I often encounter musicians who tell me they suck at networking. They’re the kind of person who, in their formative years, spent hours learning how to play their instrument but little time on meeting other musicians. I’ve heard complaints from my colleagues about the lack of work or when work is slow. There are always ups and downs, but there are ways around this problem if you are proactive. Often, it’s due to the lack of understanding of how to expand your network.

Meeting people wasn’t a problem once I decided to become a professional musician in a very competitive place like New York City. I was pretty assertive once I set foot here in The Big Apple. I often reflect on how shy I was as a kid. I barely recognize that person now. I guess that comes from maturation and life experience. That shyness had to be squashed because, in this city, you’ll get eaten alive and spit out if you aren’t assertive.

Soon after I arrived in New York City in 1993, I was in Times Square for some crazy reason. I found myself hanging out near the Wintergarden Theatre and saw a man with something slung over his shoulder that looked like a saxophone case. I was eager to get a foot in the door of the NYC music scene so walking up to another musician and striking up a conversation was easy to me. I was ready and willing to talk to just about any musician I met.

I recall approaching him and asked if it was ok to ask a few questions. He told me he was on his way to work, but he’d listen as we walked. I said, “Hi, my name is Clayton Craddock, and I just moved to New York.” “I’m a drummer and noticed you are a musician too.” “I’m curious about what kinds of gigs you do.” He smiled and told me that he plays in the musical Cats. I was intrigued. I didn’t know anything about Cats, dogs, or any other kind of things related to Broadway. I heard a few things here and there as a kid, but I was deep into pop, funk, soul, rap, and metal. Broadway wasn’t even on my radar. The only cast recording I think I even remember listening to when I was young was the 8-Track of the show ‘Purlie.‘

I asked, “So what’s it like playing a Broadway show?” He replied, “I have a feeling you won’t like it.” It’s like a job.” I quickly said, “Ok, THANK YOU!” And then I walked away.

I felt he might have been a little cynical about his career path since he was bummed about his particular job. Perhaps he just wanted to get away from me. I’ll never know. Seven years later, I found out exactly what type of ‘job’ Broadway was. It is the most incredible job I’ve ever had.

From the time I arrived in New York until the year 2000, I played all kinds of gigs. I worked at Bar Mitzvah’s, weddings, corporate events, school auditoriums, bars, night clubs, and many different sizes of music venues. I toured in a van with many people and played gigs where I found myself sleeping on floors of friend’s homes while away from home. There were times I remember performing with three different bands back-to-back at the same venue in one night.

One of my career’s saddest gigs was when I had the misfortune of playing be-bop at blistering tempos. The bar owner had us playing six 1/2 hour sets, from 9 PM until 3 AM. The funniest part of that gig was the old black lady we played for at the end of the bar clapped for us slowly after each 13 minutes Charlie Parker tune, while refilling her glass with Dewars.

Of course, there were highlights. I played in a band that opened up for Creed in January of 1998. We damn near stole the crowd! The 1,500 kids loved us. We even started a mosh pit by our third tune. We felt like rocks stars for a day.

The flip side to my nightlife way my day job. I had many corporate jobs that helped me stay afloat financially.

After seven years of playing almost every kind of gig imaginable in New York City, I got a taste of what it’s like to have a full-time job as a musician—just like the sax playing guy from Cats once had. In the spring of 2000, I booked a bus and truck tour of a musical called ‘Footloose.’ I had no clue about the show or even the movie. I was not into that stuff. It was all about being a rock star, not a pit musician for me at the time.

The Footloose tour had a sit down in Las Vegas for three months; then, we toured the USA for nine more. This tour opened my eyes to the world of Broadway. I had a job—a steady job as a musician where I earned a regular paycheck—just like I did when I was working in corporate America. I was finally playing the drums for a living.

My encounter with the musician from Cats was fortuitous. The meeting foreshadowed future events. Ultimately, I had a successful career working on Broadway. I believe it all began by being assertive.

Getting Started

The first step is merely to ask for what you want. If you don’t, you’ll never know. It’s not easy breaking the ice in certain situations, but you have to be inquisitive and connect with people. If you are around other people at a party or other event, or even in front of a Broadway theater, here are five ways to begin building your network:

1. 1. Introduce yourself! “Hi, my name is…” is one of the easiest ways to start. Follow it up with a question or a comment, just like I did with the musician from Cats. It will show you have confidence and are interested in the other person. The sooner you introduce yourself, the more comfortable people will be around you.
   2. Show your interest in the person you’re talking to. People love to talk about themselves. Let them do the talking and listen carefully. Maintain your focus. Your conduct should show they matter to you. It will create a good impression and will prove beneficial in the long run.
   3. Ask Open-Ended Questions. I’ve discovered, the easiest way to break the ice with someone is to ask open-ended questions. Find out some background information. Use that information to get to know them and continue the conversation. For example, if you are at an event, instead of asking, “Are you having a good time?” you might ask, “How did you find out about this event?”
   4. Make People Laugh. The idea here is to observe and listen. When you find an opening to inject humor or a witty comment, fire away, even if it lands with a thud, being spontaneous and adding a humorous remark about something you both observe can go a long way to building a connection.
   5. Keep Networking – You never really stop networking. Your network is always evolving, even after you’ve found a job. You never know when you may need to call upon your contacts.

Being in New York City for almost twenty-eight years has taught me many life lessons. Building on the relationships with people you know, family, friends, classmates, colleagues, and acquaintances is essential to long term success in almost any endeavor. You’re more likely to hear about job opportunities and work-related events when you expand your existing network.

Musicians talk about ‘hanging out’ or going somewhere to ‘hang.” It’s slang for networking. When we are around one another, we talk about gear, the music being played in front of us, other great musicians, and potential gigs.

Being around others in your business, staying visible, and getting noticed is a significant benefit of networking. By regularly attending business and social events, people will begin to recognize you. Some say, out of sight, out of mind. That is true more often than not. Staying in front of people is essential. Get out of your home and hang out. We all need each other, and a strong professional network can help when you are ready to make significant career moves.

I wound up being a Broadway pit musician after all. It is a job, but I love it. In my opinion, it’s the best gig in town. Who knows, maybe the musician I met who played Cats back then was at the show for the entire run and was burned out. I get it. A long-running show can be a grind. I had the opportunity to play the revival of Cats when it returned a few years ago. I was one of the many sub drummers there. What an ‘interesting’ show. I’ll give my review of that musical another time.

As much of a grind Broadway can be, I know exactly what it’s like hustling, struggling, and scraping to find the next dollar from the next gig. I’m older and wiser now. I’d much rather have a job on Broadway than any other job I’ve had before. I’m hoping I can get back to work sooner than later.

 

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