It was just a few months ago that I was on a Zoom call that featured a gaggle of audio industry notables. Big-league folks. People that you may actually have heard of. The call was in regards to a new service available in the industry, and how it might work in the future. (I’m being vague because I don’t know the status of the service in terms of public availability.) At one point, I piped up about a feature that wanted; it would have made the service very valuable to me.

“I don’t think that should be offered. That’s just not what the service is for,” said one of the other participants.

Let me tell you, there is no feeling exactly like being shut down in the full view and hearing of leaders in your business. Encouraging ain’t what it is.

If it would have been at an earlier point in my career, I might have felt a bit crushed. That’s not how I felt, though. Stung? A bit. Disappointed? Yes. Embarrassed? Certainly. Not devastated, though – because over the years I’ve come to realize some truths about myself and the industry.

First: Even among oddballs, I’m an oddball. My approach to the production of live music, and the business of live music, is different from a lot of the other audio humans out there. Look at this website: I’m not interested in one more review of one more piece of gear that’s only incrementally different from everything else. I’m not interested in a “bag of tricks” mentality. I’m interested in strong basics, making the physics work for you when you can, and then choosing to NOT fret over everything else. I’m interested in getting results through means that are unconventional. I’d rather have fun and be able to experiment than slavishly chase after the shows, gear, and deployments that are industry standard.

(Knowing the industry standard is appropriate and helpful, certainly. However, there comes a time when you see the limitations and would prefer to redefine the standard, rather than run after it.)

Second: Industries are not made “for” oddballs. When something becomes commoditized to any degree at all, there is a certain safety-in-the-known-middle that takes hold. The services and attitudes that grow up in the industry, then, inevitably serve that known middle. This is NOT some sort of failing! It’s simply what I would call the physics of the business. If you don’t fit neatly into that middle ground, a lesser concentration of products, services, conferences, camaraderie, and approval will be “for you.” This is the same everywhere in life, to be brutally honest.

And so, with these truths in hand, you can make decisions about what you want at both large and small scales. There’s nothing wrong with pursuing the “known middle” if you find it satisfying. If you DON’T find it satisfying, though, you have to develop a comfort in not being catered to or understood at all times. Not everyone is going to get the proverbial “it” of what makes you tick, and in order to function long-term you’ll have to accept that.