I’ve Cracked The Rock Star Code

It came to me. The answer…

I wrote the title of the post and had the juicy info sitting pretty in my smart smart brain…so I paused and took a proud stroll to the kitchen to get a celebratory La Criox, basking in THE knowledge. 

As I cracked open the peach-pear La Croix, I got a text.  I told myself I would remember the ANSWER while opening and replying to the text.  Mission accomplished, ain’t no thang.

After leaving the kitchen I got my shoe caught on the head of a nail just baaaaarely sticking up out of the hardwood floor.  This was a safety hazard, so I busted out the nail-set and hammer.  Disaster avoided, and the all wisdom of the entertainment universe was still held tight in my beautiful mind.

I made it back into my office…here we go, in one fell swoop I’m going to make artists become the stars they’d always hoped to be. 

There was my black chair, the black desk, my silver Mac.

I sat down, opened up the computer, and…

I forgot the answer.

I forgot it.

Sorry everyone.

Guess I should have written down my great ideas when I had them.


I feel like there’s a lesson in there somewhere.

Don’t miss a post. Sign up for free.

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

The Money Situation

The thing everyone is waiting for someone else to bring up…

The money situation.

It could be per an existing contract, a future contract, a dinner tab, a percentage split, gig pay, per diem, royalty splits, etc, etc.

There is fear about talking about biz money with the other people involved…which is a perfect opportunity for you to be the one who steps up and talks about money with the other people involved.

p.s. A reminder…discussing the money situation before starting the project is always the best way.  Discussing it during or after the project is better than not at all (duh), but it gets a lot messier.

Don’t miss a post. Sign up for free.

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

Starting With A Good Thing

Good graphics and photos and logos don’t change the actual thing. 

They change what someone thinks about the thing…which then changes has the power to change the perceived value, effectiveness, meaningfulness and desired-ness of the thing. 

But the thing itself…is just that.

Make sure you start with a good, specific, meaning-filled thing…the graphics and photos and logos are going to turn out much better that way.

Don’t miss a post. Sign up for free.

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

There’s No Listening In A Music Sale

There’s no listening involved in a sale of an album and that’s what the music is for in the first place.

A stream, however, does equal a listen, consumption of the music, people doing with it what you intended it for.

But digging a bit more…if you are still imploring people to buy your album and you don’t have an $100 deluxe package for them to buy, you’re really missing the mark.

See, with everyday that goes by, the person who is going to lay down $10 for your album (even saying that sounds archaic now) is the exact person who will spend $100 on your deluxe package.  Because who purchases CD’s or mp3 files anymore?  Hardcore fans…So at least go get the $100, or $200 or whatever they’ll pay for a well thought out deluxe package.

If you’re pleading with your fans to buy your stuff because that’s how you need them to support you and all you have is an album for sale, step up.

Even better, step into the here and now.  Invite, entice, make it simple for people to LISTEN to your music and then make ready deluxe, bonus, limited edition, hand made stuff for them to spend bigger money on.

Don’t miss a post. Sign up for free.

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

Paul McCartney Uses Fireworks

Even Paul McCartney uses fireworks…and he has the best songs ever. 

But you can replace “fireworks” with “something extra that makes the crowd go WOW beyond the actual words and melodies of the songs”, and it applies to you too.

Every artist dreams of letting the songs do the talking at their gig.

But the songs aren’t enough.  Even the guy with the best songs ever knows that’s not enough in the live setting.

Paul McCartney knows his show needs some fireworks.

Do you know?

Don’t miss a post. Sign up for free.

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

bigger and Bigger and BIGGER

If what you want people, the radio station, the blog, the interviewer, the fans to talk about is that you’re getting bigger, you’ll always need a bigger event.  And then a bigger one. And then an even bigger one.

What is the band up to…is a question often heard by the artist as “in what ways is the band getting in front more people, and then more people, and having cooler and cooler experiences unique to the common person”.

Having lots of fans is great.  Having cool experiences is really fun.

But if you always need a bigger dose of the drug in order to have something to talk about…you’ll always need a bigger dose.  And the dose might not be there.  You can’t solely control the dose, the size and when it comes.

Try answering “what is the band up to” with something other than accolades, the success ramp, and name dropping.

p.s. Your accolades, the success ramp and name dropping are much more intriguing and magnetic when you can answer the question without those things too.

Don’t miss a post. Sign up for free.

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