Question

Answer - The key to working in any environment is to be able to multi-task and work on multiple levels at the same time.

Obviously there needs to be sound rationale behind the logic of what you’re doing but provided that you’ve got a game plan and a strategy for moving forward, it seems like any band should really be working on all three things at the same time.

If you think about it, working on your “talent and look” and differentiating your music all fit under the one roof - They are all related to ways that allow you to stand out from the crowd and distinguish yourself or your band from the rest of the pack.

So in truth, it would make sense that all three are considered and executed in tandem as they all play into each other.

For example, your look will always need to compliment your music. A death metal band will never have a photo shoot wearing white tee-shirts. Their fans will think they are mad!

Additionally, they must also realize that if they pose for a photo shoot bearing all their tattoos and give over a typical “death metal” band look where they look like they just killed five people, most death metal band lovers will generally assume that their music is lame, boring and just like the others.

However if you take bands and artists like Slipknot and Marilyn Manson- they have been highly successful at differentiating their music from the other artists in their genre and at the same time developed a particular look and feel that stands out from the crowd.

It’s also not one or the other - their music coupled with their look and image are unique. Their look and image compliments the quirkiness of their music aswell.

Alot of thought and consideration goes into the execution of the creative development and music of these artists.

However in such a hyper competitive market like the music business, it’s so important to make sure that both your music coupled with your look and talent not only compliments each other but also stands out from the crowd.

As the world gets faster and the competition heats up quicker, one will realize very quickly that time is not on your side, which means multi-tasking is more preferable.

The obvious starting point in this area is to really understand your market, know what they want and discover the best way to deliver them your art both in audio format and physically.

Another point to add to this idea is that in today’s world, people can smell a rat from a mile away. If you spend all your time looking good and fitting the part, but it all falls apart once you start playing the songs, your career will end faster than you were able to hit the stage.

The core asset of this business is based around having a great song to share with people.

The moment you start focusing on other things outside of writing amazing songs, you will start missing the point.

There is nothing wrong with developing all your other selling and marketing attributes at the same time however a band or artists should never ever cease working on making their music and songs timeless hits.

The all encompassing process of differentiating your music and defining your look and image is ultimately a never ending creative process.

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Question - I’ve never put on or played a gig before and I’m trying to figure out how to pack out a room?

Answer -Not a simple straightforward answer because there are so may publicity and marketing avenues to explore however lets assume we are dealing with a shoestring budget.

First thing is first, golden rule number one - never ever play or book a room for your band that you don’t think you can fill out - even if that means finding a room that only holds fifty people.

The general rule of thumb is that it’s much easier to create a vibe and atmosphere in a tiny room that full as opposed to a larger room that’s half empty.

This is really the key to creating a good vibe and perception that your band is going places. Sometimes it’s even better to play in rooms that you are so sure you can pack out that you might actually have to turn people away.

This might seem a little weird on first though, but this is how you are then able to start spinning stories and get people talking about your shows.

Above and beyond this main idea the following are some more ideas to help sell out live gigs -

• Try and get some editorial or a write up in your local entertainment guides

• Try to give the gig a name and a theme - this helps in getting more media attention and public interest

• Book other bands to play with you that are committed to telling all their friends to come aswell

• Book other bands that already have a following aswell - even if they end up headlining, so long as you get to play

• Tell all your friends to come and maybe offer them a discount on the door fee to incentive them to come

• Print flyers and distribute in local record stores, book shops, street poles and anywhere else you can publicize the show

• Social networking - Facebook, Twitter, Myspace - say no more J

• Try to contact your local radio station and get a plug for the show - not always easy but definitely worth a shot

• Put up posters on your local record store

These are a handful of some very basic, easy to do promotional activities to help sell out gigs.

Each point is a whole world in itself, however if you slowly chip away at becoming more familiar with each promotional avenue you will eventually become much more experienced overall and will be sure to sell out your shows.

Once you feel that your band is at a stage where you can really pull a crowd, then you’d start looking at paid advertising, however while your still starting out, it’s important to think a little creatively and within the realms of cheap and easy options.

However, never forget rule number one - Never book or play rooms you cannot pack out in the first place!

If you follow this simple piece of advice, you’ll always be sure to sell out all your gigs in the future.

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Question -

Answer -

To be completely honest I’ve never really heard of the courses at Full Sail and to be even more frank I’m not the greatest fan of these online music business schools.

I’m sure that these music business degrees and courses have a lot to offer however my experience and observations tells me that more can be achieved, discovered and understood by venturing down the scary and unpredictable “do it yourself” path.

