After Two Hundred

Get out there and play two hundred shows as soon as possible.

The wild assortment of problems you will have to deal with is good for you. Both in regards to life on the road and the show itself.

After two hundred raise the bar for what you say Yes to.

No more driving one-offs 800 miles away.

No more booking the side stage at the metal festival when you’re a bluegrass band.

No more being surprised when the attendance ends up falling (or rising) to the level of marketing, advertising and fan communication that went into increasing attendance.

»» After two hundred shows you should be able to answer the questions…What makes saying yes to this show worthwhile? What are the reasons to believe it will be well attended? When you wake up the morning of the show, will you be glad you said yes?

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Stretching

Being good at stretching doesn’t mean getting faster at stretching.

It means you know what to do and are willing to be patient in order to achieve the results.

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What You Get For Listening

Back when everyone listened to the radio, what did they get out of listening to the radio? They got to hear the songs they liked. They got connection and inclusion because they knew their friends were listening too. They got cool kid points because they listened to the station that had their finger on the pulse. They got the talking points from the DJ’s. Concert announcements which informed them where they could find other people like them. They got to hear the premier of the new track. It was a portal to be informed of what’s popular around here…and the list goes on.

All that just from listening to the radio? An amazing bargain. The deal of a lifetime.

Cut to today where it’s streaming select songs and playlists.

You get everything you want when you want it.

Except I’m not sure that’s true. Yes, you get to hear any song whenever you want to hear it…but all that other good stuff listed above, you don’t get that whenever you want it.

Music consumption has been through a lot in the last twenty years but I think it still has a ways to go.

And I don’t mean that everyone should go back to listening to radio. I don’t remember the last time I have. You probably don’t either. Music streaming/listening is a modern miracle…but it has room to build in even stronger upside.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

Effective Limits

You can play sixty minutes but how much of it is good?

Your store is five hundred square feet but you only have three hundred square feet worth of great products to sell…but you gotta fill the other two so the store looks good.

Having three good examples is the norm but only two come to mind.

It’s hard to admit the current limitations and boundaries of our effectiveness.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

Some Things That Are OK

It’s ok to want something.

It’s ok if your friend doesn’t get it.

It’s ok to have a vision that alienates some people.

Even people you respect.

It’s ok to ask those people you respect to simply trust you on this one.

It’s ok to not make everyone happy.

It’s ok to compromise.

It’s ok if things get awkward.

It’s ok to want something new.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

The Other Seven

I want to say another word about our free throw shooter from yesterday who has a practice of shooting ten free throws and hitting 70%. Miss three then make seven. It looks good on paper but you if you always miss your first three you’ll never make any in a game because you never get to shoot ten in a row. 

So what about the other seven?

The other seven tell you that you’re close. The other seven show you what’s working, remind you of your capabilities and inform what you need to pull closer to the surface for when the next opportunity arises.

What is true about the other seven that isn’t yet true about the first three misses?

Bringing it over to the music world...

This happens a lot with live performance, ‘It took me six songs before I was into it’. If that was a stand alone fact then the remedy would simply be to play six songs in the dressing room beforehand so that once you hit the stage you’re all set. 

But it’s not about going through the motions of playing the songs at all. The real question is…What has to be true for you to be and feel connected to an audience and care for them?

So although it really has nothing to do with the number of songs, we can use that metric to help. What is true about what happens at song six that isn’t true about song two or one? Song six shows you what is working and what is possible…it reminds you what you’re capable of and what you need to pull closer to the top of the setlist.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple