Seriously, change is going to happen, whether we like it or not. Musical styles, hair styles, fashions, car designs, technologies, attitudes, climates, and the weather, just to name a few things. Nothing stays the same. Even our bodies are a study in change. Old cells die off, new ones are formed. From moment to moment we're not the same beings. So, why is it that we resist change? Why are we scared of it? What attaches us to a certain moment in time? Are we scared that it will never be as good, or even better than it is right now?
As musicians, we can set ourselves into a style, but that style is going to go out of popularity. Sure, it might eventually come back, but what do we do in the meantime? I mean, you have legacy acts like the Stones, or AC/DC that ride waves of popularity, but can that really sustain an up and coming act these days? What is the aversion to growing as artists? Seriously, I don't understand it? Is it really "selling out" to ensure that you prolong your career? I think I'm okay with being a sell out then.
Purism and Elitism have caused a very real level of stagnation in the music industry. Futuristic Glam Rock bands won't be caught dead using modern equipment to make their music. The same goes for the small scene rock bands that still think you have to sport the "look" of long hair and stained denim. My favorite though, as a sound engineer, are the people who have to have that Analog sound, so bad that they're willing to live with a substandard and dated recording to be "cool". Not that I really have a problem with old equipment and technology being used, but at least do something new with it.
The same is true for the business side of our industry. We're still stuck in the mindset that the only way to build our career is the old "tour till you drop" tactic. While live performance is still an important part of it, there is so much more that can be done to get our names, and sounds, in front of the right people. Why play the game of "this is how it's done", when we can be the innovators of how it CAN be done?
Stagnation is a bad, bad thing. Embrace technology. Embrace change. Quit playing the game and start doing something that hasn't been done before. You might be able to make waves that way.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Build it and they will come! If you do enough leg work to make sure they see you, anyway.
How many other people do what you do? How many of them do it well? What makes you different from them? What makes you stand out? What makes you outstanding? What makes you special? Are you really special, or do you just feel that way?
Say you are, "that special". What are you doing to make sure everyone knows that you are? How do you draw people to your brilliance? I hate to break this to you, but they aren't exactly like moths to a light. You may build it, but they're not going to break down walls to get to you.
We live in a time where communications with our potential audience, fans, or clients, is easier than ever. But, it's also harder than ever too. Why? Because we, as a society, are jaded by advertising and marketing. We've seen it all before. We've heard it all before, and we have DVR!!! We don't have to watch commercials. We switch the dial on the radio when the adds come on. Well, those of us dinosaurs that still listen to terrestrial radio, anyway. We block pop ups. We drop all the asshat network marketers from our Facebook friends list. WE DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!!!!
We are in a position though to get back to the real basics of building a following or finding the right clientele. It's communication.
If we do what we do, and talk about what we do, then we're going to start catching the interest of the people who actually give a shit about what we do. Those are the ones we want to talk to anyway, right?
Doing is 100 times better than talking about doing. No, if you build it they will not come. However, if you build it, and talk about building it, and post pictures of the process of building it, and promote the people that are helping you build it, you will see them come. Whether it's in trickles or in torrents will help you determine if you're talking about it in the right ways and in the right places.
Traditional advertising and marketing are becoming less effective. Now's the time to just talk, openly and honestly, about what it is that we do. Don't sell to people, become indispensable to people.
Say you are, "that special". What are you doing to make sure everyone knows that you are? How do you draw people to your brilliance? I hate to break this to you, but they aren't exactly like moths to a light. You may build it, but they're not going to break down walls to get to you.
We live in a time where communications with our potential audience, fans, or clients, is easier than ever. But, it's also harder than ever too. Why? Because we, as a society, are jaded by advertising and marketing. We've seen it all before. We've heard it all before, and we have DVR!!! We don't have to watch commercials. We switch the dial on the radio when the adds come on. Well, those of us dinosaurs that still listen to terrestrial radio, anyway. We block pop ups. We drop all the asshat network marketers from our Facebook friends list. WE DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!!!!
We are in a position though to get back to the real basics of building a following or finding the right clientele. It's communication.
If we do what we do, and talk about what we do, then we're going to start catching the interest of the people who actually give a shit about what we do. Those are the ones we want to talk to anyway, right?
