You Have To Show Up

The most important thing to remember about this business is that it's all about ACTION. We can plan and talk but you have to make things happen. In order to be in the game you have to show up to play. Doubt can be a debilitating thing. How many times have you had a great idea only to talk yourself out of it before you could implement it? This happens more than you know, especially the longer you've been in it. It can be hard to just keep going. Now I'm not condoning doing the same things over and over again yielding the same or no results, but you have to stay inspired to keep putting yourself in the arena. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten opportunities just by being somewhere. I've gone to jamns or functions and played only to find out that someone saw and heard me so they offered me an opportunity. This happens to me almost daily and believe me there are times that I don't feel like going or will say maybe next week but you have to stay in the game. This doesn't ever change. Success is largely based on building and maintaining relationships and you can't do either if you are not willing to constantly keep yourself in the mix. Out of sight, out of mind is so true. There is far too much competition for you to relax at any time. You may be the best in the world at what you do but if no one knows then it means nothing. We have to stay committed to keeping ourselves in the game and elevating our associations by attending gigs, jamns, parties, conferences and the like. Networking should be a weekly part of your bigger vision. Just remember, you have to play the game to win and you have to show up to play. Enjoy the journey.

The Truth

All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012

Innovation

I've been watching the Ken Burns documentary on Jazz and it was amazing how many great musicians made so many great advancements in the early twentieth century. It was not only the dawn of a new American art form but it was also the birth of the music BUSINESS. The only sad thing is that the musicians were getting ripped off at every turn but the way they fought the system was by innovation. It was always about the music first. All of the musicians wanted to be great at playing their ax and they would stop at nothing. They practiced and practiced and the bar was raised extremely high. Even though with every innovation came criticism from the media because they didn't understand the genius that was at work in the likes of Duke Ellington, Louis Armstong, Flecther Henderson, Benny Goodman and many others. The music industry grew because at the core, even beyond the corrupt accounting practices, was the musicians commitment to excellence and innovation. It seems that today we have gone in the opposite direction. We now make music to sell out by. What I mean is that we are not creating art to challenge the status quo. We are too concerned with endorsements and marketing our brands, more so than we are concerned about making great music. Most artists are now only interested in making money and they will sell out to ANY corporate entity that will pay. This attitude has rendered us powerless against the forces of a capitalist society. It used to be that artists fought against the system and wrote songs and created art that endorsed change or the betterment of ourselves and lives. In this system, we will NEVER make the money that a banker or record executive makes because the system is not designed for us to do so. We no longer control our own message because we are more concerned about selling records than we are about sharing innovative art and challenging our audience. This power can be ours again if we just go back to focusing our craft FIRST and seek out new innovative ways to push the musical envelop. It is up to us as artists to effect change in society. We can truly give voice to the voiceless or to those who have chosen to sleep walk through life being guided by a corporate structure that means them no good. It's time to take our industry back! Enjoy the journey.

The Truth

All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012

Stay Open

The worse thing that can happen to an artist is to become jaded. In this business it happens more often than not. So many of us get so caught up in the evils of just doing business that it can sometimes break your spirit and we become closed to growth, wisdom and enlightenment. We must stay open as not to stunt our creative growth. We have all had experiences and for the most part we think we know a lot. This is true but it doesn't mean that we can't still learn more. Most of us get to an age where we can't be told or taught anything because we think we know it all and this is creative and career suicide. Success is always about growth and that growth NEVER stops. It's all about continually educating ourselves in our craft and this business. We need to continue to study and challenge ourselves and not be so quick to assert an opinion when something is different from what we are used to. We should just add this new thing to our repertoire. Staying open also gives us a positive point of view and invites opportunity. So don't get jaded, stay open to the beauty that exists in every creative encounter. Enjoy the journey.

The Truth

All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012

Don't Settle!

