Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Just Work Through It

In the process of pursing your career there are always obstacles. It doesn't matter where you are in your process. Every time you reach a new level, there are new challenges. You are always proving yourself at one level or another. We all experience ups and downs in our careers but as long as we keep moving forward success is ours. Just keep working through it. Every new opportunity is a kind of double edged sword. It's a chance to advance further but it often requires just a bit more work and dedication. Nothing is ever promised so we have to operate largely on faith and have confidence in our own ability to conquer any challenge put before us because failure is simply not an option. Most people don't understand the load we shoulder as creative people, especially those closet to us in business or personal relationships. These people don't understand the amount of courage and focus it takes to get up everyday not knowing what to expect but being able to create something from nothing in most cases and this takes a lot of FOCUS. Any mood, action or word that doesn't support this focus can create HUGE issues for us but that's when we have to maintain our focus even more and just keep working through it knowing that we WILL be successful. I mean we already have success but as I stated before, it never really stops. There is always a new level to reach and new things to learn and create. So don't be discouraged by obstacles, be encouraged by them because they only make us better and inspire us to keep moving forward. Enjoy the journey.

The Truth
All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Don't Loose Your Essence

Being in entertainment can be a confusing career. We always want to make people happy. Most of us start out with a clear definition of who we are and what we want but somewhere along the way we start trying to be all things to all people. Growth and change are always good things but only if they add too you. Don't loose your essence. What I mean by this is when your main goal is always pleasing others first, you will eventually loose yourself. I play with a LOT of people and I had to learn a long time ago that even though I want to be user friendly and accommodating, most people were only hiring me for who I was and what I would bring to their mix. I have worked with people that actually had less experience than me but they would try to tell me how to play this or that. Now I'm always respectful in any situation because I feel that we can always learn something from anyone but what I came to learn was people will make you doubt your own ability because of their own ignorance or insecurity. Yes I said ignorance but understand that this is not an insult. Being ignorant about something doesn't mean that you are not intelligent, it just means that you are less knowledgeable about a particular subject. Most people's egos won't let them admit that they just don't know everything so when they are in positions of power and influence they simply abuse the position. We have to always keep our essence as pure as we can. Being a professional sideman may work for some people but if your essence is more that of an artist then you have to seek out situations that will not attempt to quench who you are. It is important to always be humble and gracious but don't ever feel as if you HAVE to sacrifice who you are to be a part of ANYTHING. This is not only creatively destructive but physically and spiritually as well. Choose your projects and tasks wisely making sure they don't require you to sacrifice you. Enjoy the journey.

The Truth
All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012

Thursday, February 23, 2012

The Secret To Promoting Your Music

We've had a lot of discussion about getting back to making great music and being sure that the music is first. The music industry is undergoing a huge change with the use of social networking and the Internet in general. In order to be successful we have to have a large presence in this system. One thing that has not changed is the importance of getting your music heard. The secret to promoting your music is money. It doesn't cost as much as it used to but you still need to have it. You can have 5,000 facebook friends and thousands of twitter followers but this will not guarantee you success in selling your music. Most people are on social media for the purpose of being social only. They will only follow you based on what kind of social clout associating with you brings to them. Just because they follow you doesn't guarantee that they will buy your music. This is where hiring a professional publicist comes in. You can pay anywhere from $500 to $7,000 depending on what you want. What this will do is get your music noticed and talked about in several venues. A good publicist can get also get you airplay on Internet and some land based radio stations. This coupled with your own social networking will yield results especially if your music is good. There is just no way for you to do it all yourself and hiring a publicist will insure that there is consistent work being done on a daily basis to market and promote your music. The more people see and hear about your music the more apt they are to buy it. So I'm sorry to say that some things have changed but the secret to getting your music to people is still spending money. Don't look at it as a bad thing because you simply can't get something for nothing. If you are not willing to invest then you are in the wrong business. Enjoy the journey.