Doing is 100 times better than talking about doing. No, if you build it they will not come. However, if you build it, and talk about building it, and post pictures of the process of building it, and promote the people that are helping you build it, you will see them come. Whether it's in trickles or in torrents will help you determine if you're talking about it in the right ways and in the right places.
Traditional advertising and marketing are becoming less effective. Now's the time to just talk, openly and honestly, about what it is that we do. Don't sell to people, become indispensable to people.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
The difference between diversification and chasing too many rabbits
Have you ever heard the saying "if you chase too many rabbits you won't catch any"? The logic there is pretty sound, no? If you spend too much time chasing odd and varied goals, it becomes really damn hard to accomplish anything with any degree of success.
At the same time, how many times have you been told that diversification is the key to continued success? Sounds like a contradiction, right? The problem with cliche based advice, in any area of your life, is that no one really takes the time to really understand what it means.
There IS a difference between diversification and chasing too many rabbits. A lot of people don't take the time to figure out this difference though.
An example of chasing too many rabbits might be the guy down the street that fixes motorcycles and runs a lawn care/snow removal service. In a situation like that you may have moderate success doing both, but there's no room for growth because there's no room for serious dedication to either one.
Diversification though is a whole other animal. A good example of diversification is the musician who writes, records, and performs music, but finds other ways to make his talent work for him, such as licensing his music to film, tv, or web. He's still working within his field and can fully dedicate to growth and expansion, but is finding other avenues to generate the income he needs to make that growth happen.
It's a fine line between the two, but it's one that we have to find in order to be the best we can be. To grow beyond the normal limitations of our skill or trade.
What can you do to hang up your rabbit chasing ways and diversify?
At the same time, how many times have you been told that diversification is the key to continued success? Sounds like a contradiction, right? The problem with cliche based advice, in any area of your life, is that no one really takes the time to really understand what it means.
There IS a difference between diversification and chasing too many rabbits. A lot of people don't take the time to figure out this difference though.
An example of chasing too many rabbits might be the guy down the street that fixes motorcycles and runs a lawn care/snow removal service. In a situation like that you may have moderate success doing both, but there's no room for growth because there's no room for serious dedication to either one.
Diversification though is a whole other animal. A good example of diversification is the musician who writes, records, and performs music, but finds other ways to make his talent work for him, such as licensing his music to film, tv, or web. He's still working within his field and can fully dedicate to growth and expansion, but is finding other avenues to generate the income he needs to make that growth happen.
It's a fine line between the two, but it's one that we have to find in order to be the best we can be. To grow beyond the normal limitations of our skill or trade.
What can you do to hang up your rabbit chasing ways and diversify?
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Be Prepared Part Deux: Curly's Revenge
So, the other day I posted about the need to be prepared for the flood of new work that can come in from your prospecting efforts. Well, this week has totally shown me the need for another type of preparedness. What to do when you have a critical equipment failure at a very inopportune time.
The fact is that we all have those pieces of equipment (studio, shop, musical, or whatever) that we use, and possibly abuse, on a daily basis. It's the heartbeat of our operation. It's the key to our ability to do what it is that we do. Yet, at the very bottom of it, we have to admit that they are things and they do wear out. The best thing we can do is be prepared for the eventuality and do our best to minimize the effects of it.
Have a back up. Whether it's backing up the files from your computer on a daily basis, or having an extra guitar or mixer on hand, or keeping a daily updated disk of your new book project in the glove box of your car, do what you can to eliminate as much of the pain as you can.
Most of all, keep a level head and know what you can and can't do about it. It's just a part of life and with some pre-planning and a dedicated system of having back ups in place, it won't be a devastation. Just an inconvenience.
The fact is that we all have those pieces of equipment (studio, shop, musical, or whatever) that we use, and possibly abuse, on a daily basis. It's the heartbeat of our operation. It's the key to our ability to do what it is that we do. Yet, at the very bottom of it, we have to admit that they are things and they do wear out. The best thing we can do is be prepared for the eventuality and do our best to minimize the effects of it.
Have a back up. Whether it's backing up the files from your computer on a daily basis, or having an extra guitar or mixer on hand, or keeping a daily updated disk of your new book project in the glove box of your car, do what you can to eliminate as much of the pain as you can.
Most of all, keep a level head and know what you can and can't do about it. It's just a part of life and with some pre-planning and a dedicated system of having back ups in place, it won't be a devastation. Just an inconvenience.
