WRITTEN FOR SUCCESS: David Dixon’s ‘The Musician’s Gold Mine’ strikes a chord with Mark Herbert
- Mark Herbert
- 20 hours ago
- 2 min read
When I first saw David Dixon post on social media that he had written a book while he took some time off from gigging as he welcomed his first born in the world—I knew I would need to dive into a copy to see what treasures it contained. As a fellow gigging musician myself, I knew “The Musician's Gold Mine: Skills, Strategies, and Secrets for a Successful Music Career” would have valuable perspectives. Not to toot my own brass horn, but I was not wrong!
One of the first things I noticed about Dixon’s book was its format and how it breaks up a lot of information into small, easily digestible chunks. To be honest, I haven't read a book in way too long and I have quite a short attention span, so this was helpful for me to take on one little section at a time.
“The Musician's Gold Mine” really has it all: From what to bring to a gig and negotiating contracts, to music theory and improv musicianship, to songwriting. Dixon did well to include something for everyone at just about any stage (no pun intended). Someone just getting started as a musician could benefit from this book, as well as someone who's been gigging for over 20 years.
Dixon chose to write not only from a perspective of success but also from painful life lessons typically learned the hard way. It even includes QR codes for readers to scan for useful links, such as YouTube tutorials for guitar lessons and theory, as well as tips on stage lighting.
The book is written in a very casual, matter-of-fact way that makes it easy to relate to with some sage knowledge nuggets like “4-hour gigs suck donkey balls, don't do it” (I almost spit out my coffee when I read this). Some of the advice was familiar to me and my own approach to securing gigs, but Dixon offers many insightsI had not taken into account—or completely forgot about—such as utilizing GigSalad, a locally founded online booking platform, which I just logged back into for the first time in years…
David Dixon gives so many helpful insights, but also explains how musicians have to find their own way as far as what works for them. This is one of those books to keep on the shelf to pick up again and again, either to get inspired or make improvements to my own musical career. I highly suggest picking up a copy for yourself or your musician friend to enjoy all the unique quips and advice from an incredibly talented and hard working musician from our very own music city.
See David Dixon live at Rooster & The Crow (225 S. Water St.) this Sunday, Dec. 7 from noon until 3 p.m. in the beer garden (or inside at Cryptid Den beside R&C if it's cold or raining).
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by David Dixon