7 Habits For Your Music Career

This article was written in honor of the death of Stephen Covey, who wrote the popular book "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People." Check it out as applied to your music career! This is an abbreviated version, so check out the whole article!

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Habit 1: Be Proactive

It’s up to you.A record label probably isn’t going to be a white night and swoop in and make you a superstar. So what. Do it yourself.

Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind

So, set some clear goals for your music and career, write them down, and use this as a compass to help guide you on your path.

Habit 3: Put First Things First

Identify what your priorities should be, and put the first ones first. Covey used an analogy about putting the big rocks in the jar first, otherwise you won’t be able to fit everything in. It’s like that in life…put first things first.

Habit 4: Think Win/Win

People act from their self interest and you need to think about how the other party will benefit from doing business with you. Once you start thinking win/win, you see the potentials everywhere…and honestly it’s much more fun to play nicely with others.

Habit 5: Seek first to understand then be understood

Covey described this habit as the most critical one in interpersonal relations. Listen more than you speak, really try to get where the other person is coming from before you respond. How many band fights could be avoided if we all operated this way?

Habit 6: Synergize

In your career there are certain things you’ll be able to accomplish in an easier fashion if you work with others. Start with your band and those closest to you. Who’s good at what? Have people do what they’re best at, social media engagement, graphic design, booking, etc. Then once you’re ready start putting together a team of individuals like managers, booking agents, etc.

Habit 7: Sharpen the saw

A dull blade won’t cut. Keep refining your craft. Learn to write better songs. Practice your instrument and your live show. Learn new skills that will benefit your career whether it’s contract law, accounting, or photoshop.

Chuck Berry To Be Honored!

Rock legend Chuck Berry helped shape rock and roll and make it what it is today with awesome guitar riffs and lyrics to match. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll hall of fame in 1986. Coming up this year, for a week in October (Monday the 22nd through Saturday the 27th) the star will be honored as part of the American Music Masters series and will take the stage on the last day of the celebration, October 27th. 


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Chuck Berry Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Bio
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Rolling Stones Celebrating Their 50th and Possibly Making Tour Dates

The Rolling Stones, one of the most well known bands worldwide, just recently celebrated their 50th anniversary of their first live concert. To mark the celebration, they released a new E-Book anthology (which can be found here) that documents their entire 50 years together. Reporters say that the book hints at a future tour, which none of the members of the Stones denies, though tour dates and locations have yet to be released.


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Six Important Insights For Breaking Into The Music Industry

A great article written by Hisham Dahud who is not only an independent musician, but is working in the music industry. He's someone who had always had a passion for music, but had never originally though of turning it into a career. This is great advice from someone who's made it in the industry! I've highlighted the key information, but he's got a lot more in the article so check it out!

Original Article:
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1. Uncover The Source of Your Passion
Find out why music means so much to you in the first place. Try to identify the source(s) of fulfillment that music provides you, and identify the possible areas of the music industry that you might find fulfillment being involved with. It needs to be a “sweet spot” combination of where you can contribute the most value (more on that later), and where you’d find the most fulfillments. List all possible roles because you will likely be doing more than one thing.


2. Study the Whole Industry
Learn all that you can about the whole music business. Look at it from all angles. Whether it is formally in a classroom, or informally through constant and continued self-education and research. Personally, I recommend doing both. More often than not, the people teaching music industry courses are usually potential gatekeepers themselves, and it’s a great place to build relationships with them and your fellow students.


3. Study Yourself
While studying the industry, be sure to study yourself along the way. What is it that you really want to do? What’s the dream? What value do you bring to the table for potential gatekeepers? Understanding your value proposition is critical, especially when it comes to your networking. You’ve got to have something to bring to the table beyond your enthusiasm and your passion (although those are absolutely required).


4. Internships Are Invaluable
It's difficult to work your way in among the gatekeepers when you have no skills, experience, or connections to offer them. Demonstrating an eager desire to learn by working for free will prove that you’re passionate and serious enough to sacrifice in order to earn your spot. Just make sure it’s an internship that’s legit, conducive to your growth, and that you’re gaining real skills. While you’re going to have to sacrifice time and pay, you’ll be earning invaluable experiences and aligning yourself with key allies.


5. Embrace Change and Connect the Dots Later
While it’s tremendously important to plan, be sure to leave room for sudden and unexpected opportunities. Try to remain open to any and all opportunities that are conducive to your growth. Just because you cannot connect the dots now, does not mean you shouldn’t begin aligning them today.


6. To Be Successful, You Must Live and Breathe This
There is no “on” or “off” switch when it comes to pursuing your goal. You must be “on” all the time. This is your passion, your life, and how you plan on making a living for yourself - don’t take it lightly. 

Five Things For Unsigned Bands To Do RIGHT NOW!

Some great advice for unsigned bands to keep in mind. Your band is a business and you should treat it as such! Don't think playing gigs and making a Facebook or ReverbNation page is all it's going to take! You need to work using business practices and learn to market yourself just like any restaurant or retail store would. Below are your five basic points to keep in mind.



