People Are Listening

In the chaos of the music business, whether on the creative or business side (really everyone is in both)…every once and a while you’ll receive an incredibly heartfelt encouraging text message or email. It actually makes a difference and you don’t just brush it off.

Here’s the thing…even if they wouldn’t have sent that text or email, your impact on that person would have been just as real.

There are people who are listening to your music right now, absolutely loving it and you will never specifically know.  But the person listening, they know.

For every person who sends that encouraging message, there are ten who don’t, or a hundred who don’t, or a million.

The music is out there. You are out there.

You have no idea who’s moment you’re making.

Your music has longer legs than you could ever understand.

Who needs to know their music has long legs?

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

Holding Hands

There’s a TV show I came across a few weeks ago, Impractical Jokers.  It’s four dudes…one guy at a time has to go out into a public place and do and say what the other three tell him to do.

Doesn’t that sound hilarious?

Well, I’ve had a lot of laughs.

They did one game where each guy had to get someone to willingly hold hands with him for at least a few steps while they walked.

Again, hilarious, for real.

The three guys watching the one guy, tell him which people to pursue.

It’s so interesting…a lot of the random people who get pursued are emphatically against it, ignore it, won’t have a thing to do with it.

But then there are some people who HOLD HANDS, willingly!!!

They actually like it!

They think it’s funny, or oddly friendly that this stranger wants to hold hands with them.  

It’s kind of magical. You can see it.  They know it’s weird, but they’re drawn in and are accepting of the connection.

Not everyone wants to hold hands, but the ones who do will hold hands all the way and love it.

You don’t need everyone to like your music…you just need a few crazy ones who are weird enough to understand what your point is and are willing to take your hand.

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

Wait Till The Morning

It’s fun to talk about things late at night.  Imaginations get going, everything gets more idealized, you’re a little tired and a little more relaxed.  

At night, very dumb plans sound very smart and insightful.

Wait till the morning to commit, to sign the contract.

Especially for big decisions. If something sounds like a great idea at night and it’s still a good plan in the morning, it’s solid.

Sleep on it.

There’s something about the morning that brings your head and heart back to equilibrium when making big career (or personal) decisions.

You know how they say if your song can sound great with just you and an acoustic guitar, it’ll hold its weight full band in the studio…well, if a decision holds its weight in the morning, it’ll last long into the night.

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

Get Your Hair Blown Back

Do you want to live on the edge? Right now?

Do you want to have your eyes opened in the next few minutes?

Call someone you trust, who knows you and your journey well.

Ask them their opinion on what you do very very well and where you are deficient and lacking.

Give them permission to be honest, without it negatively effecting the relationship.

If you do this now, it will change you tomorrow and this week and this year and maybe your whole life.

You want to get your hair blown back at 10:22pm on a Tuesday

Who else could use their hair blown back?


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

A Good Mechanic

(First of all…please note the date of Friday’s post :)

Does anyone know a good mechanic around here?

There are mechanics everywhere but a good one is tough to find.

Somewhere, I’m sure, there is a good one, a great one.  Honest, fairly priced, nice, relational, great work, reliable.

But the name of this great mechanic hasn’t reached me yet. His (or her) name is being passed around with great enthusiasm, but it hasn’t come across my radar yet….even though he is a GREAT mechanic.

And it does no good for this mechanic to advertise.  What could he say that ALL the other not-so-good mechanics say?  All mechanic advertising is the same…”We do great work at a great price”…but we know that it isn’t true, based on what we’ve experienced in the past with getting car problems fixed.

So we wait until we hear a friend tell us “I’ve got this GREAT mechanic…”

Moral of the story?

It takes greatness a while to make the rounds. Even when it’s top-notch.

A little patience, a little persistence, a little belief that what you’re doing is, in fact, great.

Breathe…if it’s great, people are talking about you. It’s getting passed around. Your name is coming up in a positive connotation.

It takes time.

Focus on being great, consistently putting out a great product, leaving people better than before they interacted with you.

People are talking.  

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

Nashville Artists $.50 Streaming Rates For Spotify

The same Nashville commission that saved RCA Studio A has been working on Spotify royalty rates for Nashville artists as well.

They had been meeting with politicians on this even before “Save RCA Studio A”  but in the wake of so much publicity for the studio situation, had to table the streaming royalty situation for several months.

But now the commission has finally come to an agreement with state and federal representatives for all Nashville artists to begin receiving 50 cents per stream starting in October of this year from Spotify (Apple Music is still pending).

It’s a HUGE win for artists in Nashville and the hope is that this change will spread to more and more cities and more and more artists.

Finally streaming will be an immediate revenue source for the many many hard working bands and artists here in Nashville.

Spotify reps have said they are indeed worried about the heightened royalty rate draining the companies profit margins but are willing to see how it plays out in the fall. They also said that on the off chance it goes really well, we could see a steady 5 cents/year increase over the next 5 years, to bring the rate to 75 cents/stream by 2021 (for Nashville artists only).

Yes! Victory! It’s all happening. I didn’t expect this increase so soon, but obviously it is a welcome change in the land of music streaming.

Thanks Spotify!!

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