Staying focused on a your chosen path can seem next to impossible in this business or life in general but it is a must. Most of us started out with clearly defined visions of who we were and what we wanted to achieve but somewhere along the way we started to compromise our goals and visions. This happens to the best of us, whether it's making changes for a personal relationship or getting into a business situation that you know is not right but you feel desperate. Well I'm here today to tell you two words . . . DON'T SETTLE!!!! Yes, this business is hard and we all have our ups and downs but it is important that we maintain out integrity. We should never settle for mediocrity or for anything less than what we know we deserve. Now this means that we will always have to work for EVERYTHING we get but nothing worth having is really free. I've seen guys sign bad deals with companies because they figure that they are getting old and a bad deal is better than no deal at all or they are in a personal relationship that doesn't serve their best interest but they feel as if they just have to be with somebody. Settling is just another word for giving up. Don't fool yourself about it. When you settle for something you know you don't want, it slowly eats away at the very essence of who you are. It can even be manifested in physical ailments or depression. Life is truly too short to ever have to settle. We have to live full out. Yes we will make some mistakes and yes even the best of us have thought about giving it all up, if you haven't then you haven't really been living this life full out but it is being able to recover from those moments of doubt and push forward to heights you didn't even think possible that let's you know that settling or giving up is NEVER the way to go. Don't allow another man, woman or child to make you settle. Take your bumps and bruises but keep going. The only way you will loose the race is if you stop running. So don't stop. Stay inspired and live, love and create full out ALL the time.

The Truth

All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012

Always Honor Your Audience

I've done a lot of shows and had a lot of experiences and one thing I know is that if you are going to make it in this game, you have to have a thick skin and you must be a trooper. Our main goal is to build a fan or friend base of people that will support us and our music by buying tickets to our shows and purchasing our music and other merchandise. In building this relationship with our fan base, it is vital that we always honor our audience. I've been in situations where there have been miscommunication about money between the agent, artist and venue. If the venue has done their part, in terms of sending the correct deposits and covering your travel, accommodations and paying you your balance as stated in your contract, then no matter what other arrangements may exist between you, your label, agent or management, you must fulfill your obligation to the venue and your fans. When people buy tickets to our shows, they do so expecting to be entertained. No matter what else is going on in our lives or with our business, we owe our audience a GREAT show. They paid their money and took time out to spend and evening with us and they simply deserve the best. Let's face it, there are always obstacles to overcome in this business but we can minimize them by doing our due diligence in advance by taking care of ALL of our business so that our audience doesn't have to become a casualty of bad business or miscommunication. Our relationship with our fan base is like any other, it must be honored, respected and nurtured if we are to have success. Enjoy the journey.

The Truth

All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012

It's All In Front Of Us

I've just arrived in Bern, Switzerland to play a few shows and I attended the opening press event where I witnessed a group of young musicians ranging in age from 18 to 28 playing in a Jazz Big Band. They were a part of the Bern school of music. Every time I'm in Europe I'm struck by how much they put the music first. In the states we often complain that there is no REAL music and so forth but we just have to open our eyes and ears because it's all in front of us. The band of students I witnessed were playing new arrangements by a Belgian composer and it was beautiful to see them be so excited about learning. I think we sometimes get so caught up in opinions and genres that we miss so much of the beauty that exists around us everyday. It is vital that we get back to a place where we participate in life and not just watch it pass us by as we stand there and dole out opinions. We have to also constantly look behind our own backyards. This is a BIG world and if you simply look and listen, you will see that music education and arts are thriving because there are students all over the world that want to know and learn as much as they can about this craft. We must also remember that we are ALL always learning. We just have to stay open to see what's right in front of us. Being a creative person in a gift and a blessing and we must not take it for granted. Enjoy the journey.

