If you're a musician or artist, and you continue to be frustrated in your attempts to live your dream,
Take a look around.
If you're confused about the Music Industry,
Look at this lens,
If you're ready to give up and get a job in the "Real World",
Don't just yet!
I know what you're feeling because I've already been there. I've already failed, and that's what these sites are about. I want to share with you the lessons I've learned the hard way so you can reach your dreams and goals in the music business.
That's the focus of my lenses (this one and here, and here), my blog and upcoming book. Take a look around, enjoy, and feel free to contact me at any time.
Good luck, Steve
Why I Failed
Here's a quick list of why I failed, and why you're likely to fail too.
- I thought talent was enough. Like most musicians, I worked my guts out to get great on my instrument (drums). After all, what else mattered? Everyone told me "practice, practice, and one day you'll be a star!" Wrong.
- I thought I had enough talent. From the time I was three, I was told how great I was. Everytime I played, people applauded and fawned. I got every gig I auditioned for and received accolades along the way. Then I tried to make a living.
- I hung around other musicians. All my friends and acquaintances were musicians. We hung out, ate together, tried to make a living together, and ultimately failed together.
- I didn't run a business. I was a drummer. I wasn't a marketer, book keeper, sales person, CEO, CIO, or Chairman of my board. Big mistake.
- I had an attitude. I wasn't cocky, I just didn't act like a success. I had the attitude of a working musicians who might someday hit it big. And I was a working musician who never quite hit it big...
- I was dreaming I had big dreams of getting paid millions for being a creative genius. I didn't know about the processes of making music that make you sometimes feel like a worker on a factory floor.
- I was hoping. Despite the fact that I thought I might hit it big someday, I had no idea how to plan to succeed. I simply hoped it would happen somehow, someway.
- I was a star. I said yes to the work that fit my perception of my end goal instead of the work that would have taught me how to GET to my end goal.
- I didn't know about the "Real World." I was a musician. What did I need to know about marketing, business, finances, sales, speaking, people and success? Plenty!
- My WHY wasn't big enough. Yes, I wanted to be a musician, but I didn't want it bad enough to do the things that it took to be a success.
- Want more? Link here.
And how NOT to follow in my footsteps
Now that you know why I failed and why your likely to fail too, let's discuss how NOT to follow in my footsteps. Next up; concept one, then two, some tips, and then my blog.
Concept one - You, Inc.
You own a business, and it's YOU!
Since I'm now in corporate America, I read many business magazines and attend training sessions and seminars. Through an article first, and then through a day class, I was introduced to the concept of You, Inc., a concept about people in today's increasingly fragmented and changing job market seeing themselves as independent, but interconnected "micro" businesses. This idea, sometimes known as "Brand You" encourages a person to think and act like a company in order to succeed. In my opinion, if you are pursuing a career in music, I believe this concept is THE foundation for you. Simply put, you own a business, and it's YOU!
Viewing yourself as You, Inc. highlights the important distinction between you, the person, and you, the business. This separation will help you more easily deal with many of the decisions and challenges you will face. For instance, you may want to play with a particular group of musicians or write a particular type of song, but because of You, Inc's business plan, you can make clear and effective decisions that keep you on track.
The same thing might be accomplished by having a mission or vision statement, but that's exactly my point: how many people do YOU know that have written one? How many successful companies do you think DON'T have one? I rest my case.
Businesses and the people who run them think and plan differently than individual people scrambling to make a living. And applying this same thinking to you and your career will have powerful effects. So, taken straight from business planning 101, here's what I suggest you begin to think about as owner and CEO of your company:
You, Inc. needs a product.
You, Inc. needs a board of directors.
You, Inc. needs goals.
You, Inc. needs a business plan.
You, Inc. needs customers.
You, Inc. needs a marketing strategy.
You, Inc. needs a sales team.
You, Inc. needs capital.
You, Inc. needs to be profitable.
You, Inc. needs a building.
You, Inc. needs a nap....
Exhausting? Sure. Doable? Yes indeed.
Now, lead your company
Viewing yourself as You, Inc. highlights the important distinction between you, the person, and you, the business. This separation will help you more easily deal with many of the decisions and challenges you will face. For instance, you may want to play with a particular group of musicians or write a particular type of song, but because of You, Inc's business plan, you can make clear and effective decisions that keep you on track.
The same thing might be accomplished by having a mission or vision statement, but that's exactly my point: how many people do YOU know that have written one? How many successful companies do you think DON'T have one? I rest my case.
Businesses and the people who run them think and plan differently than individual people scrambling to make a living. And applying this same thinking to you and your career will have powerful effects. So, taken straight from business planning 101, here's what I suggest you begin to think about as owner and CEO of your company:
You, Inc. needs a product.
