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Musician Strategy Guide

Kavit Haria has a new strategy guide that will help you to have a better online presence this year.  It's free and you can download it here.

MLK Jr. and the Music Business

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the United States.

MLK had a dream.  He wanted people to live together as equals, without being judged by their color of skin.  While we're getting closer to that, it hasn't happened yet...but here's a funny story about how it did happen once.

I have a friend, Bob Tucker, who was in a Memphis-based band in the 1950s called The Tarantulas.  Like a lot of bands from the area, they played soul music.

This was during a time when it was common for "record deals" to be for single songs.  And people had that authority to sign upcoming acts without having to run everything past a committee, Board of Directors, etc...  Things were much more simple.

So, Atlantic Records heard about the band and signed a deal with them...through the mail.

When they showed up at the studio, you can imagine the surprise on Bob's face when people exclaimed, "You're white!!"

Like Wolfman Jack, Bob was so funky, people thought he was black.

Hard to believe there was a time when the music actually spoke for itself, isn't it?

And that's the story of the first white band on Atlantic Records. :)

Who Ya Gonna Call?

One of the coolest things, in my opinion, about new technology is that people are able to do some very creative things with something which already exists.  We've seen it in the music business with mashups and remixes by fans.  Television shows and movies have had "fan fiction" for some time, but we're starting to see some really cool stuff that goes way beyond that.  For example...

A cast and crew made up entirely of volunteers worked over the internet and across borders for over two years to make this happen. And even more amazing is that the budget was only $2000.

There are certainly ways to incorporate this idea into your music.

More thoughts soon...  Until then, enjoy the trailers and hit ReturnOfTheGhostbusters.com for more info on the project.

Give it Away (and Earn Money) - Swipe This Idea!

Always love to see creative people taking advantage of the promotion and marketing opportunities that the Internet has to offer.  The potential to reach tons of new fans via the web, email, or elsewhere online is mind blowing.

But how do you monetize giving something away for free?

Watch the first couple of minutes of the video below to see how indie filmmaker Francis Stokes is doing it...

This is actually a pretty good movie, by the way. Reminds me of a lot of musicians I've seen. :)

What Is Effective Goal Setting?

Most experts in goal setting agree that the way in which you set your goals determines their effectiveness.  There are a number of guidelines that you can use to make your goal setting more effective.

First, be sure and make your goals a positive statement.  Focus on what you want, not what you don't want.  This may seem an obvious statement, however, many of us unconsciously focus on what we don't want.  When we do this we give our energy to the wrong result.

Second, be as precise and as specific as you can be when goal setting.  Decide on dates and times that you plan on completing your goal.  If you are focusing on a money goal, then make sure you state the exact amount you plan on achieving.

Break your goals down into small steps that are believable and achievable.  If your goals are too big, you will tend to become discouraged.  Setting small achievable steps will have the effect of building momentum and propelling you toward your end goal.  Remember the old saying:  You can only eat a hamburger one bite at a time and taking big bites only causes indigestion.

Next, be sure and prioritize your goals.  Having too many goals is just as bad as having none at all.  We can effectively focus on one thing at a time.  This doesn't mean we can't have multiple goals.  This means that it is best to keep the number of goals small and manageable.  In this way we can give our attention to one goal at a time and not become overwhelmed.

In goal setting, don't be afraid to adjust your goals as you go along.  This doesn't mean you're a failure.  Things happen and we often face obstacles we didn't plan on when working on our goals.  Examine how you feel about your goals at that point.  If some of them have become no longer important, then drop them and focus on the ones you still want.  Be flexible with yourself, but, at the same time, keep your eye on your end result.

One of the most powerful acts in goal setting is writing them down.  The very act of writing down your goals supplies a kinesthetic connection to our brains.  It helps make our goals believable and achievable.  Some goal setting experts advocate writing down your goals every day.  This reinforces the goals.  Try this and see if it works for you.

Finally, your goal setting and achieving should be fun and enjoyable.  If your goals become drudgery, then you need to reexamine them.  Effective goal setting should bring joy into your life and make your life an adventure.    

Keeping Goal Setting Flexible in a Changing Society

Goal setting is the key to success in any endeavor.  Anyone who is successful in any area sets goals.  This statement is probably truer than any time in the history of our society.  People are demanding more of themselves and reaching for greater personal and professional achievements. 

The number of people seeking some form of advanced education has sky rocketed over the last thirty years.  The same is true of people starting and succeeding with new businesses.  The information age has brought with it an explosion of opportunities for both personal and professional development.

