Heath Built a Fan Base from the Bottom Up

By: David Allen, International Musician staff writer
Originally published in the Upbeat section of the February, 2008 edition of International Musician Magazine - reprinted with permission of International Musician Magazine. 
http://www.afm.org/   |   http://internationalmusician.org/

Jason Heath of Locals 8 (Milwaukee, WI) and 10-208 (Chicago, IL) has been a fixture of the online classical community since launching his website, doublebassblog.org, in 2003. In November 2007, he added another online writing venture with the site Arts Addict, hosted by the popular blogging network Inside The Arts (www.insidethearts.com). As readership has grown, so has his playing career.

" I loved writing in college, so I started writing and it started getting popular with other bassists and my classmates," he says.

" It's less about me, and more of a community site. For nonmusicians it's fascinating to get a glimpse of what's going on behind the scenes."

Heath launched Arts Addict through Inside the Arts, also home to the popular orchestra management site Adaptistration by Drew McManus. Arts Addict's subtitle, " on life as a classical music bottom feeder" comes from, as Heath puts it, " playing all the low notes and not being the number one player in town—running around, working all the gigs that other people don't want to do or are too busy to do." He transmits stories, links, videos, and the occasional bit of breaking news—people starting new jobs and winning auditions.

Regarding his writing, Heath says, " I approach it like an article for a magazine. I have a really strong desire for getting content out there, and I tend to write and then revise for a long time." In other words, his writing is polished and incisive, delivering a lot of information in a quick, easy-to-digest format that's free of the diary-like details found on some blogs.

In his personality, Heath embodies the ideal section player—trying hard to blend in and not to stand out. About starting Doublebassblog, Heath says, " I didn't have the world's greatest marketing skills. I'm not used to getting out in front of crowds and promoting myself."

A graduate of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, Heath has worked as a freelance musician in the Chicago and Milwaukee areas for about 10 years. Doublebassblog began as a place for him to post lessons and assignments for his students at the University of Wisconsin Whitewater.

He currently plays in the bass sections of the Milwaukee Ballet and the Elgin Symphony and as a substitute for the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and he has a growing studio of high school and college musicians.

The notoriety from what Heath calls the " Internet world" has spilled over into the real world, and he's recognized as " the blog guy" at rehearsals and performances. " I've had people approach me, both in the orchestra and audience members, and it's fun to meet them. You forget sometimes that people you run into are reading your stuff."

Internet fame has also helped to move his music career in the right direction. Heath notes that the quality of his freelance opportunities has gone up through word of mouth about his website. " It's really opened a lot of doors for me," he says. " There are lot of opportunities developing online."

" I really think that's the future," he adds. " You can create own your one-man publishing company, and the main cost is just your time."

He cites the influence of another music blogger, Patricia Emerson Mitchell of Locals 6 (San Francisco, CA) and 153 (San Jose, CA), who is the author of the site Oboe Insight.

Even before all the exposure through his writing, Heath says his career was greatly aided by his AFM membership. " It's a strong force in Chicago, and you get a sense that you've got someone on your side," he says. After previously belonging to Locals 8 and 48, Heath joined Local 10-208 in 2004. " It was a big help for me with getting gigs in town," he says. " Contractors started calling me, asking me if I was a member."

" It's great having things laid out for you and having someone negotiate for you," he says of the AFM.

Between connections through the AFM and the word-of-mouth buzz from his online ventures, Heath is a textbook example of musical networking, and he makes it all seem simple. " It's easier than ever to get the word out," he says.