The Truth

All Rights Reserved By Airtight Productions 2012

You Get What You Negotiate

I read a post a couple of days ago form an older artist who had been a part of a very successful group. They had gold records and a few hits, but he mentioned that during the height of their success it took him years to receive any royalties. He also mentioned that his music had been used in several films and he was only paid a few hundred dollars for licensing. He's now retired and barely living on a social security check. Yes, he is still owed tons of back royalties but can't afford an attorney to fight it. I know we've all heard hundreds of these kinds of stories. The music industry was and still is a tough business but let's never for get that it is a business FIRST and you only get what you negotiate. Most artist are so busy focusing on being famous that when they have even a little success their ego can sometimes cloud their judgement. Let's face it, their is just nothing exciting or fabulous about doing tons of paperwork including filing copyrights and publishing papers. So many artists sign agreements without fully understanding the dreaded fine print. It is important that you are aware of every single clause and what it means. A record deal or now 360 deal (which are horrible by the way) is only a loan. If you borrow money from a bank, you will negotiate to get the best interest rate and terms of payback that best suit you. Well you should look at any contractual agreement the same way. Don't walk into any meeting trying to be an artist. WALK IN AS A BUSINESS MAN/WOMAN. Negotiate terms that will pay off the advance or label investment as well as get you paid not only in the short term but the long term. You want a deal that gives you a percentage ownership stake in everything that you generate from performance royalties, publishing, mechanicals, licensing. . . etc. You need to also look at the length of the agreement. Don't sign your life away. There is so much more to consider, much more than I have time or space to write in this setting, (I will cover it in depth in my book). Just remember that you only get what you negotiate and if you make a bad deal, it's not the other guy's fault, he was looking out for his interest, NOT YOURS. Enjoy the journey.

The Truth

All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012

Being A Musician

As the music industry resets itself and we all try to make sense of it all, some things are inevitably the same. Even though the entire entertainment industry revolves around the talent, it seems that the artists are always on the bottom of the pile when it comes to respect and financial consideration. I don't mean to appear as if I'm just beating a "Get Money" drum, I'm just trying to help us make sense of and see the reality we are dealing with. Being a musician is much like being a teacher. Teachers are probably the most important people in our society yet they are sorely underpaid and not well respected. The same can be said for the treatment of musicians. Everyone loves music and they want to be able to go out and enjoy great musicians and hire us for their events but when it comes to compensation, people just don't see what we do as a viable or valuable asset. Why do you think this is? Well, I think it's because for so long we, just as teachers, have allowed people to take what we do for granted. This happens largely because being a musician or teacher is a passionate calling and not a career chosen necessarily for it's financial rewards. It just seems to me that as our industry resets, this is a great time for us to establish another level of respect in the hiring community. We need to educate people on the value of what we do and why they MUST compensate us for it. I can't tell you how many people I meet that will ask how I make a living as a musician because they just don't see or respect it as a REAL career. Well guess what? IT IS A REAL CAREER! And it is up to us to help start to turn the tide. I feel the same way about teachers being that most of us as musicians are also educators in one way or another. No need to complain let's just CHANGE IT. Perception is reality so let's give people another perception of who we are, what we do and what it is worth. Enjoy the journey.

The Truth

All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012

Be Positive

The key to living a beautiful life and having success in this business or any other is understanding the concept of mind over matter. As creative people we are always tasked with stepping outside of our creative space to focus on the dreaded business or financial. Most of us choose to ignore it or just lie to ourselves about it, therefor we end up wasting our talents by being underpaid and never realizing the full potential of our gifts. It's as if we see doing business in a negative light so we continue to defer those responsibilities to others with no results on our behalf. It's important to ALWAYS be positive and see the glass as half full and never half empty. Remember that this is a business and if we are going to make enough money to support ourselves and others then we have to be as inspired to handle business as we are when it comes to creating art. No more complaining or beating yourself up. You truly are what you think you are so there is no room for negative words, actions, thoughts or relationships. Having this attitude will inspire you to move forward in truly turning your creative gift into a valuable commodity for the buying public. If we know that playing clubs doesn't pay enough, then don't complain or be negative about it and never settle. There are several ways to increase your income that don't involve you getting a job outside of your field. You just have to look at it from a creative point of view. Write down your skill sets and place value to them other than just playing gigs. Whether it's teaching private lessons, consulting or developing a program that is unique to who you are and what you do. Just be positive and creative about it. I mean if you spend eight hours a day punching a clock to be underpaid, what else can you do to build your own creative, financially successful business in that same eight hours a day? Think about the amount of energy we expend in getting booked in clubs. Now what if we expended the same energy in developing alternate incomes streams that are derived from our creative skills. My friends it is possible! Just stay positive and enjoy the journey.

