It sounds like a silly question I know, but think about it… how would you eat an elephant?

One bite at a time!

I speak with far too many people who don’t have goals or plans that they are working to. Most people never bother for the simple reason that it scares them. Once they commit themselves to a target or goal then it all falls back on them whether they succeed or fail. For some people that’s too much to handle so they dodge the whole issue and wander aimlessly through life.

But then there’s the whole other side of the story. The folks that aim so damn high that they are doomed to failure from the start. Setting the “impossible goal” is like trying to stuff the whole elephant in your mouth at once. You are going to choke!

Goals should stretch you and make you work but they should be small enough to be achievable. The sense of “success” that you feel from ticking a number of small items off your list can be just the motivation you need to get you through some of the bigger items.

Check what Seth Godin had to say on the subject.

So what do you think? How do you manage to “reach for the stars” while keeeping your feet on the ground? Let us know in the comments section below.

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I had the pleasure last Saturday of doing sound for one of my favourite bands, Black Label. These guys are not only a great rock act, but they are really switched on when it comes to self promotion. They don’t have the backing of a big record company yet they’ve managed to successfully release a number of great albums and recently a very well put together DVD. The thing that impresses me most about this band is the loyal following they have built up over the years as well as the long term sponsorships they enjoy. You don’t do either of these things without putting in some effort, and they do.

When I arrived at the gig the first thing I noticed is the “same old faces”. What I mean by this is regular punters who go to lots of their gigs. This is priceless. These guys and gals appear regularly, which is great for crowd numbers, but they also buy CD’s, DVD’s and T-shirts which is great for the bands bottom line. In my opinion the reason these guys have built up such a loyal following is simply because of the amount of work they put in. They mention their CD’s & merchandise regulary during their show and after the show they take the time to sit at the merchandise table to chat with the fans and sign autographs. they are very approachable and it pays off. When plenty of other bands are keen to get of the stage and hit the dressing room, these guys are out with the fans. They really deserve the success they enjoy.

So what are you doing to build your relationships with your fans? Here’s a great new video that deals with that very topic.
(Please open the article to see the flash file or player.)

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This might seem like a strange title for an article but so many people lately seem so intent on failing that I really feel the need to help them. After all, that’s what I do, right?

If you have no ambition to have a music career then you don’t need to read this, you are already achieving what you want. If you are easily offended then I wouldn’t read this either because I’m going to give it to you straight! You see I’m not happy with the whole music business at the moment. Everywhere you look it seems like doom and gloom doesn’t it? We hear daily about people stealing music, how hard it’s become to earn a dollar and how no-one wants to help. It’s all true right? Frankly I don’t know why we all just don’t give up and forget the whole thing.

Well, if we are going to fail, let’s fail properly. Let’s get it done quickly so we can go back to flipping burgers or making buggy whips. Let’s set a goal to fail spectacularly then we can all sit around the pub tonight moaning and knowing we were right all along. The music business is dead anyway, so don’t hold back. Get out there and fail now! Here’s how to ensure that you fail and fail quickly.

1. Insist that the music business is not like any other business in the world.
When people talk to you about crazy concepts like “planning” and “working towards a goal” or the most evil one of all “Marketing”, simply tell them this:
“You don’t understand, the music business is different… it’s CREATIVE. We don’t need no stinkin’ marketing, we are musicians!”

I know that every other business needs marketing and promotion and planning and cash flow forecasts and time-wasting crap like that but not us. We are musicians, we play music! We know that all we need to do is just write that killer song and the world will beat a path to our door. All we need to do is one more killer gig and that mysterious millionaire promoter listening up the back of the venue will come forward and give us all the cash we need to hit the big time.

2. Insist that everything on the internet should be free… oh except for your music.
We all know that everything on the internet should be free, right? Of course it should, it’s the internet, it’s always been free. If we want some great piece of software, we’ll look for freeware. If we need information, it’s all there in Wikipedia. If we can’t find what we want for free then we can always download stuff from scum-sucking capitalist bastard corporations then find a handy crack or serial from some helpful Russian site. Why should they charge us anyway? It’s the internet and it should be free!

The same goes for other Artists music. Most of them have “sold out to the man” and are a symptom of the rise of the neo-con cabals anyway, so we aren’t “stealing” their music are we? We are just sharing in what should be a valuable artistic gift to the world.

The exception to this is YOUR music of course. YOU should get paid for YOUR music because you worked hard on it. You actually sweated blood over your music, not like everyone else.

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Keith Jopling over at Music Think Tank has written a brilliant article about the perils of being a modern musician.

He suggests that “Live Performance” is going to be the way most new artists are “discovered” and he puts up a very good case. As they say in the classics, get over there and read the whole thing.

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Hi Folks,

This site will now feature an informal blog section where I can post about subjects and topics that don’t fit in to the existing subject categories.

It will include a wide variety of subjects will interest the online musician. Call in often!

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