Monday, May 17, 2010
It's okay to say NO!
Every day new opportunities present themselves, and we even notice them if we're looking. The question is though, should we jump on every single one of them? Is it a bad thing to want to be picky and only take on the things that will better us and further our efforts as business folks?
I don't think it's bad at all.
We're in business to make an impact on the world and to be compensated for our time and efforts. Of course, I think it's important to keep it in that order too. It is a big thing to understand though, and it really changes the way you look at opportunities.
Take a careful look at every opportunity that's presented to you, or favor asked of you, and make sure that there is a tangible compensation for the time and effort you're going to be expending, and it should certainly better your situation.
Now, I'm not saying that you should look to get rich off of each dealing, but it should be well worth your time, and if it's not, then there's no shame in saying no.
It sounds selfish, but we have to put our own interests first. If we don't, we're not going to make it. Besides, I've noticed that the more I'm willing to say no, the less often I have to do it.
Do your thing, it's who you are.
I don't think it's bad at all.
We're in business to make an impact on the world and to be compensated for our time and efforts. Of course, I think it's important to keep it in that order too. It is a big thing to understand though, and it really changes the way you look at opportunities.
Take a careful look at every opportunity that's presented to you, or favor asked of you, and make sure that there is a tangible compensation for the time and effort you're going to be expending, and it should certainly better your situation.
Now, I'm not saying that you should look to get rich off of each dealing, but it should be well worth your time, and if it's not, then there's no shame in saying no.
It sounds selfish, but we have to put our own interests first. If we don't, we're not going to make it. Besides, I've noticed that the more I'm willing to say no, the less often I have to do it.
Do your thing, it's who you are.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Be Prepared: Not Just A Boy Scout Slogan
Man, it is certainly true that when it rains, it pours. Yesterday I talked about keeping moving and how good things come to those that put in the effort. Today has been a perfect example of the truth in that. It's like the floodgates of business have opened up, which has kind of made me think about how prepared I actually am for this.
Often times, especially when things have been slow, we tend to put all our effort into looking for opportunities. We're on the hunt for new clients, better paying gigs, or bigger and better projects to attach ourselves to, which means that we may not be paying as much attention to how well we can handle the work load that could come from it.
It's not a difficult thing to plan and prepare. It just takes diligence and a realistic, editing eye to what it is that we're doing. Nothing that self starters like us can't handle, right?
What we do here is break down our goals into blocks of time and figure out how many of which types of jobs will fit into those blocks. Then, it's time to figure out your individual rate of conversion. How many bids to submit, emails to send, phone calls to make, or people to visit in order to fill those blocks. By building a plan for our prospecting, it becomes a ton easier to handle the work load once it starts rolling in.
Happy hunting and best wishes for a busy Spring!
Often times, especially when things have been slow, we tend to put all our effort into looking for opportunities. We're on the hunt for new clients, better paying gigs, or bigger and better projects to attach ourselves to, which means that we may not be paying as much attention to how well we can handle the work load that could come from it.
It's not a difficult thing to plan and prepare. It just takes diligence and a realistic, editing eye to what it is that we're doing. Nothing that self starters like us can't handle, right?
What we do here is break down our goals into blocks of time and figure out how many of which types of jobs will fit into those blocks. Then, it's time to figure out your individual rate of conversion. How many bids to submit, emails to send, phone calls to make, or people to visit in order to fill those blocks. By building a plan for our prospecting, it becomes a ton easier to handle the work load once it starts rolling in.
Happy hunting and best wishes for a busy Spring!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Don't Stop Now, It's Just Getting Good!
Ever heard the sentiment that it's not the end of the journey that counts, it's the journey itself? It's taken me a long time to understand that thought, but I think I get it now.
If we beat ourselves to death trying to reach our end goal, we won't enjoy all the little victories along the way. Hopefully we each have a nice long life ahead of us, so wouldn't it be a shame if we didn't enjoy every single minute of it?
No matter what our direction is in life, or what we do with our time, it's important that we keep working, that we keep bettering ourselves. To stop is to stagnate and who knows what fun, important, and beneficial stuff is yet to come?
It's certainly true that quitters never prosper. It's always the ones that are willing to put in the extra time and effort that see the biggest rewards in life, so don't stop now.
A little single-minded determination goes a long way. Keep moving toward your goals, even if they're nowhere in sight, just yet. You will reach them and you'll probably have a hell of a lot of fun in the process.
