Monday, February 28, 2011

Focus On YOU

I'm in the studio after another great week of sessions and shows. I've had the great pleasure of working with some very well known musicians in last few days. All of these guys have played on some of the most legendary hits in history and have toured and continue to tour with some of the biggest names in the business. The one thing they all seem to have in common is that even though they have played on records that have made millions of dollars and toured with artists that have done the same, they are still basically living from gig to gig. One of them gave me some great advice that I will share with you. He said, "No matter what you are doing or who you are working with, always focus on YOU." I have experienced some of this myself firsthand from being in the Little Richard Band for so many years but I think it was easier for me to stay focused on me because I was twenty three when I joined the band and of course Richard was a senior citizen so I knew that I couldn't depend on just that gig to sustain my career. Remember that we have to always think of every move we make as a business move. I think that most of us will get a big gig and rest on just having the gig and not understand that at the end of the day we are completely expendable. The only reason we are there is to serve the purpose of whoever the artist is and don't fool yourself into thinking that any of them really want to help you advance to doing your own thing. Think about it, if you are helping them serve their purpose why would they really want to help you move away from what they need you to do. Now don't get me wrong, there are some rare occasions but for the most part they want you there for them only. This doesn't make them wrong or selfish. It's just business and we have to look out for our business and career as well. We should always be building our career on several fronts. We should definitely continue by performing but we must also continue to educate ourselves, diversify our talents and brand our name, likeness and image. This way no matter who we play with or work for we will reap a greater benefit from a business end. DON'T EVER INVEST MORE TIME INTO ANYONE OR ANYTHING THAN YOU INVEST IN YOURSELF. I know we have a strong work ethic so for every one thing you do for someone else, you should do two things for yourself. This will insure that you are always building your own business and focusing on YOU.

The Truth
All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2011

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Professionalism

One of the hardest things to due in this industry is to help people that don't want to help themselves. I serve as musical director in several different settings and I'm also in a position to regularly recommend musicians for a number of things. The most common issue I'm having is a lack of professionalism. A lot of musicians will say that they want to move to the next level or do something bigger but the truth is they are just talking. When some guys get an opportunity at something really big, they end of blowing it because they are trying to come into a bigger situation still using a small time mind set. It goes without saying that you have to be able to play but even the best players take time to prepare before whatever show. If you have the charts or music before hand, take time and study. If rehearsal starts at 2pm, you should be there at 1pm or no later than 1:30pm so that at 2pm you will be in place, tuned up and ready to play. It is also important to exhibit a great attitude. Don't be the guy that is always complaining. If you have issues with a job then just don't take it. You shouldn't agree to do something then turn around and complain about it. It really destroys the mood for everyone else and makes you look ignorant. Your communication should always be prompt. Make sure you have an email address, phone and passport. I know these things seem like a no brainer but you would be surprised at how many musicians don't have these things in order yet they tell me that they want to go to the next level. This is all in love. When everyone in a particular situation operates at the highest professional level, it makes for a great time and yields even greater results. It will also guarantee that you get called again and again. So how do you make it to that next level or that BIG gig? Just be a professional all the time. The best way to learn this is to surround yourself with professionals. See you at the next BIG show.

The Truth
All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2011

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Words & Thoughts are Things

OK, today we get to the main key to success. In this industry you have to exhibit unshakable faith in order to achieve. One of the statements I use in my lectures is " Success is a learned behavior." Simply put, we have a chance to practice being successful everyday just by the way we live, speak and think. We must remember that our words and thoughts are things. You can manifest anything you want just by truly believing it is possible. Now this sounds simple but it can be difficult because most of us like to gossip or spend time in meaningless conversation. In order to manifest the success you want, you have to be focused on living the process with your words and speech. All of your actions should lend themselves toward your goals. Every association should add something to your life. If you are able to master the small daily successes like staying consistent, focused and making sure that you do something everyday that moves you closer to your goal, then those small actions will add up to big successes. The secret is YOU. All of your energy and thoughts have to be pointed toward your goals. This will keep you from wasting time and doubting. As I stated in an earlier blog, "Think It, Do It." Remember that your words and thoughts are as real and tangible as a brick wall so take control of them and use them to move you forward. Everyday new day gives us a chance to practice being successful. Focus and go practice!

