Wrigley $2 Train Tickets

I was up in Chicago a few weeks ago and had a day off.  What to do, what to do…Cubs game.

I haven’t been a baseball fan for a long time, but I know Wrigley Field is big deal and I want to be a part of big deals.

The first step in this process was getting to and on the train.  Actually, the first step was getting a late afternoon espresso shot…I was doggin it.

We find the closest train station.  It turns out we weren’t the only ones going to the Cubs game.  The lines to get the train passes which would, in turn, let you through the turnstiles and onto the train, were a million people long.  We needed the passes to get on the train.

So we hop in at the end of the giant line and find out the passes would be $3 each.

As were whining and complaining about how long we were going to have to wait in line, a dude over by the turnstiles gets our attention.

“Come on come on, how many in your group? $2 each $2 each, come on hurry, you don’t need to wait in line like everyone else, I’ve got what you need right here”

He was offering us $2 tickets NOW…very good and beneficial things: a cheaper ticket and a huge savings of time.

But I/we were skeptical.  How did he get these cheaper tickets? If we get out of line to buy his and his are bogus, we have to go back to the end of the line.  Are his tickets legit? Can I trust this stranger? He seems to know what he’s doing, but wait a second, I have no idea what I’m doing, is he taking advantage of me in some way?

We hemmed and hawed with one another for a long long long time (while not really moving in line)…do we take a risk on this dude or not?

Ahhhhhhhh, lets go for it. “Hey man, there’s 6 of us…”

Worked like a charm. Money savings, time savings.  And we didn’t get murdered or arrested.

(We went on to enjoy the game thoroughly)


This is why it’s hard to get people to listen to your music instead of the music they already listen to.  

Listening to your music is risky, untested, unproven, not normal, out of the way. 

But while this is why they don’t…this is also why they should.

The payoff can be wildly beneficial, for everyone.

Do you have $2 train tickets in a world of $3 train tickets?  If so, you’re going to need an incredible sales pitch to sell your weird tickets.

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

The Beatles Should Have Waited

…till there was better multi-tracking

…till there was in-ear monitors so they could hear themselves over the screaming

…till there was Live Nation who could have put together the biggest tour, routing, pricing, ticketing strategy of all time

…till MTV came along

…till Twitter, so everyone would know how funny they were

…till CD’s came about, so people could hear their smash hits more clearly

…till endorsement deals were a thing, because imagine the money to be made

 
But instead, they didn’t wait for these better things. 

Instead, they DID things.

The only way for your time to come is by doing something with the time you have…not by waiting on it.

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

The Next Big Band

We need one. Or two. There’s definitely some openings.

There are plenty of bands playing 2000-7000 seaters (and absolutely, those are big successful bands, no shame there)…but what about a new BIG band playing the arenas and stadiums.

A band that takes the world by storm again, who is that magnetic. We’ve had recent solo acts stand on top of the world…but come on, a band has a different type of soul.

Maaaaaybe you could say Kings of Leon most recently.  But they’re only an arena band because they, in fact, play arenas….have you seen the show?  They’re a club band that plays arenas. 

We need a band to WANT to go big, to have the guts to go for it.

Why isn’t there a modern Stones, Queen, Zep, U2 (not necessarily stylistically, but effect)…because it’s really scary to prop yourself up that high, to come to the understanding that you have that kind of power.  And then once you understand it, to run towards it (and not away from it) for the good of everyone around you.

There are not too many new bands running around being giant.

In fact, there aren’t really any.

So there’s an opening, a hole in show business.

Do you want to fill it? Are you willing to fill it?

I hope so. 

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

Who Needs A Hand?

Who needs a hand?

The people you don’t think need a hand.  The people, who, when you think of them you think “they’re fine, they have it together, they work hard, they’ll be alright”.

But for these hard charging people, if they don’t have hits under their belts, if you can’t name their hits, trust me, they need a hand. They need a favor, a champion, another believer to swing the bat on their behalf.

It’s easy to see a wounded, self loathing, inexperienced artist and want to be their savior and champion.  But the risk is so incredibly high with an artist like that because they haven’t proven they know how to WORK. 

The people you think will be alright, aren’t alright. While they’re willing to (and do) work their tails off day in and day out, they could use a bump.

It’s not the rich helping the soon to be rich. It’s not ignore the naive newbies.

It’s do things for people who DO THINGS.  

That’s “doing” well spent.

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

Fire Up The Megaphone

The music business is insanely cluttered, so your message needs to be pin point clear if you wanna rise above.  Razor sharp, in bold type, spoken of often, and always in consideration of.

Let go of the ambiguous artist thing.  Let go of we’ll just see what happens. Let go of we’ll figure it out later.  Let go of I just wanna make music man.

Sharpen your edges and fire up the megaphone (in that order).

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

Maybe Not This, But That

Maybe you don’t need new ideas, but need to remember the good ones from before.

Maybe you don’t need to be thinking of any ideas right now at all, but need to get out of the house.

Maybe you don’t need a better song, but a better reason for singing a song.

Maybe you don’t need a dream, but a plan.

Maybe you don’t need a plan, but a dream.

Maybe you don’t need to work on proving that group of people wrong, but work on proving this group of people right.

Some things to consider.

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