If we beat ourselves to death trying to reach our end goal, we won't enjoy all the little victories along the way. Hopefully we each have a nice long life ahead of us, so wouldn't it be a shame if we didn't enjoy every single minute of it?
No matter what our direction is in life, or what we do with our time, it's important that we keep working, that we keep bettering ourselves. To stop is to stagnate and who knows what fun, important, and beneficial stuff is yet to come?
It's certainly true that quitters never prosper. It's always the ones that are willing to put in the extra time and effort that see the biggest rewards in life, so don't stop now.
A little single-minded determination goes a long way. Keep moving toward your goals, even if they're nowhere in sight, just yet. You will reach them and you'll probably have a hell of a lot of fun in the process.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
When Bigger Is NOT Better
I've had a rash of Twitter adds recently that I just don't understand. How is it that these folks can have thousands of followers, yet have never posted a single tweet? No, it's not a private account that I just couldn't see. I mean, these folks have NO tweets! What does a person gain from following them, and more importantly, what do they gain from having you follow them? I mean, I don't know if you're following because you have a strong attachment to what I'm doing, or if you just want me to build your numbers. I certainly can't be a fan of what you're doing if you don't do anything.
The really got me thinking about the quality of our followings. I mean, whether you're building a following for your music or your marketing firm, do you want thousands of cold to luke warm followers, or do you want a couple hundred red hot and rabid followers?
Why the rush for quantity when it's been proven over and over again that quality wins out, every time?
Our mailing lists, our Social Media followings, our Fan Clubs, all have one thing in common. They can be a kick ass database of our loyal followers and strongest evangelists, or they can be a boat anchor full of useless contacts that will, at most, only moderately support what we're doing.
Wouldn't it be time well spent to build a following of TRUE supporters and allies? Makes sense to me.
The really got me thinking about the quality of our followings. I mean, whether you're building a following for your music or your marketing firm, do you want thousands of cold to luke warm followers, or do you want a couple hundred red hot and rabid followers?
Why the rush for quantity when it's been proven over and over again that quality wins out, every time?
Our mailing lists, our Social Media followings, our Fan Clubs, all have one thing in common. They can be a kick ass database of our loyal followers and strongest evangelists, or they can be a boat anchor full of useless contacts that will, at most, only moderately support what we're doing.
Wouldn't it be time well spent to build a following of TRUE supporters and allies? Makes sense to me.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
What IS Reality?
Hey all!
So, a quick question. What exactly IS reality? Isn't it true that the truth is subjective? I mean, my view of the truth will certainly be colored differently than yours, and vice-versa. So, don't we really get to choose what our reality is?
Think about it. Are you a struggling musician, or small business owner, or janitor, or grocery sacker? What makes you struggle? What's the difference between struggling and comfortably making it? What's the difference between having nothing and having everything? Actually, a better question is what would be the common factor? If you were to struggle, every day, to just scrape by, or if you had it all, what would be the one thing that was the same in either situation?
YOU!
Yep, it's our decision how we go through life. I mean, I'm sure that there are some folks who would say, "shut up, it's easy for you to say, you weren't born to nothing, with no prospects for anything better". To that I'd have to say, "SO?".
There are plenty of examples of people throughout the history of this country who have pulled themselves up from abject poverty and even oppression to become successful men and women. Upbringing can no longer be an excuse.
I would go so far as to argue that those of us who know poverty, who have grown up poor, or even middle class in some cases, have even more motivation to live a better life. To make more of ourselves. We have further to go and more drive, in most cases, to do it.
What IS our reality? Are we oppressed and kept down by our economic, cultural, racial, or educational situations, or are we our own people who are free to do whatever we want in this life? What IS your reality?
So, a quick question. What exactly IS reality? Isn't it true that the truth is subjective? I mean, my view of the truth will certainly be colored differently than yours, and vice-versa. So, don't we really get to choose what our reality is?
Think about it. Are you a struggling musician, or small business owner, or janitor, or grocery sacker? What makes you struggle? What's the difference between struggling and comfortably making it? What's the difference between having nothing and having everything? Actually, a better question is what would be the common factor? If you were to struggle, every day, to just scrape by, or if you had it all, what would be the one thing that was the same in either situation?
YOU!