I don’t really believe for a second that these courses will teach you anything you couldn’t figure out after reading a few books, following a couple experts online, getting some proper advice, mapping out a vision path for yourself and diving in head first into the exciting world of the music business.

Granted you will learn a great deal and if the course is worth it’s weight the teachers will have some sound experience to hand over, however my gut feeling is that you can always learn and prosper more in the field by getting your hands dirty than by learning what Mr X wrote about in the text book and spoke about in the classroom.

Going through the ups and downs of real life experiences can never be beaten.

If the truth be told, I actually attended one of these music business schools many moons ago. I decided to drop out half way through because I thought the whole thing was a joke.

Maybe I have been scared by these organizations but my general vibe is that these music business schools usually oversell you on the marketing side with great slogans and images but under-deliver you on real value in terms of real industry insights.

I can tell you now that no record company, booking agent, manager, publicist, tour promoter or publisher will ever employ you because you went to Full Sail.

The general rule of thumb is that you either know someone who knows someone, you bust your balls and offer your services for free to get that lucky break or you break all the rules and go out on your own accord and make something happen yourself.

I have more faith in guys like Bob Baker and Ariel Hyatt in their ability to teach and educate through their sites than the amount of money you’ll end up spending attending these courses.

Imagine for a moment you took the money you are potentially going to invest into the tuition of this music business school and invest it in yourself?

Start your own label?

Start your own booking agency?

Go and offer your services for free somewhere for a period of time to get a better shot at getting your foot in the door - supplement your income with the money you would of spent on that course for that period of time.

You’ll be sure to learn ten times more than what you’ll hear through these online courses. You’ll not only learn but you’ll also meet people and grow your network which is something none of these music business schools can help you achieve.

The road less traveled is never an easy path however the truth in my opinion is that you can learn more by taking the initiative, reading the books yourself and getting out there and making it happen on your own accord!

Tertiary education is great if you want to learn economics or law or accounting but to discover how to become a band manger does not require you to enroll in a music business course

Leave a comment below with your own thoughts on the matter

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It’s one thing to creatively conceive a song, craft it and turn it into a hit single but it’s also another thing to successfully sell and market it.

One thing major record companies are actually really good at doing other than suing college students for file sharing, is their ability to market their artists and turn them into mega stars. This in my opinion is one of the real strengths behind working with a major record label.

Many times, you will notice that the story they use to promote an artist sometimes becomes more appealing to the media to cover than the music itself.

Take for example Kings Of Leon. I just finished reading a very interesting feature article about them in Rolling Stone magazine. The article pointed out that following their first showcase session with the A&R guys at RCA records, the label was already talking about being able to pitch this band as “a bunch of good looking brother from the south and the fact that they come from a messed up family of preachers.”

Sound pretty interesting? Makes for a great story right?

Nearly every article ever written about Kings of Leon since that day mentions their “preacher” father and their life growing up on the road as Pentecostal followers, preaching from one town to the next. In addition they are now passed off as being a famous rock’n roll band known for living up to the sex drugs and rock’n roll way of life.

What great irony!

The press love this sort of stuff, and why wouldn’t they? Their jobs have just become much easier when you deliver  them the story and angle to hook readers in on a silver platter without them having to think at all.

Just like the A&R guys at RCA signed Kings Of Leon because they were not only talented but had a really great story to back it all up with, their attractiveness to a well oiled marketing machine like a major record label becomes much stronger and gives the label another reason to be fools if they choose not to work with you.

The point being made here - when you can sit in a room and spin a good story to a radio station about your current success or an A&R guy about the amount of CD’s you’ve sold in the past six months or even a booking agent about the three nights you sold out your local venue and had to turn people away at the door because the rooms were so packed, then you’ll get their attention much faster than any other attention grabbing medium.

To bring this point home, here are some more examples of successful artists who have succeeded in their genre, not only because their music appeals to their audience but also because there was a carefully thought out story blended into their marketing mix-

• Matisyahu - White Chassidic Jewish reggae singer who sounds like Bob Marley - amazing story! Brilliant

• White Stripes - We’ve heard of a three piece but a two piece? The whole red and white thing in all their press shots and album covers. Are they brother and sister or did they used to be married? Nearly every article will write about these talking points

• Britney Spears - say no more. Her life is one big story. One sad destructive story after the next.