The Truth
All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2011

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Excuses, Excuses

The one thing that everybody in this industry has in common is that we all have a story to tell. Even if that story is a fictional one. Most of us are so bitter and jaded that we blame our lack of whatever on the industry and everybody else. The truth is that we are just making excuses. No one can really stop you but you. I talk to a lot of musicians that are constantly complaining about somebody holding them down or doing them wrong. Most of the time it's just a cop out because they don't want to admit that they are their own worst enemy. When you are focused on a goal or vision, you don't allow anything to sidetrack you. The majority of us are way to emotional and take things way to personal. This clouds our judgement and changes the direction of our vision. We are not honest about who we are and what is going wrong with us. We all have obstacles and setbacks but the only way to grow from them is not to play the blame game. We must accept the fact that all of it is a part of our learning process and we never stop learning. Every situation is a chance to move forward. It's all about how we perceive it. Stop making excuses because excuses only satisfy those that make them. These excuses are really based on insecurities. It's time to conquer those insecurities and move forward to the success that awaits us daily. NO MORE EXCUSES. NO GO GET IT!

The Truth
All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2011

Monday, February 21, 2011

Delegating

The hardest thing to come to terms with in this business is admitting that you need help. This is so hard because good help is truly hard to find but in order to have success you must learn to duplicate yourself by delegating responsibility. The key to moving forward is consistency on several tasks at once. No one person can do it all alone. It is important that you find people that have gifts and passions that can help serve your vision. You must duplicate yourself so that you can continue to focus on building and guiding your vision. This can happen several ways and don't be so caught up in money or how these people get things done. Just lay out your vision and find people that can buy into it. Understand that you may have to change people along the way but you have got to have help if you are truly going to be successful. So start delegating now. By the way keep your eyes open for our music business ebook due to be published this fall. The ebook will cover a lot of what we talk about in the blog but in much greater detail. Start delegating!

The Truth
All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2011

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Stability or $uccess?

I was having a conversation with a friend about the industry and how success can only come by taking risks. At some point in the conversation the question was posed..."stability or success?" This really hit me because most of the time we look at stability as success. In the music industry you must always be ready, willing and able to take risks and most of the time people will use stability as a crutch for not being able to take certain risks. The truth is that they are just afraid of what they view as failure. I know a lot of guys I came up with that all shared a vision of musical success and it was very attainable for all of us but along the way some of them began to listen to people that didn't understand the creative being and how we exist. They started being concerned about living safe and having security which immediately put them into a box with a very low ceiling. There are tons of stories in the industry about people that took huge risks for their career. The truth is that anyone that is a success in any business only got there because of their willingness to take chances that didn't make sense to most people. The bottom line is that most people don't really believe that they can have their heart's desire so they use stability as an easy out. This business is not for the faint at heart. You are what you believe you are and you can accomplish whatever you say you can. I'm not saying that there won't be hard times or obstacles but being successful requires an unwavering faith. The choice is yours.

The Truth
All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2011

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Image

One of the most commonly used statements in the music business is, "Image is everything." As much as I hate to agree, your visual image is vitally important to your success. I'm not saying that you have to create some fake persona and become a mere caricature of yourself but just understand that this business is driven by image as much as it is by music. Most consumers look at artists/musicians as an escape because we are on stage bearing all that we are at all costs. Most people don't have the courage to do this therefor they admire us for doing so. This admiration can also extend to influence. When we hit the stage, we have to always be at our best. Our image has to be something that people will want to follow and emulate. We must also be aware that we are always marketing on and off stage. Once you decide to be in this game you have to accept the fact that you are always being watched and you must be in good form as much as possible. Image also extends to our photos and CD covers. It is vital that all of us always have top quality photos and graphic design to support whatever project we are working on. Our visual image will most of the time reach people before the music. As a matter of fact, our visual image can determine how many people actually listen to the music. This is all branding and it must always be consistent. When you perform, you should look like a star. I mean the people in the audience should not out dress you. You are the star and they should be in awe of your style and presence. Most people just have a thing and their image is almost automatic and others just need to tweak their image a bit. Also remember that class never goes out of style so whatever your image, just make sure that it is real and something you can pull off all the time. In the words of George Clinton, "If you fake the funk your nose will grow." Just stay sharp and keep it real.