You, Inc. needs a board of directors.
You, Inc. needs goals.
You, Inc. needs a business plan.
You, Inc. needs customers.
You, Inc. needs a marketing strategy.
You, Inc. needs a sales team.
You, Inc. needs capital.
You, Inc. needs to be profitable.
You, Inc. needs a building.
You, Inc. needs a nap....
Exhausting? Sure. Doable? Yes indeed.
Now, lead your company
Concept two - Learning from the Real World
How to find, understand and use all the resources NOT written for musicians
The list in "Concept one - You, Inc." may seem very intimidating and/or confusing. It may also seem to suggest that you should immediately look for office space and begin hiring people. Don't do it (but to be clear, You, Inc. needs a building means you do need a place to live).
With the exception of the board of directors, everything I've listed can and will be done by you. And though I'm not going to discuss that here (I have a blog and upcoming book for that), I do want to show you how to find, understand and apply all the information from the "real world" and make You, Inc. a success!
First, learn about the basic meanings behind each of the terms in the list above. Seek to understand what they mean and how they do or do not interconnect.
Second, use the list as a study guide and look EVERYWHERE. Your goal is to constantly seek knowledge about how to manage and operate each and every "department" of You, Inc.
Third, be patient and open minded with what you find in the real world. As I've said, the information you need is not written with You, Inc. musicians in mind so you'll often need to be creative to make the connection to you and your career. Look for insights EVERYWHERE though, you'll often find inspiration and insights from the strangest sources.
Fourth, stick with it. Sometimes what you read will rock your world, sometimes it won't. Trust me, the "a-HA!" moments will be well any boredom.
Finally, and most importantly, fight through points three and four. The reason most musicians fail is the fact that they do not take care of ALL aspects of their career. The power of You, Inc. is that it organizes the "departments" so you stay focused on them all. Don't just look for easy lessons or the "a-HA!" moments. Success in your career could very well hinge on your understanding of the very thing you find incredibly boring.
So, with all this in mind, I give you the Why I Failed Squidoo lens. A lens focused on finding the information you need to NOT follow in my footsteps.
Enjoy and GOOD LUCK!
With the exception of the board of directors, everything I've listed can and will be done by you. And though I'm not going to discuss that here (I have a blog and upcoming book for that), I do want to show you how to find, understand and apply all the information from the "real world" and make You, Inc. a success!
First, learn about the basic meanings behind each of the terms in the list above. Seek to understand what they mean and how they do or do not interconnect.
Second, use the list as a study guide and look EVERYWHERE. Your goal is to constantly seek knowledge about how to manage and operate each and every "department" of You, Inc.
Third, be patient and open minded with what you find in the real world. As I've said, the information you need is not written with You, Inc. musicians in mind so you'll often need to be creative to make the connection to you and your career. Look for insights EVERYWHERE though, you'll often find inspiration and insights from the strangest sources.
Fourth, stick with it. Sometimes what you read will rock your world, sometimes it won't. Trust me, the "a-HA!" moments will be well any boredom.
Finally, and most importantly, fight through points three and four. The reason most musicians fail is the fact that they do not take care of ALL aspects of their career. The power of You, Inc. is that it organizes the "departments" so you stay focused on them all. Don't just look for easy lessons or the "a-HA!" moments. Success in your career could very well hinge on your understanding of the very thing you find incredibly boring.
So, with all this in mind, I give you the Why I Failed Squidoo lens. A lens focused on finding the information you need to NOT follow in my footsteps.
Enjoy and GOOD LUCK!
Next steps
Want to learn more?
- My blog: my frequently updated blog (syndicated below) is full of information about success, business, money and personal development principles as well as the radical changes taking place in the music industry.
- My book preview: yes, I'm writing a book, but this link isn't about that. It's a deeper discussion of the reasons I failed so you'll avoid my mistakes while you can.
- My resources page: still a work in progress, I'll link to it soon
- My second Squidoo lens: my recommendations of the best business blogs for musicians. Check these out for daily insights into marketing, business, money and more.
- My third Squidoo lens: also still a work in progess, but this lens will be all about the blogs and sites that are directly focused on helping musicians and artists reach their goals and dreams.
- About me: if you want to know more about me and my career, this page from whyifailed.com tells you all you need to know.
- Write me! Got questions, drop me a note and we'll go from there.
The Why I Failed blog
Why I Failed in the Music Business and How NOT to Follow in my Footsteps
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I'm a Grammy and ACM Award winning drummer who had to leave the music business when my career callapsed 7 years ago.
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