Resisting The Write Break

Resist the urge to stop writing when you’ve released a project. 

You want to let up for a little while, since you’ve been charging so hard creatively.  You released a masterpiece and now you want a break…after all, you deserve it.

Resist that urge.

The writing is the thing that only YOU can do.  Much sooner than later you’re going to need the NEXT song(s), and if you’re out of practice you’re out of luck.  You’ve gotta stay toned.

But also, and this is almost as important…resist the urge, when you keep writing, to disconnect from the songs on your latest project. 

It always bums me out when an artist releases a record I love and five days later gives an interview where they say they’re over it and moving on to new songs for the next record.

The songs you’ve released are the songs we all expect you to be connected to…for our sakes.  Stay connected, don’t toss them to the side.

The new songs aren’t meant to replace the old ones (in our hearts and minds), but to be an addition-to.

Getting down to brass tacks…for all your fans know, you love the songs on your latest record more than anything in the world. They are personal, important, true and ambitious.

For all your calendar knows…it’s writing time.

Who else needs to think about this?

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

Ideas Are Like Mice

Great ideas are like mice in your house.

You see them and then they’re gone.  You go back and look where you saw them last, but they’re nowhere close.

You set traps in the places you think they might show up, and they’re always a no-show.

They’re fast, elusive and unpredictable.

You might have, luckily enough, caught a couple mice last season, but in no way does that mean you’ll be cunning enough to catch them this season.

You know there’s mice in your house but you can’t catch them.  It could drive a monk insane.  The harder you try, the more worked up you get, the more worked up you get the more paranoid you get, the more paranoid you get the more you think everything that catches the corner of your eye is a mouse.

It isn’t.

It’s when you’re sitting on your couch organizing the coasters on the coffee table that all of a sudden you see one scurry across the living room floor.

It’s on.

Go get it.

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

Activity Soothes Rejection

Activity soothes rejection.  It’s healthy distraction from the nay-saying.

If you want to be in the entertainment business, you better be ready to be rejected.  Early and often, and then still more and more as you go.

You already knew that.

Getting turned down for the gig, the meeting, the endorsement, the producer you wanted, the tour you were promised.  Lots of rejection in this business.  

It stings, but you have a say in how long it stings.

The remedy for the emotional toll of this rejection is activity.

Things going on. Movement (i.e. not sitting around).

The sooner you smack some activity on top of the rejection, the sooner it’s soothed and the burn goes away.

But if all you do is sit and stare at the burn and whine about how much it stings, you are giving fuel to the negative part of rejection.

Don’t do that.

Move. Do something. Go buy someone coffee. Write with someone. Help someone else.

You’re going to need a healthy amount of self-induced activity if you’re going to survive the inevitable emotional burn of rejection in this business.

Pass it on.


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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

More Money? Or Worth More?

Do you want more money for your services or are your services worth more than you’re receiving?

Artists spend a lot of time wanting to get paid more.  Striving, desiring, complaining, focusing on, wanting more money for their services. 

But the more important thought process, the one that will take you further into the future is…will you over-deliver…are your services worth more than you’re receiving?

If someone can come to your show for $20 but walk away feeling like they just experienced a $40 show…you win.

You win because they feel like they got a deal…and a good time.

And they’ll buy that $20 ticket EVERY time.  Because it’s worth $40.

After realizing this, you might think you can charge $40 for your show (because artists want more money, and believe they should be paid “what they’re worth”).  But if I pay $40 for your show and also feel like I got a $40 show, I’m not disappointed, but I’m certainly not pumped up about it.

The hope is to always deliver services that are worth more than you’re charging.  That’s the long game.

Don’t worry about getting more money…worry about being worth more.

p.s.  If someone buys your $25 t-shirt and because it’s a cool shirt, they feel cool and get a compliment from some friends on it…the t-shirt just became worth $1000.  Now they’ll buy ALL your $25 t-shirts. Make good t-shirts.

If someone buys your VIP package and you wink at them and they get to tell that story hundreds of times throughout their life, the VIP package is priceless and they will always buy it no matter the cost.  Over deliver.



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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

Getting Noticed And Believed

Getting noticed and getting believed are very different takeaways. 

Belief comes when the potential fan CHOOSES to notice you rather than you standing right in front of them. 

Subtlety is key. 

Hint at the facts, don’t tell them.  Tell a story that evokes a change, a story they can step inside of. 

It’s difficult to get believed, as opposed to simply noticed…but…

Once they prove to themselves you’re an artist worth noticing, listening to AND believing, everyone wins, and it’s unlikely they’ll ever stop noticing you.

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

Tax Time...There’s Still Time

Now is the time, while there’s still time, I will implore you to not do your business taxes yourself.

Artists make money so many ways, so many revenue streams.  T-shirts, streaming, sales, BMI/ASCAP, show guarantees, sync/license fees, private events, SAG, hired musician pay, selling gear, renting out gear…

And artists spend money so many ways, so so so so many different ways the money leaves artists.  Management, agents, publicity, making a record, paying players, putting gas in the vehicle, gear, photos, graphic design, food.  The list goes on into the wee hours…

There are business managers who you can (and should) hire for year-round services…but if you won’t swing that, you can hire most any of them to at least file your taxes.

They are professionals.  They specialize in music and entertainment business taxes.

YOU NEED THIS.

This is wise money spent.  And it’s not a lot of money either.

If you don’t have a business manager who comes to mind, who you can sit down with, email me.  I have three off the top of my head here in Nashville who do an amazing job and I will pass you their info.

This is usually the cut off week to get all your info to them in order to give enough time to have everything wrapped up by April 15.  There’s still time, but not much.  Act now.

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com