“Breaking Up Is Hard To Do”…Staying Together Is Pretty Hard Too

A common mistake many bands make after they weasel their way into the limelight is that the hard work, frustration and overwhelming struggle is over. The truth is far from it because unfortunately, the struggle continues. Not the exact same struggle, but a struggle nonetheless. If you thought there was conflict between band members when you were all broke, just wait until that 5-dollar discrepancy in splitting up the money turns into five thousand dollars. To get some expert advice on how to keep you band together through think and thin (wallets), follow the link below: 

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Let ‘Em Talk

We all know about the opportunities for exposure afforded by the Internet and Social Media. But the benefits don’t end with ‘being discovered’. Once you do get heard, the next step is to generate as much buzz as you can. A carefully planned and comprehensive PR/Social Media campaign can bring your music from being catchy and like-able to becoming an Internet Event. By taking advantage of people’s natural inclination towards being in-the-know, you’re number of fans and your visibility will instantly skyrocket and bring from being just a band to a pop-cultural landmark. To read more, follow the link below:

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“All Is Quiet, On New Year’s Day…” Except for Your Band

You may have noticed that new year began about a week and a half ago. If you’re a musician who is still struggling towards that big break, you may be feeling like its time for something new, other than a calendar. If you are indeed struggling, then you are correct…it’s probably time for a new Plan. This should entail both pragmatic strategies and a jumpstart on your sense of optimism. Fly-by-night decision making and a negative and/or cynical attitude will only ensure that you’ll be reading this very same blog entry a year from now. For more, follow the link below:

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"There Are Places I Remember..."...Because The Bands Who Played There Gave Me Stuff

For many music fans, a concert can be a near-spiritual experience. Those of us who survived adolescence in the 20th century may remember (or still have) a coveted t-shirt or a sticker or a ticket stub kept in a safe, and now mysterious, location. But even with cameras on our phone, a physical memento can still claim pretty secure real estate in a music lover’s heart. Bands should still be looking to take advantage of this in the most benign and least cynical way possible. Be generous with things like guitar picks, set lists, stickers, maybe the last few sips of your beer. They are trash to you but artifacts to a fan, which is something you should always be aware of and honored by. Just like how both faces and names can be easy to forget on their own but potent in tandem, by showing some consideration you can carve out a place in their lives for years to come.   

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Talkin' Wasted Publicity Blues

Anyone who has ever dreamed of rock stardom has surely imagined several of the same core scenarios associated with the territory. The most obvious ones being; playing for a packed stadium, the gold record on their wall, trashing hotel rooms and of course, the interview. Few reach the packed-stadium milestone, gold records don’t mean what they used to and many have taken it upon themselves to practice trashing hotel rooms on their own. Although the request for an interview is much easier to come by these days, ever since the blogosphere swallowed the entertainment media and was granted its own seat in Congress, the stigma of the experience hasn’t lost its magic. However, an interview is not the sort of congratulatory event that one should just sit back and enjoy. You probably don’t have to rehearse or take an acting class, but on some level it should be thought of as a branding opportunity. For more on how to be interviewed correctly, follow the link below:

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DON’T “BREAK IT YOURSELF”

The path to a musician’s success is famously riddled with industry-hurdles that began falling into place decades ago and have only become more elaborate since then. But for each of these obstacles all musicians share, there can be several others placed by the musicians themselves. In order to navigate the big ones everyone faces (i.e., getting heard, getting shows, getting a record deal), etc.), you have to make sure that you haven’t placed any additional obstacles in front of them, making the path needlessly more treacherous. Shortcomings of attitude that begin with a lack of focus and end with being flat broke with an absence of persistence sandwiched in between aren’t likely to get you anywhere.  

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