If you’re on TikTok or anywhere near it these days, you’ve probably seen posts related to “Group 7.” It seems to have sprung up out of nowhere, and the only coherent factors defining the group are things like “people who support each other, and who love nature, water, sand, etc.” So, Group 7 has become a group of people who want to support each other, period. That’s what makes them a group.
I mention this because my new friend Tyler Wright and I met for coffee today. He too is a singer-songwriter in the Denver area, and we talked at length about the vibe of a community that comes together to help each other. In Nashville, Tyler shared, groups of aspiring songwriters collaborate all the time. If one of them posts something, the others boost it on their own pages. If someone has a show, they rally to attend. When it’s time for recording, they play on each other’s albums, and are engaged in various levels of co-writing.
This, my friends, happens to be the single best recipe for success - creating a community of supporters. Every independent musician I know has fallen prey to “shouting into the void,” as it were, on social media. “Hey, listen to my new single!” “Come to my show this Friday!” “I have new t-shirts available!” But you know as well as I do how quickly we all tend to scroll past posts like that. But all it takes is one, two, three friends sharing a post or boosting your latest blog to get a little traction. And traction builds momentum. And momentum makes the world go ‘round.
So while Tyler and I do our level best to bring the Denver music community together on an ongoing basis, I’m hopeful too that you will decide to join this movement. You certainly don’t have to live in Denver to become a supporter of the Denver music scene. We all know it takes a village, no matter the goal you’re working towards. But you know that saying about rising tides raising all boats? Let’s do this! Let’s become the tide that brings us all together, promoting all of our value, celebrating our diversity and stepping into a kinder, more connected world.
I’m moving that direction, and I dearly hope you’ll join me.