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It Takes To Success - What
We Can Do For You
These
are general concepts that successful people have in common. There are
not necessarily related to just music artists.
No
Backup Plan
If
you have a backup plan, eventually you'll take it. For hardcore artists
you need to have only one path to take and be willing to risk everything
for that goal. This advice isn't for most artists recording a project,
this is for those seeking a lifelong profession in the arts. You want
a backup with a degree as a public school teacher? Then you should go
teach and let music be a hobby. Is this logical? No, but neither is art.
Core
Support Group
Surround
yourself with those that support your goal. You can't succeed with people
constantly belittling your goals.
Take
Responsibility
You
can spend your time racking up excuses or overcoming them. Many people
spend their entire lives practicing the storytelling of their excuses
and hard-luck stories. We are all where we are as a result of our choices
and you can change direction at ANY time.
Be
Honest With Other People
Honesty
will get you so much further than putting up a front. Be honest with your
weaknesses, not just your strengths. This will also keep you from getting
into situations where you're over your head.
Define
Successful
What
is success? Is it money, family, work, religion, fame, art, etc. or a
combination of elements? Talk to someone who has over a million dollars
and ask them if that makes them happy. A prime example: Did you know the
goal of Road Records is not to make a lot of money? Our goal is to create
consistenly better art, be within the price range of most artists, attract
consistently better artists, and to allow our staff to live comfortably
while expanding the number of artists we attract and serve. We are about
art, our parent company is about making money. Do we consider this successful?
You bet!
Do
What Successful People Do
Duh.
Find the people that are doing what you want to be doing and find out
how they got there. What are their habits? When do they get up? What did
they do on their way up? How do they treat people? We suggest raising
the bar and looking at the most successful people in the area you want
to be in. In other words, if you want to be a pro R&B singer then
look at Mariah Carey, not your local lounge band.
Don't
Do What Unsuccessful People Do
This
may be obvious. Don't waste your time listening to unsuccessful people's
hard luck stories. When you talk to musicians that haven't "made
it" you usually find one three things that happened: 1) They got
into drugs or alcohol. 2) They stopped practicing and getting better (They
weren't good enough) . 3) They got in a relationship that kept them away
from their art.
Be
Honest With Yourself
Know
your strenghts AND weaknesses. Really evaluate where you currently are
and where you want to go.
Know
Your Goals
Old
saying: "If you don't have any goals then you are sure to acheive
them". Set long term and short term goals. Make them reasonable to
acheive. If you only have a goal for five years from now without any short
term goals to get their, the odds are against you. If you set a goal for
two years from now, ask yourself why you can't have it in 6 months. Usually
the reasons you can't have it sooner are in your mind and don't really
exist.
Consistency
You
should be a little closer to your goal each week. Pace yourself. We see
it all the time where someone gets hyped up to make a million dollars
in a couple years, they ALWAYS burn out. Envision the long haul and be
prepared for it if that's what it takes.
Dealing
With People
You
know those evil millionaires? Their usually just in the movies. Successful
people understand they have to be courteous to people while riding the
fine line of not letting people walk on them. 10% of the people will waste
90% of your time. Quickly qualify and eliminate that 10% and you're on
your way! Over time these people are very easy to identify, their will
be certain keywords you'll hear over and over from them.
For
artists this means that if a booking agent is wasting your time with bad
bookings, stop using them but be polite about it. You were the one that
let them waste your time, blame yourself instead. That one fan that wants
to talk to you for an hour after every show? Tell them how busy you are
and excuse yourself.
Ethics
Know
what you stand for and where you draw the line, even if you come out on
the short end of the stick sometimes. Follow through on your commitments
and be careful what you commit to.
Listen
To The Voice
For
some people this last idea seems bizarre and insane, others know what
we're talking about as if it were the law of gravity. There's a voice
inside you that tells you nearly everything you need to know. What's right,
what's wrong, what people to avoid, which ones to depend on, what your
next move should be. We won't get into any religious implications here.
For some reason it's not talked about in public in the United States.
It's the most powerful tool you have. Children have it, but sometimes
as adults we lose contact with it. If you listen to that "intuition"
everything will work out in the long run, we promise.
Our
Suggested Reading List:
The Millionaire Mind
The Millionaire Next Door
Psycho Cybernetics
How To Win Friends and Influence People
The One Minute Manager
Anything by Tony Robbins
Music
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