The Truth

All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012

Passing Judgement

The one thing that will never change about this business is opinions and EVERYONE has one. What we have to be careful about is passing judgement. We all have likes and dislikes as industry people and yet another set of likes and dislikes as artists and musicians. Any healthy or constructive criticism is always welcomed and needed for growth but criticizing out of jealously or just malcontent is not beneficial to the artist or our business. We all know that there is a vast difference between great music and commercial music. Now there is some commercial music that can be considered great but for the most part commercial music serves the moment. It serves a cultural and societal point of view. It is simply a snapshot and should be looked at as such. We should always keep the quality bar raised but that doesn't mean that we disregard anything new or outside our particular box. Marketing or not, if millions of people buy into a song or artist, there is something that connects and that is not always ONLY about music. It could be the subject matter, the delivery and it's always about timing. Certain songs and artists just work at a certain time based on their social relevance. The buying public is not buying music based on perfection, they buy music that relates to their lives. Just as I've heard Jazz purists talk down about smooth Jazz not realizing that smooth jazz sells a lot more than traditional jazz because of it relevance to the current culture. If looked at correctly, the Jazz purists would see that smooth Jazz can be used as a door to get people to discover traditional Jazz. Most people are more than willing to learn but they have to feel respected as listeners and not be made to feel unintelligent because they happen to like smooth Jazz. Most of the music is just instrumental R&B and the quality of the musicianship is high and, for the most part the recordings sound great and are easily accessible for the listener. The same can be said for other genres like the blues. Most blues purist will be quick to define what is REAL blues without realizing that the blues is more than just a certain beat or set of chord changes. The blues is truly the foundation of ALL forms of American popular music but it too has grown and continues to morph into new and exciting things. The problem is those that refuse to let it do so. Some think they are preserving something but they are only destroying it because if you don't get a younger generation to embrace the music, who will carry it forward? Yes, it is vital to always know the tradition and where the music came from but we must not ever be afraid to let it grow and we must never mock the the things we don't understand. Be careful passing judgement. Live, love and create freely while enjoying your journey.

The Truth

All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012

Music In Schools

One of the greatest contributors to the music industry is music education. Most of our greatest artists' have gotten there inspiration from a school music class but things have drastically changed. Over the last fifteen years, funding for school music programs has been cut to almost nothing. There was a time when schools had a budget that allowed them to supply instruments to any child that wanted to play but that is no longer the case. The issue is sadly not ALL financial. The saddest fact is that the people that make policy have totally devalued the importance of arts education. The focus is now on test scores and how a school district rates. This environment does not at all serve the well being of the students. Children are no longer learning, they are simply being taught to memorize facts for a test and the teachers no longer have time to be creative in their teaching styles because they know that if they don't achieve a certain score on the test that their very job may be at risk. The solution to saving music and arts in schools rests on our shoulders as professional musicians and artists. Every state has an arts commission or arts council that is eligible to receive arts grants to help send us into schools to fill the void. The process usually requires artists to join a roster by applying and meeting certain criteria. It also helps if you take a few classes that will help you learn how to take what you do into the classroom. Not all of us know how to simplify what we do or put it into a classroom format that will benefit children. This is where having a partnership with educators can come in handy. They can help us with the basic formats. As independent consultants, we are not bound so strictly by the rules that most teachers are so we can really get into teaching music and arts. It is important that we work with the teachers to know what their specific needs are as well. It is truly up to us to help educate the next generation of artists. Do the research in your area and reach out to your local arts commission or arts council to get more information on how to get involved. Enjoy the journey.

The Truth

All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012