The Why

Much has been written about the Why in recent years but it’s worth a short rehash…

When you step up to the mic on stage, in the studio, for the interview or to accept the award…why are you doing this? What’s the point?

And while having a long term fulfilling Why is best…for the short term, just having and knowing your Why is incredibly powerful regardless of what the why is…

Money, fame, prestige, sex, drugs, rebellion, worship, nostalgia, anger, power, joy…

This is your underlying fuel. The ace up your sleeve. The source of energy when energy is low. And knowing your why is a key source of magnetism.

Too many artists get up on stage either not knowing their way or being afraid of it, thereby self imposing a limit on their connection and effectiveness.

»» There is a tendency to over complicate the quest for the Why. But it’s more about peeling back the layers of what you’re already doing than it is coming up with something brand new and unexpected. You are operating out of your Why already.

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Building A Ford. Building The Bulls.

If you’re going to build the 96’ Bulls you’re going to have to be very intentional about building your roster.

You’re going to need some great role players like Ron Harper, Steve Kerr and Bill Wennington. A sharp shooter like Tony Kukoc is a beneficial addition. An edgy rebounder like Dennis Rodman. And underneath all of that you’re going to want elite skill level, vision, competitive drive and determination from one of the best duos in sports…Jordan and Pippen.

It’s really hard to build the 96’ Bulls but when you do…you get the 96’ Bulls. A team that will be remembered and referenced and chased forever.

On the other hand…

If you’re building a Ford…the whole point is that it doesn’t matter who is on the roster. That’s what makes it a Ford. Interchangeable parts. If Bill can’t make it in, Bob will be just fine. And when it comes to a Ford, thank goodness…because if Bill’s quality is way better than Bob’s, no one is going to want Bob’s Ford.

Ford is reliable, steady, unvaried.

The 96’ Bulls are magical, elusive, inspirational and only happen once every twenty or thirty years.

Most of us get caught in the middle, wanting the reliability of Ford but the magic of the Bulls. And in doing so get neither.

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Adopting The Next Way Now

At any given moment in time within the industry there’s the way it is…a way you’re suppose to do things to have success.

And then there are the artists pushing that idea into what it will evolve into in a year or two or ten.

It’s easy to think you don’t have options. But in five years it won’t be like it is now…and you don’t have to wait five years to begin adopting that reality.

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Winning The Tournament

In order to win the college basketball tournament you don’t need to be the best team in the nation…you just need to be a team can win six games in a row.

It’s a fundamentally different approach.

To be called the best you don’t need to be the best…you just have to do the thing (win the tournament) that people associate with the ‘best’.

Labels, associations, norms, culture, traditions, perceived status…these are the underlying ingredients that are played with and played for.

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More Than Playing Music

To be a successful artist (whether that’s simply making a living or making millions) you’re going to have to do a lot more than just play music.

Playing the music is the prize for making it through all the other stuff that isn’t music.

Even the best artists with the best teams don’t get to just noodle on a piano all day.

There are phone calls and meetings and handshakes and traveling. Signing deals, getting out of deals, new lawyers, switching booking agents, firing the tour manager, choosing the producer. It’s endless.

It’s really hard and it’s not going to go according to plan.

But the music and the feeling you get while playing it is the foundation. Never forget that. All the other stuff is simply the problems you’re choosing in order to build a certain type of career.

The moment you take your guitar out of your bedroom, you’re going to have to do more than play music.

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Song Selection

The song you pick as the single…

How are you going to play it live?

What about when you only get to play one song…for a showcase or in a meeting room?

What about when you only get to play that one song amidst a bunch of other artists playing one song?

What if you have to play for an audience in the morning?

How will it translate best on TV or video?

If it becomes a hit, how does it best fit in your set? Can you close with it?

When the song is being played and performed at its best, what is the audience doing, how are they responding?

If the answer to any of these questions is ‘I don’t know’, it’s not a reason to not pick the song as the single. What it tells you is you have some fun problems to solve if you want to have more fun with your song.

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