Whenever he wants, whatever room he walks into, whoever is there, Steven Tyler can sing the word Cryin and the whole room changes.
He could say it, he could talk about it, he could teach you to how to sing it…but that’s not it.
That singer with that melody with that lyric.
That is the weird super power of singers and melody.
Behind every artist rambling about all the random surprising coincidences that got them to the mountain top, there is a manager who knows how much planning those coincidences took.
Coincidences in and of themselves are not a reliable plan…but when you have a good plan you will have many of them as a byproduct.
It’s here…the new Hum Love playlist on Spotify and Apple
The time between finishing the project and releasing the project is tough.
When you’re making the project you’re in it. It’s the only thing that matters. Your focus is singular. It’s easy to see what the priority is. For a period of time you get to revolve around this project.
And then it’s done. The album is complete but not released.
There’s nothing you can do to make the album better but it feels like there should be because the public hasn’t heard it yet. What if your excitement wanes? What if you hear a mistake? What if it sounds weird on your old headphones?
On the other hand, the time in between is like holding onto a secret that you’re going to get to tell everyone. The secret doesn’t change but the tension makes it better as you hold onto it.
»» As always you can hear all past months playlists in the Hum Love Archive on Spotify and Apple
without looking dumb (in front of our friends) we probably will.
We all learned about peer pressure in high school but it doesn’t go away.
When one or two friends start talking about something we can probably still get away with ignoring it. But when it’s more than that, our worst fear is being left out and lonely…so we have to check it out. Maybe because we’ll like it too…but definitely so we look smart next time it comes up.
»» In your circle of friends pay attention to how often you hear the comment, ‘I heard that too’. And not everyone is telling the truth. It’s just that everyone wants to be WITH.
There’s only one copy. Once you send it you don’t have it anymore. No checking what you wrote. Simply your words on paper in the moment and then sent to someone else.
It’s not fast or efficient or searchable in your mail app.
But it’s special. And everyone needs a little more special.
There’s a notion that all you have to do is find your market, your tribe, get your 1000 fans and you won’t have to try to sell anyone anything anymore.
No…you’re still gonna have to convince people.
You might not need to plead but you’re going to need to keep earning it.
The way you sell might change but there are no sure bets in this business. You gotta sell it.
Just because you had a hit doesn’t mean you’re going to have a hit. Just ask anyone who’s had a hit.
And artists don’t typically like to think of themselves as sales agents but they sure hope the audience will buy their act…and keep buying it.
Things will not take care of themselves, you have to take care of them. And the hard work of finding your market is worth the hard work of taking care of it.