I once ran a little poll, asking musicians the leading cause of their not being able to build a successful career. The answer was “not enough talent.” Now, let me ask a question. What constitutes “talent?” The amazing reality of … Continue reading
Perhaps it doesn’t have quite the significance it had once, but musicians still like to put out an album — a collection of songs — rather than just releasing singles. And when you have a collection, the order in which … Continue reading
I’m stating the obvious here, but since you’re paying your hard-earned money to a recording studio for their time, it’s in your best interest to go in prepared and maximize your use of their expertise/facility. So, here’s a quick check … Continue reading
Here’s one of the fundamental concepts of promotion. Communicate your success. As musicians, we want to be honest, authentic and (perhaps) personal — but that doesn’t mean you should flag your dirty laundry in public. There’s a fine line between … Continue reading
I’m sure we’ve all done it: playing to an empty house. And my story is probably a familiar one. Back when I was performing as a solo singer/songwriter, this is what happened all the time. I was getting whatever gigs … Continue reading
There is a right answer to that question — what you must say if you are to become a Self Sufficient Musician. The answer: “I am. I am my biggest fan.” Image via Wikipedia Well, and just saying it isn’t … Continue reading
There are many resources out there for discussing how to write a ‘hit’ song. And there are a number of techniques, like analyzing past hit songs to determine common characteristics and emulate them. That’s useful information if you plan to … Continue reading
In the previous article, I stated that it’s very possible and realistic for musicians to earn enough to sustain a comfortable lifestyle while creating, recording and performing music that you enjoy. While the second phrase, the bit about music you … Continue reading
One of the ultimate dreams of musicians — particularly, songwriters, composers and “artists” — is to make a living making music you love. Not only you are “in” the music business, but you are one of the elite few … Continue reading