• 50 Cent - A real deal gansta who spent real time in jail and in the ghettos, found and signed by Eminem - these are great discussion points

• Jack Johnson - best friends with Kelly Slater and Ben Harper, world class surfer, grew up on the beaches of Hawaii, a real deal chiller - great story!

I remember all the press that was ever written up about my old band Noise Addict always referenced the fact that we were still in high school, we were signed to the Beastie Boys record label, we played and toured with bands like Foo Fighters and Sonic Youth, all before we were 16!

Great story!

Check out the about me page of my blog, its one story after the other.

True, there are many different types of stories and many ways to conceive stories to help further your bands career, however the real starting point for any band is to consider what their story can be.

Will it be related to your current success in terms of sales or ticket sales, will it be related in terms of the physical look of your band, maybe it’s related through well known people you might know. Maybe it’s because you are just a total freak like the guy from the Vines who used to smash everything and be really rude to journalists and got a ton of media attention for it?

I wouldn’t suggest the last one, but there are so many ways to try and piece a story together.

My belief is that if you think long and hard enough about it, you’ll eventually come up with something.

Also, remember that the story your spinning today might not be the same story you’ll be using in three years time, but never forget that human beings are more excited by a creative story that is connected to your band than just the music on it’s own.

Happy storytelling!

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The easiest way to decipher the answer to this question is to consider the following -

Where are you or your band at in your career? In other words - how far down the line have you gotten in relation to being able to build a “reputable” following?

If you are a young band starting out and the monetary value associated with your band is practically zero, then you have absolutely nothing to loose and you should play in whatever room your amplifiers will fit into. In some other posts, I even prescribe the crazy idea of trying to get gigs on Monday nights….

However the further up the “reputation” chart your band gets, the more you need to start considering the possible effects of doing or not doing specific shows and how that will enhance or detract from your career.

The secret of finding the answers to these questions is to have a clear understanding from the outset of the type of career your band is looking for. What your real motivations are and what you’re prepared to do and not do in your career to achieve these goals.

If your motivation is to make money, then you’re decision to take shows or not will be based on that. If you’re looking to grow a real fan base and create the building blocks of a solid touring career, then turning down shows even though the money is really good might sometimes be the best option.

The bottom line is that it really comes down to the motivational drive behind the band and the stage at which your band is at.

I relate to this question on a personal level because when I used too work with Waikiki, who are now called Howling Bells, we once put them on a really cheesy national television show for exposure. To cut a long story short, it was right around the launch of their single which was also receiving commercial radio play and there was a big vibe on the band and everyone thought that this was their big moment.

The record label also applied a lot of pressure on us to do the song on the show. We eventually did it and the day after we realized that their reputation as a “cool indie rock band” was tarnished somewhat because of that appearance.

Ouch!

Oops!

Life goes on, and sometimes you learn the hard way but knowing which shows and spots to pick and what to turn down is really all about your motivational drive. Being “cool” in the publics eyes was a very big thing for Waikiki, hence they were really angry after that show. The didn’t care the over 1.2 million people watched and heard their song that night.

Another example I can recall of managing Waikiki was that while we were trying to build their profile and fan base, we did a lot of touring with larger bands. Sometimes we were offered support slots for funk bands that were really big but it just didn’t match our bands career vision, so we had to politely say no.

Sometimes we were offered great money to support crappy bands but we’d turn it down because we knew that they were only booking us because their band sucked and they needed our strength to help sell out the show.

When the lead singer comes to me and asks why I turned down a show that paid $5,000 for a 45min set and I tell them because it will make your band look stupid, they automatically got it and we moved on.

Why? Because they knew what was motivating them.

Sometimes, we were offered ridiculous amounts of money to do private functions - some we turned down because the band didn’t want to be associated with those particular brands while other offers we accepted because they were cool brands and it added to the perceived coolness of the band.

Once we even toured and did a whole bunch of dates with a one hit wonder band called Wheatus - as cheesy and bad as they were, Waikiki was a baby band with nothing to loose and no reputation to protect so we decided to take it and play 1200 people rooms for a couple of weeks.

It was really fun.

Anyway, the bottom line and the point I’m trying to bring home here is that the answer to this question is not black and white, there are no clear answers and as your band becomes more and more popular, you need to consider this question more and more.

It’s a never ending question that should always be at the forefront of your mind. However the biggest mistake you can make is to not do anything at all out of fear that you’ll make a mistake!

That is the biggest mistake of all

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Something dawned on me yesterday as I was talking to a friend on how to help get his band more exposure online.