This has all been made possible through the power of goal setting.  However, this is also the age of change.  Things change faster now that ever before.  New technologies and ideas seem to emerge almost overnight.  We have come to expect change.  What does this rapid change mean for our goals?  Does our goal setting allow for effective change?  Good questions.

We have always been told that our goal setting must include goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and believable to us.  Our goals must be quantifiable and not vague ideas.  They also must be tied to a completion date.  Last, to be truly effective, our goals must be written down.  Writing down our goals gives them a psychological concrete certainty.

However, when approached in this manner, does our goal setting set us up for failure?  In other words, if we don't achieve our goals by the date we set, does it mean we are failures?  We must conclude that this statement is not true when we examine our goal setting process.

Change happens and it happens all the time.  Our goals must be flexible enough to allow for this change when it occurs.  Goal setting has undergone a reexamination in the last few years.  Goals use to be viewed as written in stone.  This model is no longer effective.  A better approach is to view goals as points along a line and not endpoints in and of themselves.

For example, the goal of having a successful business is made up of a number of smaller goals along a continuum.  Straight lines don't exist except in mathematics.  It's a given that the path to the achievement of our goals will encounter detours and switchbacks. Our goal setting must stay flexible enough to accommodate these changes while keeping our eye on the horizon.

In your goal setting, make your goal planning a living document that is open to change and modification.  Goals that take longer than a few months to achieve are certainly going to experience change.  Re-evaluate your goals at least once a month.  Decide if you're still on the right path, or are modifications in order? 

Last, and perhaps the most important, is to not allow the flexibility to accommodate that your goals need cause you to give up.  Keep your eye on the point on the horizon that you've decided is your goal.  Effective, flexible goal setting will help you succeed in this changing world.

Why Is Setting Goals Important?

Why is goal setting important in our lives?  The obvious answer is that if we don't know where we want to go, then any destination will do.  This may be an oversimplification of goal setting, but it has the ring of truth. 

Whether we realize it or not, we are setting goals everyday.  Each day, from the moment we wake up, we are deciding what we are going to do with that day.  For the vast majority of us, we do this unconsciously.  We decide what to have for breakfast, what to wear, how to get to school or work on time, what we must accomplish that day, or just waste the day away watching television.  We make a lot of choices and set a lot of goals in the course of a day.

The question we must ask ourselves is are we effective in our goal setting?  Since goals are so important to us, are we taking the time to think about the impact they are having in our lives?  Are we considering where we are putting our time and effort?  Do we get to the end of our day, or the end of our lives, feeling as if we wasted valuable, irreplaceable time in accomplishing little or nothing?  Remember, time goes by very fast.

The first thing we must do to effectively live our lives is to give some thought to what we want in life.  This is where goal setting comes into play.  We are not one-dimensional creatures.  We have many facets to ourselves.  We have, among others, private personal areas, relationship areas, family areas, business and career areas, financial and spiritual areas in our lives.  Each of these areas demands and needs our attention.

We have decisions to make in each of these areas.  Again, most of us drift through life wondering why we are getting nowhere.  This is why goal setting is so important.  To get the most out of life, we must give each of the above areas some serious thought.

Of course the earlier we start in life with goal setting, the better.  However, it is never too late to learn to set goals.  You can begin today.  Take some time to sit and think about your life and what you want out of the rest of it.  Examine each area of your life.  Think about where you are now and where you would like to be in a few years. 

Write down what you would like to accomplish.  Begin with just the day in front of you.  What do you want to do with it?  It's a gift that won't come again.  Plan your day to get the most out of it that you can.  Then expand your horizons.  Set goals for this week, this month, for the rest of the year, for the rest of your life.

Goal setting is one of the most important and valuable exercises we will ever do.  It defines our lives.  Give serious thought to your goal setting.  The rewards will be greater than you can imagine. 

Goal Setting and Time Management

The computer age was supposed to make our lives easier and leave more time for leisure pursuits.  Wrong.  What has happened is that our lives have become overwhelmed with work and personal demands.  We now have actually less time than before for family and personal pursuits outside of work.

Are we doomed to race through our lives like hamsters on wheels?  Can goal setting help us organize and manage our lives so that we can get the most out of them?  The answer is yes.  Goal setting can literally save our lives.  Here's how.

