Relationships

I know that you have heard the saying "It's not WHAT you know but WHO you know" a million times. Guess what? It is true! Especially in the music industry. Forging good relationships is one of the main keys to success. Now where most people make a mistake is thinking that the only relationships that matter are the ones you have with people you perceive to be at a higher level in the game such as record execs, radio programmers, attorneys... etc but the truth is these people don't really have time for you and the only way to get to them is usually by having a sincere relationship with someone they trust. You should practice building good relationships in every situation you are in because you never know who knows who and most of the time people won't tell you who they know just so they can check you out to see who you REALLY are. For example: I have been in the industry for over 20 years producing, writing, administrating and performing at many different levels so it would stand to reason that I would have amassed quite a few CONNECTIONS and I have. Now one of the things I do is I don't sale people on what I've done or what I can do. It is always better for me to work with people that are in it for the long haul and are willing to sacrifice and be loyal or at least exhibit good character. I have been in situations as a bandleader or head producer and had people undercut me for bids or gigs. I've even had musicians go behind my back and underbid me on a gig but go to the show and play my arrangements. Now these people had no idea that they were basically destroying a major relationship over a few dollars when I only had THEIR best interest at heart. Now I have since had all of them request things from me and I have been and I still am in a position to recommend them for things that will help them but do you think I will? Well I think you know the answer. This is never personal it's ALWAYS business. In order to form good relationships you must maintain good relationships and always be honest and forthcoming. For me to recommend people that I know did unscrupulous things to me would be a bad reflection on me because if they did it to me, they will just do it to someone else and that would adversely affect my relationship with that person. It is a never ending web. Practice forging great relationships at ALL times and you will see your career move much faster.

The Truth

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