Yep, it's our decision how we go through life. I mean, I'm sure that there are some folks who would say, "shut up, it's easy for you to say, you weren't born to nothing, with no prospects for anything better". To that I'd have to say, "SO?".
There are plenty of examples of people throughout the history of this country who have pulled themselves up from abject poverty and even oppression to become successful men and women. Upbringing can no longer be an excuse.
I would go so far as to argue that those of us who know poverty, who have grown up poor, or even middle class in some cases, have even more motivation to live a better life. To make more of ourselves. We have further to go and more drive, in most cases, to do it.
What IS our reality? Are we oppressed and kept down by our economic, cultural, racial, or educational situations, or are we our own people who are free to do whatever we want in this life? What IS your reality?
Monday, May 10, 2010
Content is King!
Happy Monday!
It's a chilly and rainy day here, but I'm not going to let that keep it from being a good day!
Today I've been thinking about content. Whether it's for your website, your social media pages, or your merch box, the content you have is what's going to bring you more fans or clients. What we provide is what's going to be the catalyst for how many people pay attention to us.
I've already talked about my views on quality, but this has more to do with the one-two punch of quality and quantity. We're only as good as our newest offering. People get bored with us is all we have is that tribute album that we produced 11 years ago. Believe me, I know. New product, news, and content is vital to the growth of our band or our brand.
Think about this. How many times have you gone to see your favorite live band and heard the same set? Now, how many years have they been around? See what I'm saying. The bands that survive and thrive are the ones who are constantly churning out new songs, new albums, new merch, and new ideas. The same can be said for small businesses. It's an ever changing environment and we need to grow with times or fold.
Music and small business are very similar. They're both creative endeavors. The question every day should be, "what am I going to make today"?
What are you going to make today?
It's a chilly and rainy day here, but I'm not going to let that keep it from being a good day!
Today I've been thinking about content. Whether it's for your website, your social media pages, or your merch box, the content you have is what's going to bring you more fans or clients. What we provide is what's going to be the catalyst for how many people pay attention to us.
I've already talked about my views on quality, but this has more to do with the one-two punch of quality and quantity. We're only as good as our newest offering. People get bored with us is all we have is that tribute album that we produced 11 years ago. Believe me, I know. New product, news, and content is vital to the growth of our band or our brand.
Think about this. How many times have you gone to see your favorite live band and heard the same set? Now, how many years have they been around? See what I'm saying. The bands that survive and thrive are the ones who are constantly churning out new songs, new albums, new merch, and new ideas. The same can be said for small businesses. It's an ever changing environment and we need to grow with times or fold.
Music and small business are very similar. They're both creative endeavors. The question every day should be, "what am I going to make today"?
What are you going to make today?
Friday, May 7, 2010
Setbacks and Persistence
Road blocks are a part of life. Every day deal with little things that crop up that take focus away from our goals, and every day we swat them away and get on with the task at hand. No big deal, right? What about those major setbacks that really put a kink in your plans?
There are always things that are out of our control, that really throw a monkey wrench into our well laid plans. Hell, sometimes they're IN our control, we just didn't factor them in or give them due consideration.
The important thing is how we deal with the setbacks. I mean, some of them can be pretty devastating. We can let it ride us, driving us into the ground, or we can pick ourselves up and look for alternatives. What kind of person we are will shape how we react to these situations. Are you a positive, persistent kind of person, or are you a negative, "the whole world is conspiring against me" kind of person? Are you going to let setbacks ruin you or shape you? The simple fact is that this part is ALWAYS totally in our own hands.
Persistence pays off. Taking the negative route just makes you look like a whiner.
There are always things that are out of our control, that really throw a monkey wrench into our well laid plans. Hell, sometimes they're IN our control, we just didn't factor them in or give them due consideration.
The important thing is how we deal with the setbacks. I mean, some of them can be pretty devastating. We can let it ride us, driving us into the ground, or we can pick ourselves up and look for alternatives. What kind of person we are will shape how we react to these situations. Are you a positive, persistent kind of person, or are you a negative, "the whole world is conspiring against me" kind of person? Are you going to let setbacks ruin you or shape you? The simple fact is that this part is ALWAYS totally in our own hands.