The Truth
All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Your Actions Define Who You Are

Being successful in this industry or life in general is all about your mind set and your habits. I hear people complain all the time about not being satisfied with their current state and I simply say if you are not happy with something then change it. Yes, it's that simple but most people just like complaining so they just make excuses. A lot of times our our day to day actions don't line up with our ambitions. It's important to remember that your actions define who you are and who you will become. When I was in middle school, they used to say practice makes perfect but my band director said that wasn't true. She said PERFECT practice makes perfect and she was so right. Most people have all of these incredible dreams and goals but their daily actions are not leading them in the direction of success. If success is what you want then you have to practice being successful everyday. Make a plan and see it through, no matter what it is. If you spend more time planning and talking than you do putting things into motion then that defines your success of lack there of. We just have to be honest with ourselves. The only way to make it happen is to . . . well . . . just make it happen by conceiving it and then DOING it. Spend less time complaining and making excuses and more time manifesting and moving forward. Make these simple changes and I promise you will see a change. Enjoy the journey.

The Truth
All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Playing Clubs

In this blog we discuss the music business but we like to try to keep our discussion grounded in truth. We understand that not everyone will or really even wants to be a superstar, famous, rich or wealthy. A large part of the musical community just wants to play great music in a great venue for great people. In this spirit I want to talk about something that is the life blood of over 95% of all musicians and that is playing clubs and why we do it. We do not play clubs to become rich (LOL) and it is not the club owners responsibility to support us or make us rich. Now I know a lot of my musician friends are starting to frown, but let me explain. The only reason to really play a club is to build a following that will by your music or merchandise and spend money to see you perform when and where ever they can. Most clubs can't afford to pay more than $800 for a band and those that can just won't do it. Now it's not for us as musicians to battle the club owners. Let's just be thankful for a venue to play and realize that it is up to us to prove and increase our value. If you are able to guarantee 150 to 200 people every time you play then you have bargaining power and you don't really need to depend on the club owner. If he sees that you can bring in these kind of numbers then he knows that he will make his money in food and liquor so you can make your money on tickets, the door and cd & merch sales. It's all about having the right perspective. The club owner is in business to make money and keep his club open and the musician is in business to build his/her name/brand and promote and sell music, no more no less. So let's not always look at club owners as enemies just understand that playing clubs should only be part of your plan and not the whole plan. Enjoy the journey.

The Truth
All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012

Monday, February 20, 2012

Less Talk & More Action

The one thing about this industry that continues to amaze me is the fact that all you really have to do is want something bad enough and for the most part, you can make it happen. We have all been talking about the state of the music industry and the lack, as most of us see it, of true talent being marketed. This is actually nothing new. In every generation there have been great artists that never rose to the top while other less talented artists took over the world. I've noticed that most people that have the talent and skills seem to lack the other intangibles such as drive, ambition and just refusal to take no for an answer. These people are long on talk and criticism but because they are talented, they almost feel entitled to something. While the less talented people already know that they are short on skills and they know they have to work harder than anybody. It is this work ethic that usually gets them to the top. I say to all of you today, it's time for less talk and more action. I know lots of great singers that stand idly by and criticize others singers' work. They say oh he or she has no talent, they sing out of tune, they use auto tune, I am better than they are. Well the reason you even know about them is because they chose to really pursue their career by releasing music for YOU to talk about. Maybe if we spent less time talking about other artists and spent more time working on getting our own music out to the world, then maybe the industry would be different. Don't get me wrong, I feel the frustration but action always speaks louder than words. You could be the greatest whatever that ever lived but if no one ever hears or sees you then it is as if you never existed. So it is vitally important that we change our focus from talking to doing. I don't particularly like auto tune stuff but I can't hate on the fact that those guys took what they had and made something positive out if it. They are selling millions of records while we sit by and talk about them. Let them do what they do and we need to be about the business of doing what we do and maybe they can look and listen to us and say, "Oh that's what you mean!". So let's get to work! Enjoy the journey.

The Truth
All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Lead By Example

We have talked a lot about the current state of the music industry and what we need to do to change and improve it. Well we've done enough talking. It's now time for us to lead by example. Most of us have written literally hundreds of songs that have never been heard by anyone. Now is the time to make this new industry model work for us. In the past releasing an independent CD was a daunting task because you had to have at least $5,000 just to make the record and order product but the digital distribution via the Internet has made this a much more affordable process. Forget trying to release a full length CD right away. Start with a single you think is strong and release it. With graphic design and digital web fee, it shouldn't cost you more than $200 to have your song up for sale on itunes and CD Baby. The single approach also gives you a chance to test market your material. If you release a single and the public doesn't respond then you know that you need to come with a different song but it didn't cost you thousands of dollars to find this out. Once you've released two or three successful singles, you can then invest in releasing a full length CD. Again I advise going the digital route first because it is less expensive. The idea with doing the singles is that it will help you build a fan base and get them to trust you and the quality of your music so when you release the full CD they won't mind taking a chance on purchasing the CD because they've enjoyed the singles. It's also good to give your fan base incentives such as alternate mixes and even a free download from time to time. The bottom line is getting people to follow us and tell their friends to do the same. Once you have your fan base moving you can then invest in pressing hard copies to sell at shows or send out for festival and concert work. The digital route is just an easy way to help you put together a great CD that will interest your fans. So no more talking, pick a song and release it NOW! In the spirit of this conversation, I will lead the way. I have just completed my new project entitled "The Nu Funk Soul R & B Mix Tape". I am releasing three singles before I drop the full CD. The first single is Sweet Baby which is now available for download on itunes at http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/sweet-baby-single/id503337544 and on CD Baby at www.cdbaby.com/dmar4. So not only am I challenging you to lead, I am also leading by example. If we don't put our music out as often as we can, how will we ever be a viable part of changing this industry? Enjoy the journey and go download my new single.

The Truth
All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Protocol

In this new era we as artists and musicians are working to define our position in this industry. Most of us, as always are really our own worse enemies. I talk to people all the time that complain about their state in the industry and how they are being cheated and unfairly treated but when you look at how they operate you know why they are not being successful. The thing we ALL have to remember is that following proper protocol is highly important to your success. Protocol is define as: The established code of procedure or behavior in any group, organization, or situation. There is simply a right and wrong way to do things. It is as simple as just doing good business. I deal with people all the time that will book me for gigs or shows and for the most part things go well but I have had situations where guys will ask me to sub or hold certain dates for them then they will back out without good reason or proper notification. This is not good business. If I agree to help you out by subbing or covering a job for you, that means that I have turned down other work to help you so when you cancel me that means that I'm not making ANY money. Now I've had this happen and people would say that I should confront the people about it but I'm one of those people that believes in experience being the best teacher. If you burn me once, that's the only chance you get to do so. My career has been successful and I'm continuing to gain more success because I don't do drama and I believe in honor and following protocol. It's so important to always do good business because you never know who you are REALLY dealing with. That man/woman that you lie to or mistreat today could be the president of a company in the future that could give you an opportunity. Now I've lived this too. I've served as MD in several very prominent situations and I continue to have hiring power in several arenas. Now when I'm working with people I'm always looking at who I could bring into a larger situation with me. I never reveal all of my resume or experience because it's important to me to see who a person really is. I've been burned by guys in the past and when they found that I was the MD in charge of hiring for a particular show, they would become humble and apologetic but they've already shown me their true colors and no one ever wants to work with someone they can't trust. So in every situation, no matter how big or small, always honor proper protocol. If you commit to someone or book them and you can't fulfill the obligation. Be honest and upfront. Also if you book someone and they are helping you, the thing to do is compensate them if you have to cancel them to show that you respect their time and that you value the relationship. Enjoy the journey.

