Ask What They Like

Before pitching your songs to a label, publisher, artist, manager, A&R…it’s a very good (and overlooked) idea to find out what kind of songs that person is liking right now.

You find this out by asking them. It sounds like this, “So play me some tracks that you really dig right now”.  And the ‘right now’ part is a key to the request…it brings the request current.

Once you hear what they like, it’s not that you need to play them something exactly like what they just showed you, but hearing what they like will help trigger you for what song you’ll start with.  And then the reaction to that one will trigger the next and so on…

Too often you’re so excited about the meeting itself, so eager and elated to show your wares that you don’t even take into consideration that the person you’re showing them to (and hoping to get help from) might be really into ukulele indie dudes right now but you brought new wave heavy metal synth songs.  

Now this isn’t the end of the world, but it would sure be nice to know what head space the other person is in.  You can use it to your advantage, and theirs.

Ask what they like.

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

What’s The Vision

What’s the vision?

If you’re the artist, the vision needs to be entertaining, interesting and focused.

So many artists are trying to be so many things, to tell so many parts of their story, so afraid at the thought of being pigeon holed…and don’t realize that every successful artist they look up to can be pigeon holed….a very very lucrative pigeon hole that brings a lot of joy and happiness and money for everyone involved.

You need to know what you’re going for.

***If you’re asking someone else what you’re going for, you’re wasting your time.  You need to figure it out and then invite people in to help you carry it out. 

And “we’re a cross between Bruce Springsteen and Abba” isn’t focused.

You need to be able to walk into a room whether it’s a writing room, studio, conference room, hotel lobby, green room, gas station, Arby’s…and have your strong vision within your presence.

What is your vision?

You need to answer this question. You need to be in the eyes-wide-open process of answering this question for your artist career.

p.s. What is your vision and what is the one thing you need to complete next as a means to realize that vision?

p.p.s. And this isn’t fruit loop talk either. I meet with a lot of artists and the ones who have a clear vision, I don’t even need to see their live show to know exactly what it’s going to be.  I’m almost always right.  And that’s not a pat on my back, but a pat on theirs.  Their clear, focused, interesting, entertaining vision makes everyone look like geniuses. 


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

The Help Desk

What do you have to do a lot of that you wish you didn’t have to spend so much time doing?

Here’s the thing…there’s people who really enjoy doing the thing(s) you don’t like doing.   

(And it’s a good thing you like doing what you like doing because they hate doing what you like doing.)

So ask around.

If you have the guts to ask, you will have the joy of getting something you hate off your plate.  If you don’t have the guts to ask, you can’t complain anymore.  

Do you actually want to stop doing what you don’t like doing, or do you enjoy the complaining too much to delegate it? Do you like the control too much to seek out help? Do you feed on the anxiety while simultaneously complaining about it?

Help is available. Ask.

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

Something That Worked

“We’re gonna try this, and if it works we’ll keep doing it, if not we won’t”

Think about your last show…

What’s something that worked?

If you’re having a hard time answering the question, it’s probably because you haven’t defined what something that ‘works’ looks like.

Is it a feeling you have? A cheer from the audience?  A post show compliment? Experiencing joy or unity or revolution?

In order to know if an idea works, it’s important to discuss and define what ‘working’ looks like in relation to the idea. Then you’ll know if it worked.

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

Pretty Good Songs

You can put up a song every day now if you want.

But you don’t.

You could certainly put up a pretty good song once a week.

But you don’t because instead of doing that you’re waiting to put out a really great song or two or ten at a certain, coordinated time.

So if you’re not putting out pretty good songs every week in the name of putting out great songs later. Great.

Or if you’re putting out pretty good songs every week (on a regular basis), that’s a great way to do it.  Because there’s always going to be another one soon, another chance soon…and you and your fans know that.

But if you’re not putting out pretty good songs every week (on a regular basis) in the name of putting out a whole group of pretty good songs later…

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

Your Quiet Unfair Advantage

You’ll develop…or rather…you are developing your ‘unfair advantage’ by something you’re doing everyday.

“I got really good at Z because I did things every day that had to do with getting really good at Z”.  We’ve heard this a million times about a million different things one can be really good at.

So what’s your constant? What’s your day in and day out? What are you doing everyday that maybe you don’t even notice, maybe it’s in-between the lines of what you think you’re doing?

I’ve been doing this everyday for three days…that’s a great place to start (and I think it’s close to a Michael Scott quote)

I’ve been doing this everyday for three years, five years, ten years…now you have something that not many people have.

So what do you have? And what are you getting?

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