Monday, January 31, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Musician Strategies – 10 Keys to Success
Here are 10 recommendations for strategies that can lead to success in music, and in life. Take them with a grain of salt. With this new year comes the promise of digital music, the power of the entrepreneur and the tools to connect with an audience and deliver the goods.
1. Living a life in music is a privilege. Earn it.
There is very little more satisfying then spending time making music. If you make this your life’s work, then you can be truly joyful. However, the chances of being successful are extremely low and the only people who are going to get there are going to have to work hard and earn the right to be a musician. Respect the privilege of being free enough to have this choice (if you do) and honor the opportunity.
2. No one is in charge of your muse but you. Be happy and positive.
People can be their own worst enemy. Countless times I have heard artists tell me the reasons why their career is not working out. Most of the time they are putting blocks in their way and pointing fingers at people and things that are holding them back. Stop whining and blaming other people and make the conscious decision that you are going to be successful and that things are going to work out in your favor. You are creating your own reality every day, so make it a good one and excel.
3. Practice, practice, practice – then go for it. Over prepare.
You can never be ready enough for opportunity. Your live shows can always be better, your songs can be more amazing, and your playing can only improve. As the CEO of your own musician business, you can learn how to run the company more effectively, reach out to more fans and be an more effective social media marketer. Don’t hold yourself back by not being ready. Be a professional.
4. If you suck, you will never make it. Find a way to be great.
Lets face it, it is really hard to be amazing. Some people have the natural talent and you can see it in the first 5 seconds of meeting them. They are truly blessed. The rest of us have to find our niche, our passion, our calling and then reach for it. Ask people around you for feedback. Find what you are good at and focus on that. Get other people to help you. If you don’t stand out and rise above the pack, you will struggle forever. Be amazing.
5. Learn how to breathe and keep your focus. Stay calm.
There is nothing more pleasant than working with someone who knows who they are and what their goal is. Remember the old adages of thinking before you speak, and taking a deep breath before you lay into someone. Most of us have a lot going on in our lives and we can all benefit from staying focused on our goals and remaining calm in most situations. Learn yoga, exercise, run, meditate, sit still, breathe, learn who you are.
6. Don’t take yourself too seriously, no one else does. Have fun.
I am amazed at how many people spend so much time looking backwards and trying to understand what people think of them. This is worrying about the past and not embracing the future. Reviews are important, but don’t run to them or let them ruin your day. Not everyone is going to like you, but more people will if you are having a good time.
7. No matter how difficult things get, move forward. Don’t give up.
The only thing that will help your career take off is forward momentum. That is how you are going to reach your goals. A lot of people are stuck in their own mud. Take action, make a move and then see what happens. Don’t spend time procrastinating or worrying about how hard it is, just do something positive to advance your cause. You will feel much better by acting instead of waiting or worrying.
8. Find a way to make money. Start small and grow. Avoid being in debt.
This is probably the most important strategy of them all and why so many artists have gotten into trouble in the past by taking label advances. All that is, is a big loan. Get some kind of cash flow happening right away, no matter how small. Sell merch, play for the door, license your songs, play sessions, teach, write, start your musician business. The biggest mistake you can make is to borrow a lot of money and then spend it on things that don’t matter.
9. Be unique and true to your vision. Say something.
The people that we remember are the ones that are unique, exciting, special, provocative, fascinating, original, inventive, interesting. Music is a basic form of communication. The really successful artists have something to say and work on delivering their message. Your chances of success go up exponentially if you have a unique position and message and create a following of fans who really listen to you because you have something important to say.
10. Work and play with people you like every day. Collaborate Often.
Music is a tribal experience. You cannot make great music alone. Surround yourself with talented people, write together, play together, try new things. Bounce inspiration off of each other and learn. Listen to each other and let the music weave it’s way around you. Find a producer, songwriting partner, other musicians and dive in together. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Wonderful things are waiting to happen to you.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Luck Means Nothing in the Music Business
I meet too many aspiring musicians who tell me they’re just waiting for that lucky break for the world to discover their talent. In the meantime, they’re usually the same folks watching every episode of American Idol instead of booking gigs and selling tickets.