The Truth
All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2011

Monday, February 14, 2011

The Grammys

I am here in LA for Grammy weekend and I was really surprised by a lot of things people had to say on some of the social sites. As always, there were some questionable wins but the thing a lot of us as musicians and artists have to understand is the Grammys are voted on by members of the Recording Academy. It has nothing at all to do with how many records you've sold or where you are on the charts. Yes it can be and usually is political but for the most part the academy attempts to represent quality in all genres of music. This is why every year someone wins that the general public has never heard of. I advise every artist and musician to join the academy by going to Grammy.com and clicking the join button to see if you are eligible. This way you can cast your vote as well and see how the process works. It is vital that we take every opportunity to participate in the industry and not just sit on the side throwing insults and criticism. And for music fans, watching the Grammys should be used as a chance for you to step outside of your box and enjoy music by artists that you normally would not be exposed to. Life is all about growth, inclusion and acceptance. These people are all hard working creative people that deserve the utmost respect. So give them all a chance. Now go join the academy.

The Truth
All Rights Reserved by Airtight Production 2011

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Fame or Fortune?

I was talking to a young artist recently and asked him what he wanted to achieve in his musical career. He said he wanted to be famous. This is very interesting because this type of thinking has been the route of a lot of mislead and impoverished careers. The age old question still exists. Fame or Fortune? Being famous doesn't always equal fortune. Fame only means that a lot of people will know you and for a time your ego will be stroked and catered too but that doesn't guarantee fortune. Making a lot of money and fortune are two vastly different concepts. If you are only concerned about being famous, you are not asking the right business questions and you can be easily mislead, pimped or deceived. Fame can bring you adulation and surface money but the real money is in ownership and understanding that fame is fleeting. You must understand that the persona that the public loves is only a character that works for you. No more, no less. You must not become drunk on your own ego and pursuit of fame because it can be the death of your career. Think about it this way. Pick your favorite artist and check out what they made last year then go check out what the label or distribution company made off of them. You will see a vast difference. Most famous people can be rich but never wealthy. Rich means that if you make a few stupid mistakes like thinking you will always be on top you can loose all of your money and be back to nothing. Wealthy means your money can sustain the next two or three generations of your family. The funny thing is that the real wealthy people are hardly ever known because fame is not their concern. They understand that they can make money off of your want to be more famous than wealthy. So stay focused on the fact that this is business and don't get fooled by the hype. Longevity awaits you.

The Truth
All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2011

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Think It, Do It

Have you ever noticed that many of our ideas and inspirations are only powerful at their inception? This is true for most of us but we need to adopt a need creed. When you think it, just do it. The way to not allow our ideas to weaken is to put them into action IMMEDIATELY. Don't discuss them with a lot of people. This only gives others time to discourage or take away from your initial inspiration. From the moment you have a vision or idea, your next step should be to actualize that idea. Don't question it! Go ahead and DO IT and after you have done it, you can modify or adjust from there but just make it happen. This is truly the only way to be successful in this business or any other. This also goes back to time management. Spend your time developing and actualizing your ideas and visions. Don't spend time talking or dreaming about them. They say talk is cheap but I beg to differ. Talk is expensive because all the time you spend in useless conversation is valuable time that you can spend DOING something. Time is truly money. Success is a learned behavior and we have to practice being successful in everything we do. It all starts with this concept. Think it, Do it! Now go get it!

The Truth
All Rights Reserved By Airtight Productions 2011

Monday, February 7, 2011

Politics

In the music industry you have learn to be very savvy and thick skinned. The business is full of things that are unfair and down right wrong. I know you've heard it a thousand times..."It's not what you know but who you know." It's all about the politics. This can make it harder for most creative people to become successful because most of us as artists are still naive enough to believe that our art will speak for us but it's hard for our art to speak when the people that have power and make decisions don't know what to listen for. We have to develop good networking skills. We have to know how to play the game of politics. Decide who the people are that you NEED to know and go about making those people aware of your existence. Keep in mind that politics may be just that, letting the right people know who you are and what you do. So this way you have the best of both worlds because even if you are playing politics, it is still your art and talent that gets through. Just consider it networking. Never be anxious or a kiss up. Just meet the people you need to meet, follow up and nurture a relationship. Sometimes not every relationship will be one that you will use immediately but knowing that person may end up paying off by them introducing you and /or what you do to someone else. Never take anything personal. Most of the time people in positions of perceived power are envious of us as artists because they really want to be able to do what we do so don't take anything they say too serious. Stay focused and learn to play the game like a business man. Most of all be patient, persistent and consistent. It's all politics baby! GAME ON!