The Truth
All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Backlash

The Grammys this year seem to echo the sentiment of most true artists. It's time to get back to making great music and focusing on the craft. What the general public may not realize is that the Grammy Award is not based on sales, airplay or even popularity. The Grammy is voted on by artists, musicians, writers, producers and other music industry people that are members of the Recording Academy and while every once in a while you will have something strange slip through, for the most part the Grammy is about rewarding excellence not necessarily what's popular. This was evident last year when Esperanza Spalding won best new artist. She is a Jazz musician and professor at Berklee College of Music. The general public, for the most part, had no idea who she was but this is our role as academy members. It is our responsibility to reward excellence in music. The music industry is experiencing a backlash right now. With all of the auto tuned styled records, music has lost it's identity and ability to reach people on an emotional level. T Pain found a way to make using auto tune an art but the hundreds of artists that used it after him just made it a novel fad that has cheated the listening public. Music is not meant to be perfect. It's meant to be just like all of us, flawed and imperfect. Perfect music has no place in the real world. This is why Adele swept the Grammys this year. She was really the only artist in her categories that was just telling her own story with great songs and music. No auto tune gimmicks or the latest drum machine or keyboard sound. She just made an honestly great record and when placed against the auto tuned techno raging competition, she was a shoe in. The Recording Academy has an organization called Musicares that raises money and awareness for arts and music education programs. It is vital that we continue to support music education and teach the next generation of musicians the importance of learning to really play an instrument and master their craft and not be dependent on studio tricks to make them. This backlash is really a good thing because it forces the industry to take a real look at what it's putting out. Now we are not naive. There will always be tons of superficial fad oriented disposable music but it can no longer be the standard. I challenge all artists to make the music you feel and hear within your heart and not the music you think THEY want to hear. It's time to get back to making REAL music. Enjoy the journey.

The Truth
All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012

Monday, February 13, 2012

Knowing What You Want

Most of us spend years chasing our goals and dreams without REALLY having a clear cut definition of what we want. We kinda just go through the motions and some of us even get lucky. The main key to achieving anything is to know what you want. Especially in this business. It's important to know what you want so that you can also know what you don't want. I recall an experience years ago. We had just incorporated our first production company and we were pursuing an investor. He sat in front of us and said, "OK what if I told you I was going to give you whatever you wanted? Just tell me how much you need and give me an itemized plan showing how you plan on using it." Now he didn't say go figure it out. He wanted us to tell him right then. We had a broad idea of what we wanted but had not really defined it. Luckily he was not actually righting a check that day, he was just giving us a valuable lesson in this game. From that day forward we made sure to always right down our goals and plans. I still do it today so if someone asks me what my plans are or what I want, I can communicate it clearly. It's also important for young artists to know what they want. I had a conversation with an artist recently and when I asked him what he wanted, he simply said that he wanted to be famous and perform on stages all over the world. This sounds like the dream of thousands of young acts but a self destructive one. Let me explain . . . When you sit down with a record company, attorney or manager and you can't define specific things you want from your career they will make the decisions for you. Yes you can be famous and perform on as many stages as you want, but what about your publishing, copyrights, performance compensation, the plan for growing and sustaining your career . . .etc. You have to know and guide these people, if not they will make decisions that best serve them and not you. You will only become a commodity to be used and exploited. No matter how young or old, we all need to know what we want and be able to communicate it clearly. Anyone who doesn't support our vision must be cut. It's important that managers and the like know that they work for us but we must give them a clear vision and guide them by being decisive and knowing what we want. Enjoy the journey.


