Image is everything …
Put your best foot forward …
You only have one chance to make a first impression …
Sayings like this have been swirling around the world for centuries. Do we pay attention to them? Do they apply to someone trying to make their mark in the music business? Are we ready at all times to leave a lasting impression? Good or bad, the way we carry and present ourselves will leave a mark. Read the rest of this entry »
Interesting title for what you are about to read… We are taught very basic skills from birth:
These life skills and guiding principals, along with many others I am sure, are instilled in us as children. However somewhere between childhood and “know-it-all adulthood” people forget the simple graces of social interaction and begin to think that these rules don’t apply and that they can do it better. Read the rest of this entry »
Being new to blogs and blogging I am still learning about all the “ins and outs”. I regularly get into discussions with friends about blogs and you would be surprised at how many people say, “I don’t blog.” They go on to tell me they don’t understand it, don’t know how, and that it scares them.
Not really sure where the fear comes from. But usually when something is new to a person, the lack of knowledge about the topic tends to leave their conclusions based on hearsay and incorrect information. Blogs, in their most primitive forms have been around since 1979. That might seem impossible since the internet was only at its beginnings and wasn’t widely accessible then, but I am getting ahead of myself. Lets talk about what a blog is. Read the rest of this entry »
When the members of Herrick brainstormed ways to raise money for their next music project – they decided to go with Kickstarter.com. Kickstarter is a new way to fund creative projects.
Kickstarter believes that… Read the rest of this entry »
Get ready to connect at the 2011 Country Radio Seminar. Country Radio Broadcasters is presenting this year’s CRS events from March 2-4. National & international music professionals from radio personalities to A-list artists to management companies and local singer/songwriters will be well represented in Music City at the Convention Center and the connecting Renaissance Hotel.
This event is appropriate for anyone serious about their career. Artists, publicists, songwriters, stylists, and musicians are just some of the people represented in this bustling musical event. Read the rest of this entry »
“I thought singers were supposed to sing? No one told me I had to manage a website, create marketing videos, design business cards, and write press releases to be a singer!” Sound familiar? People grow up singing in talent shows and churches where someone else made the bulletin or designed the promotional fliers. There were teams of people that handled the details so you could jump on the stage and do your thing! You get really good at performing, everyone builds you up, and then you move to Nashville and realize you have to be a one man band to survive in this town. Read the rest of this entry »
“When I was a boy, my father, a baker, introduced me to the wonders of song,” tenor Luciano Pavarotti relates. “He urged me to work very hard to develop my voice… Arrigo Pola, a professional tenor in my hometown of Modena, Italy, took me as a pupil. I also enrolled in a teachers college. On graduating, I asked my father, ‘Shall I be a teacher or a singer?’ “‘Luciano,’ my father replied, ‘if you try to sit on two chairs, you will fall between them. For life, you must choose one chair.’ “I chose one. It took seven years of study and frustration before I made my first professional appearance. Read the rest of this entry »
When musicians first come to Nashville they receive advice from all angles and ages. Since there is no exact formula for success, people become zealots for what has worked for them and what they are familiar with. They are eager to share tips and secrets with newcomers. But remember, Nashville is a personal journey – what opens a door for one person may close the same door for another.
The lead singer of a cover band might tell you, “You HAVE to sing in a bar on Lower Broad to be heard!” In contrast, a songwriter could say, “You MUST avoid the bars on Lower Broad if you want to be taken seriously.” This type of contradiction can be found all over town. People will lovingly disagree on what bars to play at, who to write with, what organizations to join, what zip codes to sing in, how much money projects should cost, etc… Read the rest of this entry »
The music industry is a people business. If you want to work with someone, they have to know you or know of you. It should be your job, along with actually making and showcasing your music, to become familiar with people and this town. That being said, what I have not made clear is how to protect yourself and keep your integrity intact. Since moving to town I have warded off unwanted advances, strip clubs, racial prejudice, and drugs – all coming from people I thought wanted to “write” with me, “help” me with my career, etc… Read the rest of this entry »
