Who Is Paying For Music?

I’ll tell you exactly who is paying for music…

Your spouse, your kids, your family and your closest friends.

And I’m not talking about dollars and cents here.  I’m talking about the people who pay the price for you choosing music as a career.

To your spouse…all your career/emotional ups and downs that have seemed to coincide with your relational ups and downs.  Even just think about the course of making an album:  

You think you have the songs, then you don’t, then you’re on a roll, then you might have written a hit, then its all total crap, then you want to quit all together, then it’s all good again, then the label only likes half of it, then you hate the producer, then yourself, then redemption, then….everyday you bring this rollercoaster home with you, into your living room and spread it out on the coffee table, and your spouse chooses to help pay for it.

To your kids…they wonder why a show is more important than their school play or a tour is more important than their entire basketball season.  They have to process how you love them very much but also how often you have to leave them.  They learn that while you’re not playing and chasing them around the house, you’re out playing and chasing something else…a song, fame, prestige, money.  Your kids give you (pay you) inspiration and love, but you don’t always return the gesture…you’ve chosen to spread yours around.

To your family and close friends…it’s funny how a two-way street can slowly turn into a one way.  How beautiful interdependent relationships can turn into a series of unreturned voicemails.  They love(d) you but you had to go.  You couldn’t give the friendship what it needed anymore to grow.  They understand but wish they didn’t have to.  They’ve put aside their expectations to be close to you so you can freely (with out guilt) pursue what you’ve decided to hold dearest.

Yes, these people line up everyday to pay for your music.

And I want to come back to the spouse for a second…all the pain and agony that this business throws at you, they feel it too. Yes, its different, but they feel it.  Because when you’re hurting and depressed and lonely, they are too.  All the uncertainty, insecurity, unknowns, unfairness and injustice of the music business…your spouse stands right there and takes it. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

So when you’re done complaining how not enough people are paying attention to you, not enough people are paying their money to come see your show…

Take a moment and remember who is, who always has been, who (if you’re willing to learn to love them) will always will be.

These people in your life are paying deeply. Very deeply.  They care for you so much, they hurt when you hurt, they win when you win.

I don’t have a plan for you.  But with this post in mind, here’s a start…

Love your wife. Love your husband. Love your kids, your family and close friends.

And thank them for paying for your music.

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

Make It Good. Make It Often.

When you’re willing to keep on putting out good things, over time, good things happen.

And by putting out “good things” I mean:

good songs

good artwork

good interviews

good shows

good meetings

good conversations

good laughs

promises you make good on

encouragement

good times

deep impact: whether laughing or crying, whether you have 5 seconds or 5 hours with someone

For all of these things (and a lot more), you can start doing this right now today. And tomorrow and this week.  You don’t have to wait for anyone else.  In fact, you shouldn’t wait for anyone else.

Are you willing to increase and/or maintain this version of “high output”? 

When you do things, things happen.

And those things that happen are affected by what you do in the first place.

Make it good. Make it often.

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

Nightcap 13

Nothing de-motivates people to get out the door quickly like needing to get out the door quickly. 

The most common phrase I welcome people into our house with is, “Sorry our house is destroyed”. 

Why isn’t surveillance film ever high enough quality to actually see who anyone is? 

Big fat guys with ponytails have a weird arrogance about them.  

Why is it when I get on the phone with almost any customer service, I’m always the one coming up with the solution? 

The longer I hold onto an Amazon gift card the more it becomes my wife’s gift card. 

When you need four quarters, you’d pay $2.  

*This is the 13th Nightcap post, which means there are twelve that have come before it which you can find by utilizing the search bar on my website.

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

What Is Lady Gaga Gonna Do At The Super Bowl?

I can’t tell if it’s still as cool to play the Super Bowl halftime show as it used to be…but it’s definitely a pretty big show.

This year Lady GaGa gets to do it, and as they were rolling out the commercial spots for her at practically every commercial break during the playoffs this past weekend, people wonder…

What is she gonna do?

See, that’s the question EVERYONE asks when thinking of her playing the halftime show.

We don’t wonder how totally rock n roll she’s gonna be (like we did with Prince). We don’t wonder in what way she’s gonna rule the world (like we did with Beyonce). We don’t wonder which smash hits she’s gonna play (like we did with Paul McCartney).  We don’t wonder how she’s gonna save the world (like we did with U2).

We wonder what she’s gonna DO.

That is the thought she’s been able to build into your mind and mine…and the minds of the school teacher in Cincinnati, and the lawyer in Dallas, and the Uber driver in Denver.

That thought, while extremely simple, took YEARS to build and spread to the masses. 

So you don’t get to play the Super Bowl this year, Lady Gaga has the spot.

But say you get it next year…what will we wonder?

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

When All You’re Left With Is Fame And Money...

Well when you say it like that…

Maybe it’s important to make sure you’re pursing more than that now. That way when you have fame and money it’s not all you’re left with.

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

Help! I Need Somebody. Help! Not Just Anybody...

How good does your career need to be going before you help someone elses’?

Kind of good?

Pretty good?

Really good?

The question highlights the fact that we tend to not help others’ careers because we’re focusing on our own.

We’re focusing on our own because we’re “not there yet”.

Which would lead to the idea that: once we’re there we’ll help someone else.

The funny thing is if you actually have an answer to the question, you’re already off the mark.  

Not having an answer, or simply thinking about the question, is much better than having an answer for the actual question.

You’re already doing well enough to consider others.

p.s. Help looks different for everyone.  How an artist helps a booking agent is different from how they’d help a PR rep…is different from how they’d help a fellow band, or the marketing person at the label.

p.p.s. Don’t get too down on yourself.  You’re already helping people. If you’re actively participating in this business, chances are you are helping others whether you realize it or not.  But realizing and amplifying will help realize and amplify.



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