The Truth

All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Don't Believe The Hype

The more things change, the more they stay the same. It never ceases to amaze me how most of us, in spite of our intellect, continue to fall for the same games and hustles. I guess deep within even though we know this is a business, fame and adulation can really be addictive drugs. Once you've experienced it at any level, it seems that you can't get enough of it and people use this addiction to pimp and exploit us at every turn. I recall a scene from Cadillac Records when Chuck Berry and Leonard Chess were in a meeting and the man told Leonard that he would make him rich and Chuck famous. Now Chuck then switched chairs with Leonard and said that he preferred the feeling of the money chair. LOL. That was a great example of what we still deal with today. DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE!!!!!!!! Fame does not pay the bills. Fame is an illusion or a distraction. While we are busy chasing fame, their are people using our talents to make money and most of the time they don't share that money with us. I'm not even speaking about it on a grand scale. I mean I get calls weekly from people telling me how great they think I am and how they want me on this tour or that show. Now they are selling me all this hype to stroke my ego but the minute we start talking about money, they start doing what we call "Po Mouthing". They explain how they can only afford this or that but it will be a great chance for me to get exposure and so forth and so on. What happened to my greatness? Yes, exposure is important and we all need it to grow our careers but my problem with these kinds of people is that they are not sincere. They really believe that it's fair for them to make fifty to seventy percent more than the talent. Even though without us, they wouldn't be able to make a dime. Hell I recently played a show with some friends and the sound man got a larger guarantee than the band WTF! This only happens to us because we choose to believe the hype. I'm not suggesting that we become jaded or bitter. I'm just saying that it is time that we utilize our wisdom and intellect. Sometimes we just have to say no or at least let people know that we understand their game and we are choosing to do whatever not based on their hype but based on our own business interest. I especially warn young artists. Don't get so caught up in the image and fame that you allow people to make you a dancing clown. Be sure to take care of YOUR business and don't buy into the hype. IT'S ALWAYS GOT TO BE ABOUT RESULTS. Enjoy the journey.

The Truth
All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Finding Your Identity

The music business can be very confusing. Everyone seems to have a definition of what they think good is and as artists we continue jumping through hoops to no avail. How many times have you seen an artist sell tons of records or concert tickets and people will say that he/she can't really sing or he/she is not as good as whomever. Well let me tell you a secret. The key to longevity and success in this business is finding YOUR identity. We all have something that is unique to us. Not everyone is a super vocalist but it doesn't take being great to define an identity. Great singers are a dime a dozen but unique voices are few and far between. This goes for singing, writing or playing and it is often the imperfections that help define this identity. Music is about being honest and connecting with an audience and that often times has little to do with how you compare to someone else. If you deliver art from your heart that connects and inspires people, then they just accept YOU for who you are and they invite you into their lives. We all start out by imitating or admiring someone else but we eventually have to define who we are. This is a really hard thing to do because it takes courage and resilience because it can take time for people to understand who you are. It is always worth it though. You want to have an undeniable identity so that when people hear your sound they know it immediately. I mean take Bob Dylan for example, he was not a great singer by regular standards but he was such a great song writer and no one else sounded like him at all. He created an undeniable identity. Love it or hate it, you definitely knew it was him. We can play in cover bands or we can try to create music based on what we think the public wants to hear but this will just keep us jumping through hoops. People don't know what they want but they are always ready for something new and unique. Whether it be your music or stage show, define your identity and it will insure you a spot in this industry. Enjoy the journey.

The Truth
All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

All About The Music, Not Competition

I just returned from participating in the International Blues Challenge. This was my second year doing so. We made it to the semi-finals last year and to the finals this year. There seems to always be a huge controversy over the inconsistency of the judging but that is neither here or there. The most powerful thing about the experience was seeing musicians from all over the world that truly live and love the blues. Now don't get me wrong, we all do various styles of music but we never forget that the blues is king. The camaraderie was amazing. It was a simple reminder that it's all about the music and not the competition. After all no man can TRULY sit and judge another man's blues. That's what makes the blues immortal. It's because the blues is not just any one sound or style, it's a little bit of everything and it continues to morph because it is a living thing. The blues is ALL about expression and honestly and for those that have participated in the IBC I challenge you to not not be defined by the competition element of it but understand that there is no right or wrong way to play the blues. You define your own musical path and you need not be validated by any organization or person. Yes, it's nice to have people say nice things about you and recognize you but in the end it's all about you telling YOUR story the way YOU see it and only that defines you. During the finals, we were sitting backstage with other finalists jamming for at least two hours and it was the most beautiful experience because it showed us what we ALL had in common and that was a true love and respect for this music and each other. Let's continue to stay focused on these things and the blues will be assured to grow and flourish in love and truth. It is truly all about the music, not the competition. Enjoy the journey.

The Truth
All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012