Persistence pays off. Taking the negative route just makes you look like a whiner.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Resistance: A Nasty Little Time Waster
Ever notice that it's the most important tasks that seem to take the longest? The ones you have the most passion for? The ones that will make the biggest impact on your life or your career? If this sound familiar than you're a victim of that nasty little time waster, Resistance. Yep, I touched on that a little bit yesterday.
The more we love something, the more we invest in it and the harder it is to let it go and be part of the world. We won't have it all to ourselves anymore. It won't be as perfect as we had envisioned it, as we built it up to be. In short, we start to over think it and we let little things pop up and take the attention away from it. We're scared of it. It becomes way easier to check our email again or go and revamp our filing system, or anything else that takes us away from delivering the goods.
Resistance is a nasty little time waster. It's a bastard. It's a part of all of our lives and it can only be expelled by diligence and force. Only by finding ways to keep ourselves on task and working toward our end goal can we beat it. Setting deadlines for ourselves, finding accountability partners, creating work hours and sticking to them, and making the conscious decision to focus on the big, important tasks first. So what if the filing system is a little weird? Who cares if the desk is cluttered? What matters is that we are doing what we do and making what we make and delivering to the world, for better or worse.
In the words of Richard Branson, "Screw it, let's do it!"
The more we love something, the more we invest in it and the harder it is to let it go and be part of the world. We won't have it all to ourselves anymore. It won't be as perfect as we had envisioned it, as we built it up to be. In short, we start to over think it and we let little things pop up and take the attention away from it. We're scared of it. It becomes way easier to check our email again or go and revamp our filing system, or anything else that takes us away from delivering the goods.
Resistance is a nasty little time waster. It's a bastard. It's a part of all of our lives and it can only be expelled by diligence and force. Only by finding ways to keep ourselves on task and working toward our end goal can we beat it. Setting deadlines for ourselves, finding accountability partners, creating work hours and sticking to them, and making the conscious decision to focus on the big, important tasks first. So what if the filing system is a little weird? Who cares if the desk is cluttered? What matters is that we are doing what we do and making what we make and delivering to the world, for better or worse.
In the words of Richard Branson, "Screw it, let's do it!"
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Quit Over Thinking and Deliver Already
Happy Wednesday Heroes!
Hey, are you like me and have a hard time letting stuff be what it is? I mean spending too much time over thinking and rethinking every little detail? It's a wonder ANYTHING gets done, right?
What is it that makes us want everything just perfect before we share it with the rest of the world? Are we worried that people won't like it? Are we scared that we'll fail? Shit, all of that is inevitable. Not everyone will like what we do, and not everything we do is going to be a rousing success and bring us millions of dollars, so why not just let it be what it is?
That's the million dollar question right there, isn't it? I mean, I know that this probably seems a little bit at odds with what I talked about yesterday, you know, Quality and all, but it's really not. It's about getting your product, your song, your album, your video, or whatever out for others to benefit from. You can always tweak later. You can record another "better" version later. You can enhance, sharpen, brighten, clarify, or whatever, LATER. But what's wrong with getting the idea out there for people to benefit from NOW?
It's really all about killing the resistance that is keeping you from sharing yourself with the world. Think of how you're robbing the world of your gifts by not sharing them. Quit being so selfish already!
Hey, are you like me and have a hard time letting stuff be what it is? I mean spending too much time over thinking and rethinking every little detail? It's a wonder ANYTHING gets done, right?
What is it that makes us want everything just perfect before we share it with the rest of the world? Are we worried that people won't like it? Are we scared that we'll fail? Shit, all of that is inevitable. Not everyone will like what we do, and not everything we do is going to be a rousing success and bring us millions of dollars, so why not just let it be what it is?
That's the million dollar question right there, isn't it? I mean, I know that this probably seems a little bit at odds with what I talked about yesterday, you know, Quality and all, but it's really not. It's about getting your product, your song, your album, your video, or whatever out for others to benefit from. You can always tweak later. You can record another "better" version later. You can enhance, sharpen, brighten, clarify, or whatever, LATER. But what's wrong with getting the idea out there for people to benefit from NOW?
It's really all about killing the resistance that is keeping you from sharing yourself with the world. Think of how you're robbing the world of your gifts by not sharing them. Quit being so selfish already!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
The High Price of Low Quality
Hey Heroes!
The Web 2.0 world is in full swing now. Even the most die hard traditionalist CEOs and purist Hipster bands are realizing the power of YouTube. What was once a burgeoning but isolated means of standing out has now been flooded with crap from every glory seeker with a camcorder looking to be the next viral video success story.