He was clearly smart enough to realize that no record company is going to sign him for a variety of reasons and that no booking agent is going to represent him anytime soon - until he can prove that he’s worth a good couple of thousand dollars a show.

He then looked at me and had a massive realization -

“The music industry has really changed!”

It occurred to me then and there that there are so many interesting ideas that can be drawn out between how the web 2.0 mindset is progressing and how musicians need to start thinking if they wish to really build a following both on and offline in the music industry.

I remember about seven or eight years ago when Chuck D started raving about the Internet and would always hint at the idea that the era of record labels being in full control are finished. I always had a slight question in my mind about it and wondered if it’s really was possible for a small band to actually make a career out of their music without being support by a label with proper money behind them.

On one hand I agreed with him but on the other I used to also think that a band or artist cannot discount the sheer power of a well oiled record company marketing machine.

When those guy decide to get behind something, they generally through so much money at it, that they generally get a decent result and return on their investment.

However, It’s one thing thinking you can upload your album onto iTunes and sell it, but actually getting people to buy it and pay money for it is another world of pain all together.

In short, the tools were there but the application was not so clear cut.

However in today’s world, the ability to market on a grass roots level through twitter, myspace, facebook, bebo and every other iconic social network is so easy and accessible for an artist.

The question now in my opinion is not so much about can I make it in this business on my own without a record label, but rather how can I use these tools as promotional and marketing devices to funnel more credit card purchases through my iTunes account.

Bottom line -

Just like the web 2.0 world has radically changed the way people use and experience the internet, so to musicians MUST start to be able to radically change their mindsets in terms of how they go about marketing themselves and promoting their wears and tears online.

In my opinion, online community building is the key for an unsigned band to draw attention to themselves and help sell more of their music. By understanding that on a slightly sub-conscious level your not really just doing it all because you’re a nice guy, but in a very subtle way you are using all these web 2.0 application to help sell more records and build your profile, you will hopefully find a good enough motivation to care and ultimately succeed in your efforts.

Knowing how to seed, build and nurture your online community and turn them into fans that will not only reply to your twitter feeds but actually buy your next single when you release it online is really the underlying mindset that should be ingrained in every bands mind.

The music industry 2.0 is here to stay and as much as the record companies fight change with a goliath style approach and think they can try and still control the world one court case at a time, you and your band should be doing the complete opposite and fight like David to focus on building your communities and channeling your efforts online to help sell more content and further bring the music industry into the next generation.

(There are so many gaps and more questions that need to be asked and raised from this post, please feel free to ask away either in the comments below or at my ask the expert page)

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The best way to get booking agents to take you seriously is to ignore them, not worry about them at all and wait for them to eventually approach you.

Ignore them?

Not worry about them?

Wait till they approach you?

How Does One Achieve This?

Think about it for a moment - booking agents see you and your band as a commodity that has a certain price tag on it. For an example, let’s say right now your band might only be worth $100 for a thirty minute slot on a Saturday night. When you’re able to demand $1,000 a show and can sell out a 250 capacity room without much effort, then you’ll be sure to grab the attention of a booking agent.

I guarantee it!

At that stage, the issue of will they take you seriously is no longer an issue because your value as a band to them is much greater and they will automatically take you seriously because they see possible financial reward from investing their time into your commodity, which is your band.

I know this sounds really dry and un-arty, but the reality is that if you break it down to it’s simplest form, that is what is really going on and to really understand the answer to this question, it’s important to understand the mechanics of the situation.

A booking agent sits on the phone all day long, cutting deals, booking rooms, organizing tour schedules, gossiping and a whole lot more. To get one of them to take you seriously, you must be able to prove worth

Additionally, when you can start to prove worth and pulling power in terms of packing out rooms, you will realize very quickly how much easier it is to get the attention of a booking agent. Remember that it is their job to be finding the next great talents of the world and if they haven’t come knocking at your door yet, there is probably a good reason why.

This does not mean to say that you should throw in the towel and give up, rather it means that more work and effort needs to go into your career before you reach that next step of a professional doing it for you.

The whole concept of dealing with booking agents at the beginning of one’s music career is generally very misunderstood. By realizing that all booking agents are driven by the amount of commissions they can make out of you and the strength of the career path they can envision for you, you’ll slowly start to realize booking your own shows until you can prove your value and pulling power might be the best way to go and ultimately get agents to eventually take you seriously.

In my humble little opinion this is really the only way to get an agent to take you seriously.

The Upside To This Approach?

