To Sell Out The Arena

You don’t need to (learn to) be a great performer in order to sell out the arena…but it can’t hurt.

Fame, hits, production and pyrotechnics can sell a lot of tickets…and help mask the lack of skill and emotional connection from the artist.

When you step on stage as the artist, everyone is looking to you to lead them. To know what to do with the spotlight. The audience is giving you their attention and you’re suppose to know what to do with it.

And when you know what to do with it then fame, hits, production and pyrotechnics are simply the sweet icing on the cake.

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Difficulty

Difficulty often doesn’t get its credit until long after the fact.

On a related note…

When experiencing difficulty we instantly think ‘get me outta here’ when it may be more helpful to think ‘what am I being taught here’.

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Tinker

This week is still up for grabs. The week between Christmas and New Years.

While I would love if we all adopted a week long celebration…it doesn’t seem like our culture is very good at (or interested in) multi day celebrations.

I think this could at least become a week of tinkering, dabbling, playing around.

Enjoying the downtime but just restless enough to be curious about something new or forgotten.

»» Every Sunday night I send out an email for songwriters and publishers (and anyone interested in that world). It shows who is writing and producing the popular songs along with tempo and main chord progression. You can look at an example and sign up here.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

Gifts

They are just that.

Gifts aren’t concerned with fairness, justice, evenness, earned-ness, deserved-ness.

Care, love, thoughtfulness and generosity stand on their own…which is why it’s possible to give and receive good gifts.

»» That blast in Nashville took out my phone and internet for the last day and a half. Hence this coming to you a day late. But then again, maybe it’s right on time.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

A Practice Of Enjoying

When you get to the day you’ve been looking forward to hopefully you’ve been practicing enjoying the moments leading up to the day you’ve been looking forward to.

If all you’ve been practicing is ‘looking forward’ then chances are when you get there you’ll be a bit out of practice when it comes to enjoying.

Today is a great day to start a practice of enjoying.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

Fine, Let's Make A Bad Deal

The deals are bad at the beginning because you are a big risk and on top of that you’re not willing to push back on the bad deals or say no. You’ll probably just complain, say yes and keep going.

But if you feel compelled to sign the bad deal, give yourself an out. A safety valve.

We will sign this bad deal for less money, less ownership and less attention but here is the clear path for which we get out of the deal all together.

It sucks to be in a bad deal. Even worse to be in a bad deal forever.

»» Bands are a special. High tension high release. Magical. Making and playing music in the face of deep insecurity and deep joy. The clip for The Beatles: Get Back encapsulates this and so much more. It was an instant smile on my face.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple