Motives

The music industry is really all about psychology or mind games. It's very easy to become jaded if you are naive and try to take everything and everyone at face value. It's all about a person's motives. We have to be able to become quick judges of character and people's intentions. Some may say that this will take years of getting burned and going through bad situations to gain this type of discernment. I disagree. Being successful and keeping your spirit is all about education. It is important that we all read and study as much as we can about the basic components of the music industry. We should also read and study about the most successful people in the game and how they became who they are. Armed with this information and a little common sense, we will be prepared to size up anything and anyone that is coming at us. It is very important for us to decide what we want out of this business. It is only when people see that you are unsure about what you want that they begin to take advantage of you by selling you dreams and promising you things that are always just out of your reach. This is called carrot dangling but if you have your own plan and agenda laid forth for your career, then you won't waste as much time chasing lies and empty promises from people. Let me give you an example that I've just dealt with. I work with a lot of artists that tour the world. It's always a negotiation game. Now in one case I worked with an artist that I consider to be a mentor and we toured for almost half a year around the world. I didn't do the tour for my normal price because he said that if we did the tour at a lower price the first time around that we would be able to make more money the next year as a result of the ground work we would have laid. Well I did it mostly because I trusted him to look out for all of our interests. Now the next touring season rolled around and this guy has gotten booked all over the place but he didn't call us to do ANY of the dates with him and he just gave me a bunch of excuses about budget and this and that. What I learned was that his motive was to use anyone he could to get himself to where he wanted to be. This was cool because I made money and connections from working with him so I was still able to benefit form it but it just taught me not to get too involved or concerned about anyone Else's goals that don't line up with mine. I give you this same advice. Always beware of people that constantly make you promises that never come true. Even if you think of them as a friend. Remember that actions speak louder than words. Don't EVER take it personal just be sure to make every decision based on what is best for YOU and if you decide to help someone and they take advantage of your kindness, you still come out a winner because you were able to learn the truth about who they are. Stay inspired and don't allow anything to crush your spirit or jade you. Enjoy the journey.

The Truth

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