To me, luck means ordering a drink at Starbucks at the moment the register fails, so they give it to you for free.
Your music business success has very little to do with luck. In fact, what looks like luck to most people is really just the execution of a steady plan to grow an audience through fun and authenticity.
I’ve got four ways that you can create your own luck as an emerging musician:
1. Stop waiting to “hit the lottery.”
Things will be just great, once you win that battle of the bands. Or when you find the perfect manager. Or when you get signed. Actually, no. Each one of those milestones just leads to bigger challenges. For you to get “lucky” enough to hit any of those goals, you first have to get stronger at achieving what you need to work on today.
You won’t win that contest if you don’t practice your craft. You may not attract that industry bigwig to your success team, but you could help develop a committed street team member into a very strong manager. And you’ll recognize that working an audience growth strategy leads to more money in your pocket over the long run than settling for a record company advance followed by a payout period that never ends.
2. Stop worrying about what other people are doing.
So you lost that battle of the bands to that other group that’s kinda like yours, but not as good. And now their manager’s popping a bottle of Cristal at the afterparty to celebrate their new record deal.
It’s so easy for creative professionals to beat themselves up over comparisons that mean absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things. Even though pop culture lore is full of “battles,” the most powerful music has always come from artists capable of rising above comparisons and building on what’s come before. It’s not a zero sum game. Someone else’s success doesn’t exclude you from being successful.
3. Start tracking your success.
How will you know you’ve “made it?” If you define success as riding to your next gig in a limo, you’ve got it rough. Not only is it tough enough to get to that level, most of the folks I know who routinely ride in limos often complain that their limo’s too small. They can’t wait to get into the next biggest limo. (I once had a client who reacted to a stretch Hummer at their house with a groan.)
Break down your success into achievable chunks. If your “perfect gig” is a 600-seat venue, you can track your progression over the course of a year. You’ll know you’re close to 600 when you can book 400. 400 becomes your stretch goal when you’ve booked 250. 250′s gonna seem tough when you get to 150. 150 feels great when you’re booking 100. And so on. Start from nothing today, and celebrate when you get your first thirty audience members to a small gig. Then focus on the next rung of the ladder.
4. Align your worlds.
It’s okay to work a “day job” and to celebrate your music career at the same time. In fact, if you have any kind of decent relationship with your co-workers, you should be leveraging them into helping you build your initial gigs so you can pursue your perfect gigs. If being a musician doesn’t fit in the culture of your day job, get a different one.
Give yourself permission to unify everything that you are and everything that you do. John Legend gave himself permission to be a really good investment banker and an outstanding musician. Kele Okereke from Bloc Party worked at a movie theatre while getting rave reviews in the press. Let your day job incubate your music, so you can be authentic to yourself and to your audience. (David J. Hahn makes the practical argument that you should avoid a day job that could put your hands or your voice at risk.)
Related posts:
I really hope YOU'RE not waiting to get LUCKY!!
13 Reasons Why Artists Fail
13 Reasons Why Artists Fail
January 3rd, 2011 by Lior Shamir
My work with BandCentral has taught me that most artists fail…
…because their day jobs take over
…because personal differences get in the way
…because they’re broke
…because of fear of, or fatigue from, rejection
…because of poor communication and management skills
…because of irresponsible, unprofessional and irrational behavior
…because of a poor understanding of the music business
…because of a weak desire to understand the music business
…because of lack of leadership
…because of bad financial decisions
…because of over-inflated egos
…because of no career planning
…because of no marketing planning
And more…
The good news is that, if you’re not ‘making it’, it’s probably not due to the quality of your music. And all of the reasons above can easily be addressed.
In 2011, what
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Playboy Tre Official "Ready Go" Video feat Lil Jon
TJ Chapman | TJ's DJ's TJChapman.com
TJsDJs.com
Twitter.com/TJsDJs
Facebook.com/TJ.Chapman
Myspace.com/TJsDJs Check out my artists: B.o.B (Bobby Ray) | BoBATLcom
Double D | IamDoubleD.com