awaiting one response. Been there, done that, and it’s brutal.”

What’s the most valuable long-term professional relationship you’ve built over your career, and how did you maintain it? What advice would you give for cultivating lasting relationships in the industry?

“The most valuable thing for me has been maintaining friendships and connections. Never ‘burn a bridge.’ The business is small. I had a terrible breakup with a manager once, and literally the next week, there was an opportunity where I could have benefitted from their expertise. Murphy’s law!”

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

“An artist with a public voice has an excellent opportunity to share ideas, hopefully positive ones. In today’s world, the blowback on social media is ridiculous, but if an Artist sees the world ‘going to hell in a handbasket’ and no one is saying anything about it, speak up!”

Anthony Vanderburgh. photo by Zlatko Cetinic

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

“Absolutely. Musical brains are often not wired to do admin work, so one can spend a lot of time and effort figuring it out. It can be a great learning journey also, but always consult with, or hire people who know the game. Friendships work well in this area: i.e. A pal could help you with promotion, and you could pay them back by producing some music for them.”

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?

“I’ve never been interested in fame, but as I get older, financials become more important. Tracking down royalty monies that are rightfully mine is a priority. Digital is a wild west and constantly changing. New artists need to fill out all proper forms, get legal advice on contracts, and register with Performance Rights Organizations (like SOCAN in Canada).

“Anecdote: Years ago, there were no royalty payouts for cable TV music. A friend of mine did a ton of work for the new cable networks. He (unlike many others!) religiously filled out all cue sheets/registration forms and sent them to SOCAN. A few years later, when the rules changed, he received a cheque… for a *million* bucks.”

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?

“Hard work is the most important thing. My motto is to do my best on every single project. Never do a half-assed job. People notice when you do great work. Luck? That is equally or even *more* important. Though you can’t control it, there’s a great quote: ‘The harder I work, the luckier I get.’”

What’s the most unexpected lesson you’ve learned in your career?

“One of the biggest surprises is that so many companies will rip you off. The music business is notorious for that. Stay on top of it. Don’t be passive about it. Go after monies that should be, or are contractually yours.”

Anthony Vanderburgh. photo by Leslie Chapin

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

“Not so sure about artist documentaries, since they are usually about known entities. However, everyone loves to see behind-the-scenes footage, bloopers, fun, or dramatic stuff. For fanbase building, it’s probably a good idea to post that material. Not too much of it, though!”

Do you believe the rise of vinyl and other physical formats is a passing trend or a permanent shift in consumer behaviour?

“I think there may be a resurgence of hard copy like vinyl and CDs when people long for actual ownership of the music they love. I’m dating myself here, but we used to literally run to the record store to get the new single of the week. It’s so sad to me that music has become nothing but a ginormous database. And creators are paying the brutal price, between a lack of physical sales and disastrous streaming rates.”

Anthony Vanderburgh. photo courtesy Anthony Vanderburgh