At least you don’t have to waste your money sending demo’s out to people who’ve never heard of you and will most likely never listen to the CD you send them anyway.

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Obviously, depending on the intention of the recording you could consider the following:

• Recording in your bedroom on your stereo - simply press record. This is a great way to demo your own material acoustically and try to figure out what works and what doesn’t.

• Buying an mp3 digital recorder - stick the mic in the middle of the room during your next rehearsal or record acoustic versions of tracks

• Recording one of your gigs and trying to edit it or cut it up yourself. This can sometimes be a little hit and miss. Depending on the quality of the PA system in the room and where the person recording it is standing, you will either hit or miss. Sometimes it’s possible to get a recording straight out of the mixing board which is done quite frequently by smart bands

• Renting or buying your own 8 track recorder with a bunch of mics, they are not that expensive these days - many guitar stores and music shops rent and sell them, however if your not sure what your doing, it could be quite time consuming setting up and getting all the levels right

• Buying computer software like pro-tools or Q Base and recording onto a computer - you’ll still need mics for this

• Hiring a studio and getting the job done professionally. Costly, but if you know what your doing and have a clear idea of what you want before you record, it could be well worth the exercise

It goes without saying that every option above comes with pluses and minuses. However, the bottom line is that recording and distributing a demo these days isn’t really that hard, the more challenging part is to really know and understand what the purpose of the demo is actually for?

All too often people get caught up in the whirlwind of thinking that they need a demo when in reality what they really need to be focusing their efforts on are other, more effective self promotion tactics.

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Today, I had a moment of what I like to call, “A moment of transcendence” A moment when I finally broke down that big wall of doubt, fear and being blocked up and finally pushed through to the other side.

Yes, this is still a music industry blog so please don’t think it’s a self help site and that I’m about to sell you some lame Tony Robbins book, but what happened to me today is something that directly relates to you, your band and the music industry as a whole.

Just a few hours ago I decided that I needed to get my blood pumping and do some exercise, so I decided to go to the park for a jog.  I Normally do about two laps around a pretty long park and by the end I’m pretty beat.

As anyone who has been through this before knows, when you haven’t been for a  jog or done any exercise for a while, the moment you start your muscles start tightening up and it takes a few minutes to get into a routine.

I personally like trying to sync up my breathing cycles with the pace of my legs.

Anyway, as I was jogging, I got to the half way mark, I looked ahead of myself to see what lay ahead so I could psychologically prepare for it in my mind, and then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, this big massive stitch hit me at the bottom of my stomach.

BOOOOOOM!

Typical huh? Your half way through, you can see what needs to happen to complete the task ahead, you think your on track and then in comes a curve ball and hits your with a big cramp..

Then I was hit with a moment of truth, do I stop running or continue on? Do I throw the towel in and think that one lap was enough for today considering I’m a little out of shape or do I press on and push through to the other side?

Very quickly, I realized that if I just focus on my breath, stop thinking about the pain and just focus one breath at a time the pain will go away.

Slowly but surely, this is what happened and before I knew it, I had no only overcome my stitch, I ended up doing three laps of the park instead of two and the truth is that I was so focused on my breath that I totally forgot how many laps I did until I finished!

How’s that for a moment of transcendence?

It’s also a great feeling when you build the strength and courage to push through those sorts of barriers and break through. It’s always so easy to throw in the towel when you see a difficult path ahead or get faced with challenges.

The first question you might be asking yourself is why did I think about bands and the music industry when I experienced this moment today? I have had a million other things going on in my life at the moment, why specifically this aspect of life?

The simple truth is that breaking through in the music industry and not taking no for an answer is exactly what is required of you to get anywhere in this business.

Let’s not beat around the bush - the music industry is on its feet! Record Label sales are dying in the ass, year after year, retail stores are closing and going bankrupt left right and centre and MTV have almost become a soft porn channel keeping their viewers hooked with video clips of practically naked women. .

It’s really a sad state of affairs out there.

It doesn’t matter how good your or your band think you are, if your not able to push through pass that moment of getting a stitch and overcome the negative comments from A&R guys or booking agents or the “we can’t play your band on our station” or even the lazy attitude of thinking other people will do all this annoying dirty work for you - then you should start thinking about getting an office job sitting in a cubicle for the next couple of years.

Think of bands like the Offspring. It took them ten years before they had their first hit! Ten years of being knocked back and being told by labels that they are not interested. They still put out music and carried on until all of a sudden they wrote an album that went on to sell over 10 million copies world wide.