Where does that leave those of us who see the opportunity that video and audio products can afford us? How do we get our stuff noticed in the vast sea of mediocrity?
One way that comes up for us, time and again, is quality. Look at it this way. Every single person on the web is using low quality video products. Sure, there's a lot to the argument that timeliness is more important than quality and I do agree with that to a point, however we all have projects that are not hinged on taking advantage of today's news stories. I mean, come on. The video for our new song, the live performance video from last week's gig, the trailer for our new album or book or art exhibit, or whatever. Think how putting in the extra effort in can make the difference between catching the eye or being skimmed right over like the rest of the Internet video chum.
The same can be said for our recordings, bands! What sets your album apart from the rest of the late night discount recording sessions with the local caffeine zombie of an engineer? What does sounding average cost you? What does looking average cost you? The best written song in the world still struggles to be noticed in a bad recording.
A little quality goes a long way and skimping always shows.
The Web 2.0 world is in full swing now. Even the most die hard traditionalist CEOs and purist Hipster bands are realizing the power of YouTube. What was once a burgeoning but isolated means of standing out has now been flooded with crap from every glory seeker with a camcorder looking to be the next viral video success story.
Where does that leave those of us who see the opportunity that video and audio products can afford us? How do we get our stuff noticed in the vast sea of mediocrity?
One way that comes up for us, time and again, is quality. Look at it this way. Every single person on the web is using low quality video products. Sure, there's a lot to the argument that timeliness is more important than quality and I do agree with that to a point, however we all have projects that are not hinged on taking advantage of today's news stories. I mean, come on. The video for our new song, the live performance video from last week's gig, the trailer for our new album or book or art exhibit, or whatever. Think how putting in the extra effort in can make the difference between catching the eye or being skimmed right over like the rest of the Internet video chum.
The same can be said for our recordings, bands! What sets your album apart from the rest of the late night discount recording sessions with the local caffeine zombie of an engineer? What does sounding average cost you? What does looking average cost you? The best written song in the world still struggles to be noticed in a bad recording.
A little quality goes a long way and skimping always shows.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Building an EMPIRE off of your left overs.
So, I've been reading a really awesome book and I'm going to have to insist that you read it. Okay, I guess that really won't make much difference, but I do highly recommend it. The book is called Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson. Check it out for yourself!
It's a great look at taking the bullshit out of business. Awesome read, but what really stood out to me was the section on selling your by-products. It's an idea that is WAY under used in both Indie Music and the Indie Business worlds.
Whenever we create a new product we inadvertently create by-products. If we record a new song, clips can be cut for other purposes (web audio, jingles, background music for commercial use), hell you can even create your own album trailers from it. What else can you use your creations for? What can you do to multiply the impact without multiplying the effort?
Do you film your recording sessions or demos to spread as viral marketing pieces? Acoustic demos can be a great free bonus to your diehard fans, or even as a way to generate more fans. Who doesn't love the intimate nature of seeing the creation process, up close and personal like?
Challenge yourself to find ways to utilize the by-products of your creativity. It could just be the foundation of your success.
It's a great look at taking the bullshit out of business. Awesome read, but what really stood out to me was the section on selling your by-products. It's an idea that is WAY under used in both Indie Music and the Indie Business worlds.
Whenever we create a new product we inadvertently create by-products. If we record a new song, clips can be cut for other purposes (web audio, jingles, background music for commercial use), hell you can even create your own album trailers from it. What else can you use your creations for? What can you do to multiply the impact without multiplying the effort?
Do you film your recording sessions or demos to spread as viral marketing pieces? Acoustic demos can be a great free bonus to your diehard fans, or even as a way to generate more fans. Who doesn't love the intimate nature of seeing the creation process, up close and personal like?
Challenge yourself to find ways to utilize the by-products of your creativity. It could just be the foundation of your success.
New Look!
Hey all,
I've been threatening it for a while now, but I've finally changed the look and focus of the blog.
I've been wanting to start reflecting a focus on how Indie Music and Indie Business have collided and they way they play together. I hope you all enjoy.
I've been threatening it for a while now, but I've finally changed the look and focus of the blog.
I've been wanting to start reflecting a focus on how Indie Music and Indie Business have collided and they way they play together. I hope you all enjoy.
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