One of the obvious answers to goal setting and time management is to use an appointment calendar and organizer.  Appointment calendars and organizers allow us to schedule our daily personal and professional lives.  There are a number of good ones available.  A trip to your local office supply store will solve that problem.

However, appointment calendars and organizers, if not used correctly, can actually add to our time management problems.  When goal setting, be sure and avoid over-committing yourself.  That's often easier said than done.  We have so many personal and professional commitments vying for our time that it's often difficult to make choices.

This is where goal setting helps us the most.  We have to decide what is truly important in our lives.  We have to choose what our most important goals are in the business, family, relationship, spiritual, and leisure areas of our lives.  Once we have decided what our most important goals are in each area, we can then get on with the process of daily goal setting.

Our goal setting should include daily planning with an emphasis on only those things that we must get done that day.  We should be careful to stick to our daily plan and not take on too much in one area.  Taking on too much will only erode time from other important areas of our lives.

In our personal and well as our professional lives, we can learn to delegate responsibility to others.  We do not have to be responsible for every thing.  Effective goal setting means letting others help us.  We don't have to be "super mom or dad" or "super boss or employee." 

There are things we can do with goal setting in our business lives that will make things easier.  Keep meetings brief.  Agree on an agenda and time frame before the meeting.  That way we respect everyone's time including our own.  Show up on time and be ready.  It is surprising how much time we waste by being late and not prepared.  Lead by example and expect the same from others.

Our person life goal setting should include planning time for our families and friends, time for meals that aren't rushed, time for exercise, and time for sleep.  If reading is important to you, include that in your goal setting.

Another time waster is the TV.  Turn it off for certain periods in the evening.  Spend that time with those who are important to you or doing things you never seem to have time for.  Our lives are multifaceted.  Don't let one area dominate the others.  Goal setting can help us get more out of and into our lives.   

Goal Setting For the New Year

It happens every January.  New Year's goal setting, otherwise knows as New Year's resolutions.  It seems that most of us experience a burst of creative energy right after the holidays and begin to set lofty goals for ourselves.  We resolve to lose ten pounds, change jobs, or completely change our lives. 

What's wrong with us?  Do we have some kind of weird masochistic tendencies that lies hidden in our DNA all year long until January comes around?  We must.  It's a sad fact that New Year's resolutions are usually short-lived if not completely forgotten by February.  Are we doomed to and endless circle of goal setting and failure?

Can we really make goal setting for the New Year successful?  Can we break the chain of miserable failure?  Yes, the good news is that we can be successful with our New Year goal setting.  We can succeed if we follow a few simple steps.

In goal setting, the first thing you must do is pick goals that are believable and achievable for you.  They have to be the right goals for the right reasons.  If you don't believe that you can achieve them, then you are doomed from the start.  For example, if your goal is to lose 10 pounds this year and you don't believe you can do it, then you have set yourself up for failure.

Effective goal setting has to include thought and deliberation.  Think long and hard about what you want to accomplish.  Decide that the goal you have chosen has meaning for you and you are willing to commit to achieving it. 

Make your goals achievable but not so low that they lose meaning for you.  On the other hand, don't set them so high that you become discouraged.  This is a tricky area of goal setting.  The solution is to break your goals down into smaller chunks that you can reach.  For example, if you goal is to lose 10 pounds, then set a reachable goal of one or two pounds a week.  This will help keep you motivated.

Another strategy for goal setting is to be specific.  Set a date that you want to achieve a specific goal and then work backward, breaking it down in to smaller chunks.  If your New Year's goal is to "lose weight," then you're beaten before you start.  It is more effective to decide that you want to lose ten pounds by March 1st.  Stating it this way makes the goal concrete and believable to you.  You are much more likely to achieve a specific goal with a time frame than a vaguely stated goal.

Write your goals down and post them, so that you see them often.  This reinforces your goal setting.  You might try standing in front of a mirror and saying your goals out loud every day.  This also makes your goals a formal commitment.  Don't give up.  Goal setting can help us make positive changes in our lives if we follow a few simple rules.

What Are Your 2008 Goals?

It's now 2008.  When you look back on the previous year, can you say that you accomplished everything you wanted to?

I'm going to spend the next couple of weeks talking about goal setting, so 2008 will be a great year for you. 

An important part of attaining your goals, or one that at least makes getting them easier, is having other people in board to help you...or at least not work against you. :)  I'm going to keep things general, and not specifically about the music business, so feel free to send your family, friends, and co-workers here, so they'll better understand what you're trying to do and be able to help you with your goals.