Original Article:
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1. Study Their Fans

You as an artist should make it your mission to know where your fans are and how to market to them. Research where your fans find out about new music, where (and how) they buy merch, what blogs they read, what magazines to they look at and even down to how they wear their accessories. Now you can ask them what graphics they like before you print a shirt, ask them which song should you do a video for… these are the people that are spending their money on you in a tough economy, so give them what they want!

2. Be Versatile

Create products that speak to your fan and your brand. Like any smart company, you need to constantly be reaffirming the quality and integrity of your product. Only put out your best and make your music available. If you are unsigned, then use digital outlets as well as the hand-to-hand sale of physical at shows. I know this sounds like common sense, but that's because it is!

3. Create a Network

Every time you play a show, talk to the venue owners, the booking agents, the promoters etc. and shake their hand. Whether you play for 5 or 500 people, creating a good relationship with these people will open the doors for future shows an opportunities. Know that if you want to make it, you are going to need a team of people working for your cause. Once you are ready (you will know when you are), start building a team to help you (i.e. booking, PR/press, legal, management etc.). Posting to your 350 Facebook fans alone is not going to get you that help.

4. Get Thicker Skin and Take Criticism Well

If you get a bad review, look for things to improve on and work with them. If you have a bad show, find out what was bad about it and correct it. Even with this post as well as my last, I know that people may not agree with my thoughts and criticize them, but if these words help to inspire even one person to think or re-evaluate a situation and make it a positive then I have done my job. You as an artist should do the same. Your lyrics speak to people and your music/branding gives those people a way to relate to you. Everything is subjective and it is a great time for the artist to make money directly. But how can you do that if you get upset every time someone makes a critique? :)

5. BE PATIENT!

Making it as a band takes time, trial and error, love and a whole bunch of failed attempts, but in the end, if you truly have something that should be shared and you believe in the product, then keep pushing and always find new ways to make friends with your fans! People are more likely to support a friend in need than a cocky rock star.

The Sponsorship Packet: How to get a Proposal or Endorsement

Hey Guys! Here's some great advice from Music Think Tank about getting a sponsor. There's some great advice about making a sponsorship packet. If you already have one, look this over and maybe you'll get some new ideas or find something new that will help you revamp your packet and make yourself more marketable!

Original Article:
http://www.musicthinktank.com/blog/how-to-get-a-sponsor-or-endorsement-the-sponsorship-packetpr.html  

The Format: 

1. Cover - Make it distinctive. You might consider adding something like “2012 Sponsorship Proposal Prepared Especially For [the company]” with their logo on it. Give them plenty of opportunities to visualize working with you.
2. The Call Out (optional): The second page can be for a large dramatic image/photo or some of the major “bragging rights” stats. Artists can typically use this page as the “one sheet” – a one page descriptor of who you are, major stats or accomplishments, or press excerpts/testimonials from other sponsors.
3. The Partnership: This is where you want to focus on the main benefits for working with your organization. What are the main ways you and the sponsor are a good fit?
4. The Fact Sheet: The nitty-gritty details of your event, tour, or organization that they are sponsoring. Cover all of the major who/what/when/where/why questions, such as as “What is the event?,” “Where does the event take place?,” “Who is involved?,” “Why should I be sponsoring this event,” etc.
5. Key Marketing Information: This is where your research into your industry pays off. You’ll want to talk about your niche market, the demographics of your audience (and who you are targeting), how you will be messaging your brand/event along with their company, and talk about successes with past sponsorship campaigns.
6. Co-Branded Marketing Opportunities: You’ll want to send 3-6 custom, creative pitches to the company that allows for them to visualize working with you. This should play directly off of your niche market/their target audience. The more custom the idea, the higher the asking price that you can fetch. It also helps you stand out from other sponsorship opportunities that only offer logo placement. Marketing folks love creative ways to showcase their brand, especially to an interested audience who they might never be able to reach in any other way. If there is also a “viral” component to one of the ideas, that’s even better.
7. The Benefit List: List all of the benefits that the company gets from sponsoring you. Put your emphasis on the more custom, creative options and less on the generic commodities that typical sponsorship packages offer (such as logo placement). This is your formal offer so make it as clear as possible on what they can be expecting in return from their sponsorship dollars or in-kind gifts. If you’ll accept a payment schedule, include that as well.
8. The Sponsorship Agreement: The sponsorship agreement should be easy to complete and return. Details such as a self-addressed and stamped envelope are good. Add an extra bit of professionalism by having this portion printed on NCR (carbonless copy) paper where they can tear off a copy for themselves and send one to you. You can also do things such as adding a QR code or link to a digital version of the agreement.

Fiverr Offer Cheap Outside The Box Marketing But Watch Your Step

An interesting article about using new methods to market yourself as a musician (or even an artist or business in general). Fiverr is a website where people offer various services for only $5. For example, someone may be offering to put your ad or logo up on their truck for 30 days for only $5. It's a great and unique way to market your band or business on a serious budget! So check it out!


Fiverr Offers Cheap Outside The Box Marketing But Watch Your Step