markit:music

Make Mistakes

If you dont make any mistakes, how will you differentiate what are you doing right from wrong?

How do you what works and what doesn’t work?

If you try new things with your career you will most likely make mistakes, this is a given.

If you think you wont, please stop right there, as reality might hit you very hard in the future.

Praise your mistakes, and learn from them… Don’t hide them and feel ashamed of them.

It already took courage enough to begin with whatever endeavor you aimed at.

So, aim for the best job possible, be open to mistakes and know how to learn from them.

Praise your learnings from doings, not theory.

When did you turn into what you were against?

I see this all the time.

Artists coming up being against the institutionalization of their music, and once they go big, the first thing they want to do is institutionalize their own endevours. 

I’m not saying that being professional and running a tight ship is being the devil, not at all, you have to be a pro and you have to run a tight ship in order to keep that ship afloat and on course.

So, stick to your roots, stick to what you believe in, and once you go big or once you have that chance, think about who helped you along the way, but never try and impose your will on others. 

Keeping your eggs in one basket helped the old way of releasing records, not necessarily the new music industry and economy where your eggs need to be in many baskets in order to grow and accomplish more.

As i’ve said many times, releasing music wont be your bread and butter, so collaboration should be enticed and not frowned upon.

Keep it real, keep it simple and move forward by understanding others needs and capabilities that in turn will help you grow and expand in new ways you did not expect to accomplish with a closed mind.

Guest Post for CreamHotel’s Creaminology Blog

“When Cream Disolves EDM”.

Hope you enjoy it!

http://creaminology.com/post/33194293035/when-cream-dissolves-edm

“Ex-TuneCore CEO Jeff Price: The End Of The New Music Industry Transformation”

Great read on the history of the record industry and the rise of the new music industry.

Enjoy!

http://bit.ly/RjkVGO

Borrow, but be smart about it.

If you are creating that special track, thinking of your fans and the ladies and gents that will dance to it, then, why are you thinking of using that baseline that already had those people dancing?

Yes, we as humans resist to change, although it’s the only sure bet after death. We change, times change and you just cannot avoid it.

So, why try and copycat the other artist who did a great job? 

The fans will enjoy some similarity, but will have you in the back of their head as the guy who did that track that sounded just like that other dude.

So, be “the dude” in peoples head. Dont be the “other dude”.

Create a Bond.

So, you’ve come to the hard or relatively easy decision of choosing a manager or agent, or anyone to help you in moving forward in your career.

There are many options out there, and im sure you have many friends who without a doubt want to take on the duties, and think they are capable of doing a good job.

Be very wary.

It’s very important to work with people who you trust. But, then again, the right person might not be directly in your trustee circle, but probably in one of your circles, you can find someone that has the contact to the right person, that in turn you can trust to take on your ‘behind the scenes’ workload.

Once you find this person, make sure you create a bond. Once this get’s going, you will have a clear run with such helping hand. You will trust each other, you will listen and you will understand.

Sounds like a marriage?

It is. So, be on your toes, but be happy and trustworthy enough of the people you work with and it will all just flow much smoother. 

It’s not about you, it’s about them.

You have to understand, once you embark on the journey that is making music and playing live. Well, thats when the whole deal starts being about the fan, rather than yourself.

This is the mistake, i believe most artists make. It’s all about the “me me me” attitude. Instead, change that attitude, for a more “them them them” attitude. 

By taking this to heart, and knowing what more you can do for your supporters, the more you will understand them, which in turn, you’ll understand your music better. 

So, when you take this into account. The next time you are producing a track and your mentality has shifted to the “them them them” mind set, then you will create that masterpiece that will propel you to new levels in your career.

Create the perfect “Fan Experience” rather than a show that will only get you some press and exposure.

The better the fan experience, the more the fans will talk about your show and we all know what happens once people start talking.

Who are you playing for?

This is a very important question you have to ask yourself.

Playing to the wrong crowd, will only hurt you rather than help you.

If you are rocking your sound and are facing a crowd of old dudes, well, maybe that will not resonate so much.

But, if you find the perfect place, where that demographic you have pinpointed will be dancing and screaming, then you got yourself a different story.

Playing to the tastemakers, the super-fans, and then some, will truly get your buzz moving.

Always pay attention to where it is you will be playing at, and if it’s the right time and place for you to rock the house. 

Nothing beats that combination of factors that come together to make the “perfect storm” of a night.

Gamification

Create an environment where you have your fans come and play. Mix real world duties, with gamified based tasks and you can create a world filled with new and fun ways of getting your fans to do a lot of things for you, and in return they gain much more than a prize.

Even if people grow up, we still strive to feel like kids again every chance we get. So, make it happen on a daily basis. Your fans will love you for it, and you will create something that truly resonates with the people who are there to play.

Where’s the after party at?

With todays accessibility and the constant stream of communication between artists and fans, it’s virtually impossible for any known artist not to be involved at a personal level.

When I was young, I didn’t even think of brushing a hair stroke with any of my favorite artists, not because they didn’t want to, but because we just did not have the technology for it to happen.

Today, you can check-in, post, repost, tweet, retweet, pin to and like it!

So, if we can attain such two way street of communication sticking to 140 characters or less. Then, maybe we need to start putting a little more time than just connecting at an online level.

Connecting online will be the norm, unlike today that it’s that special artist that takes the time to post or that good artist at social online interaction, that you just realized hired a company to take care of it. As we grow, artists grow, new artist come about and they will know exactly what they need to do in order to keep a fan happy online.

So, once you are savvy enough to handle all aspects of online connectivity, then, maybe now is time to do a little real life socializing. 

Don’t just go out there and play an amazing set. Get out there with the fans after finishing your set, speak to them, take some pictures and make them feel special just as they make you feel. Go the extra mile for a fan, do something special for someone who supports you, take the time to hang out with some of them and you will get to know them so well, that you will know exactly what it is you need to do to in order to catch their attention.

So, where’s the after party at?

Curate Spaces.

Create the perfect setting that will make all attendees transcend the moment.

You can conjure up an experience almost anywhere.

Set the lights, the sound, the visuals any other thing you can think of that will enhance the moment.

By creating the spaces you will most certainly  resonate on the minds of your fans, well after the show is over.

Once you enter and click inside a mind, in the right way, there is no way the fan will ever leave your side. 

Reciprocate with the people who support you and big rewards will come your way.