So often I see others (but mostly myself) spend more time considering how something should be done that actually doing it. [note: this is quite different from spending time LEARNING how something should be done]

Its easy to hypothesize about how much and how many people will like something.

It is safer to put the brakes on in the name of artistic purity than it is to mash the pedal into the unknown.

It eases stress to come up with reasons why you should wait to do something.

It also keeps you in the same damn spot forever.

I believe in shaking hands with your enemy
So that your energy can make something greater than your conflict.
I believe in the cypher of voices that causes listeners to crowd in tightly
Rubbing shoulders just to taste the words on their ears. 
I believe that when hands wave in unison
Songs sound better.

I believe in stories told around fires
From crackling stacks of wood to ashes falling off a spliff.
That our memories and inflections will ride the smoke to eternity.

I believe that we all want to be liked.
That the flaunting glare shown to strangers is a paper thin veil
Hoping for a smile to poke holes in.

I believe in the day that artists are paid more than corporate bailouts.
In a day where those dedicated to their craft are valued more than those who build a factory.
When pencil and paper, canvas and brush, turntable and MPC, are packed in wooden crates
To outfit the armies of the world. 

I believe that one voice can change the world.
I believe that it already has.

I said I have one...some...many. 

"Okay, so how are you going to do em?"

A chess player looks to the end of the game when he begins it. So what is my end game? Wealth? Family? Death? sure. But what if while you look for the end, your queen gets took? Crooks and castles....

In a sun bleached garden of concrete, the next move is paramount to growth (slight pun intended). You can plan ahead, but the world is always spinning. Focus on the end, get a crucial piece taken, and it's all over if you stick to the plan. Sometimes the best move is the one you didn't know you had. There is more time to act then there is to plan.

Sharks never stop swimming...even when they sleep.

Stay hungry my friends. And go eat.

We search for these things far and wide; behind our list of tasks and dreams and under our pillows and stresses. They hide in our drive to perfect our image, our bank account, and our health. They live in hindsight and contemplation...yet, they never seem to appear when we want them too. 

Finding them is often a matter of listening rather than logic. The best path is usually the one you most heavily resist. Life seems to be more chaos than science. Our answers are often buried in the test.

Follow your heart, it knows where your soul is going.

a

I think that the most fundamental aspect to understand about this phenomenon is that the music business, especially, is a balance of priorities and the motivation to accomplish them. Every day, any given person who you want something from has a list of To Do's that include:

• Things their boss wants them to do
• Things that will make them money
• Things that will advance their career
• Things they have been putting off
• Things that look easy to check off the list

Chances are, if you are not a superstar, lower on the the food chain than they are, or not paying them money, your needs fall somewhere in the last two...if you are lucky. Remember, everything that you ask someone to do means time that they are not spending doing something else. Easy to think about, hard to accept.

So what can you do??

I have found that a five step process is generally effective:

1. Make sure that they are the correct person to do the task and that you cannot do it yourself.
2. Follow up and make sure they know exactly what you want.
3. Work on something else and be patient.
4. Follow up again.
5. Repeat steps 1-4

For most of us, it is in our nature to put off things that do not directly benefit us until we absolutely have to do them. This truth is compounded exponentially by busy schedules and fierce competition within the industry. Your needs will always be more important to you than to anyone else. Understand that and accept it.

Also, realize that some things just take time and that there may be steps involved that you might not fully understand or know about. This is especially true with large bureaucratic companies and high profile individuals. Every company system is different, ask about the process and never assume.

In the end, I have always found it beneficial to consistently and kindly remind people that you need something done. AND, if they have an assistant go, through them. A good assistant is worth his weight in gold...yea, I'm biased on that one.

Thanks to TJ for kick-starting the juices on this section of the site.

-a

Every investment is a calculation of risk vs. reward, and every record deal, distribution deal and sponsorship is an investment. For anyone to invest in your b(r)and, they must believe that they will get something in return. Having great songs and live performances is not always enough.

When someone looks at a possible investment they ask themselves a number of questions. A few of them are:

• Do I want to give my time/money to this? How much do I have to give?
• What am I hoping to get in return? When do I want to get it by?
• How will my peers view my investment? How will my boss view it?
• Do I think that the people involved will work consistently?
• Are they serious?
• Do they have what it takes?
• Do they believe in it?

The last four questions are really where you come in. Does an investor see a b(r)and that is organized, profitable and motivated? Or does it see talent, potential and something that needs their help to survive? Don’t be the latter, it’s far more risky.

REINVEST AT LEAST 70%, IF NOT 100%, OF EVERYTHING YOU MAKE FROM SHOWS AND SALES, BACK INTO YOUR MUSIC.

One of the best ways to convince an outside person to invest in your music is to already be investing in it yourself.

• Email your fans.
• Write songs.
• Post blog entries.
• Plan a theme for your next show.
• Update all of your social networking and promotion sites with current info.
• Rewrite your bio with a new angle. Don’t publish it unless you think its better though.
• Balance your financial books (or create them if you haven’t already).
• Call 10 new venues per day and find out who does the booking. Talk to that person. Build a list in Excell of venues to follow up on.
• Vote on OurStage (make a profile if your band doesn’t have one)and interact with other artists. The more active you are on that site, the better opportunities they give you.
• Do something awesome for your fans.

Plateaus can either be a time to question what you are doing or to reevaluate and rejuvenate. Use them to your advantage

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Highly problematic if not married with phone calls and face to face.

I cannot even begin to count how many rifts could have been avoided in my music career if a simple phone call had been made. Hitting “call” instead of “reply to all.”

One on one, email is usually pretty straightforward and helpful, but with a group there are hidden factors at work. Everyone in the thread has a different perspective without being able to qualify it based on others voices, body language, interaction with others… all of the subtleties and nuances that allow business to run successfully are removed.

Use email as a canvas. Paint with your voice.