They pushed through, they were creative in keeping the flame alive. For whatever reason, it just didn’t happen for them, but they never gave up!

Again, this isn’t a Tony Robbins lecture series but whether you like it or not, it’s the truth. Experiencing moments of hardship and struggle that can potentially lead you to moments of transcendence is what the journey is all about.

Let’s face it, when The Offspring ended up collecting their Grammy awards and gold record label plarks for that record, their big smiles came not because they were holding a gold record, it was because they were standing at the top of the mountain and can now laugh and be proud of the hardships they went through to get there. Ten years of hard labour finally paid off!

Pushing through that moment when you just can’t be bothered mailing out your demo to fifty people, or keep being told by all the bars that they are not interested in your band playing there, or that every record label have told you they are not interested is exactly what it’s all about!

Moments of transcendence.

The amazing thing I also realized today which I believe is the real kicker is that the potential to overcome those moments when the stitch kicked in, existed before I even started jogging. That challenge was always going to happen and the potential to overcome it or become a victim of it existed beforehand.

It’s a pretty wild idea if you think about it for a moment……

In other words, the opportunity for you and your band to make a career in the music business is already there in a potential state, it’s really just up to you to realize it. You might not end up being the next Coldplay or U2, however with enough motivation, enough vigor and enough balls to keep pushing forward, you will end up where you need to get to.

The world is a mad crazy place where anything is possible.

So with that in mind, my suggestion is that you take one aspect of your bands career that is in a state of having that end of lap one stitch and things are really not going your way, and begin to figure out how to transcend its current state.

I would love to hear your feedback and results!

.

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Doesn’t everyone? What sort of a question is that.

Join the cue, stand in line and take a ticket - says the guy at the reception desk at most record label offices.

Let’s face it, a record deal is the one thing every band desires for, but for whatever reason they can’t seem to secure one.

I’ve written previously on various other posts about the enormity of trying to secure a record deal in this day and age.

However, in my humble little opinion, I honestly believe that the best way to position your career to secure the right record deal you are looking for  is to follow an ancient mystical Kabalistic concept that I learned about a few years ago.

The Short Long Way Vs The Long Short Way

In life, there are generally two main ways to achieve an end result. There are so many goals and visions people may have, but in our case we are looking at trying to secure a record deal.

One way is to take the path of least resistance and figure out the shortest possible way to get from A to B or from unsigned act to securing a record deal. This path is generally the “quick fix” or the cut corners path. It’s the “cheat notes” option or the “let everyone else do the work for me and I’ll sit on my couch until I get that phone call I’ve always been waiting for from Mr X and Sony BMG” option.

Unfortunately, we are all suckers to the short way in one way or another in all our lives. The path of least resistance is sometimes to tempting. Getting out there and making things happen yourself is something that is sometimes put in the “to hard” basket, so we’ll sit on our buts and wait for success to knock on our door.

However, the question at hand is where will this path ultimately lead your band or music career? Down a much longer path to get to the finish line. A much longer path to secure that record deal you believe you are worthy off

Think about it for a moment

The short long way of trying to get a record deal is all about expecting other people to get the hard work and effort done for you. Expecting people to bank on you and your band before you can prove your worth?

C’mon. Wake up, smell the coffee and get real.

The Long Short Way To Success!

Alternatively there is the opposite path known as the long short way.

In the beginning, this path is tough and full of mud. It’s hard work and requires effort. It actually requires that you go out and make things happen. It requires that you go out and learn the ropes of the business. That you knock up a few points on the board in relation to selling your records and playing live.

Overall, the long short way is much harder in the beginning but much easier in the end.

In relation to signing a record deal, the beaming smiles on the faces of the band during that photo opportunity moment when everyone is sitting there signing contracts, is not so much because they are signing a contract, but more because all the hard work they went through to get to that moment has finally paid off.

Their smiles are a result of all the work that went into the long way short way approach of getting to where they are at the moment in time.

The long short might take longer to get your deal but ultimately it will shorten the rest of the trip once you achieve your goals.

Bringing It All Back Home

Aside from this concept applying to all areas of our lives, it especially holds true with a record deal.

The simple cold hard truth is that no record will even want to look at you unless you can prove some sort of track record. Until you can prove to them that you have gotten your hands dirty and the pay off is working.

Unfortunately this is the reality of the music business.

In this current economic climate both in the music business and beyond, unless you embark down the path of the long short way, securing a record deal will feel like you a fish in a fish tank swimming round and round over and over again.

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