The Truth
All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2011

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Beware Of Carrot Dangling

The worse thing that can happen in this industry is for someone to waste your time. A lot of times this is done by people with influence, money and perceived power. These are people like attorneys, agents, promoters, label heads and managers that will use carrot dangling to get you to do what they want you to do. Basically carrot dangling is making empty promises. This is done when someone needs you and your skills to accomplish their business tasks but they don't want to tell you the truth so they pimp your belief, goals and dreams to make you think that they have your best interest at heart but they never do. These people will actually make sure that you never get an opportunity that will REALLY help or advance your career. In their minds, if they help you advance too much then they can't use or control you so they keep dangling carrots for you to chase. You have to be focused and grounded enough to recognize when this is happening and be able to just walk away. Now you don't want to cause a scene or create drama but when you know, you don't even have to let them know about it. Just make your future decisions concerning your association with them based on what you know . They will just figure that you were too busy so they will just find someone else to lie too. The thing about this is, it never really stops because you have people like this at every level of the game. So don't get caught up in empty promises. Always make decisions solely based on what it has to offer you. That way you will always benefit from every thing and keep moving forward. Now stop chasing carrots and go get your success.

The Truth
All Rights Reserved by Airtight productions 2011

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Diversification

Achieving success in the music industry can seem very elusive but you have to be able to identify all the things that are happening to you. The key to winning in this game is diversification. You may think that you are just a musician or artist but if you really look at it, you are much more. Think about it, on a daily basis, most of us have to wear several hats. We have to be a publicist, manager, accountant, talent coordinator, writer and the list goes on and on. We have to learn to place value on the other skill sets we have developed from working in this business and place a value on them. This will enable us to diversify our opportunities and broaden our road to success. I'm laughing because as we speak I've just finished producing and mixing a CD, I'm now headed to Memphis to compete in the International Blues Competition with a duo for which I also just finished a CD , I'm also serving as the musical director for The Williams Brothers Live DVD taping in a week and oh yeah by the way I have to play a show with a classical jazz trio in the midst of all of this. This is not to give you my to do list but it is just an example of how many different skill sets we can use to keep us moving to different levels of success. Keep your mind open to learning everything you can. You never know how you will be able to use those skills. Most people can be an artist but not everyone can be an intellectually diversified multi tasker. Now this doesn't mean be a jack of all trades and a master of none. To the contrary, mastering one thing only opens the door for you to develop other skill sets. So go to work and don't limit yourself or your success.

The Truth
All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2011

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

When The Going Gets Tough, Just Work Smarter

Attaining success is a life long pursuit because the journey is never really over. There are always different things to master in all facets of our existence. This is doubly true when you are a creative being operating in a very corporately driven industry. The music industry can truly test your fortitude, but when the going gets tough, just work smarter. Notice I said smarter and not harder. I have discovered that most of us focus so much on working HARD that we really end up wasting a lot of valuable time, energy and money. By working smarter, we are able to truly assess each situation we participate in and decide whether or not it is truly beneficial to us in the long run. I was in a session yesterday with a long time associate and we discussed all of the projects we had worked on together and it was the first time in years that I had actually stopped to realize how HARD we had actually worked for so long. What I gleaned from this conversation was that it is now time for me to work SMARTER as it pertains to this great catalogue of intellectual property we have amassed. By this I mean looking at this property as real estate and finding avenues in film and commercial television to shop this wealth of material. Thinking smarter helps you narrow your focus and it helps limit the number of useless associations, meetings, phone calls and hype sessions. A lot of times the going only seems tough because of the fact that we are working to hard and not working smart enough. I challenge you to reevaluate your own business and see where you can begin to work SMARTER to help advance your success. Stay creative and love what you do.

The Truth
All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2011