5 Ways to Increase your Productivity as a Songwriter

23 apr 2009, 03:17

Have a Sunday – The key to productivity is having a plan and sticking to it. One great way to make this happen is set aside 30 minutes each Sunday evening before you go to bed to write out what you'd like to accomplish the following week. If you don't have a plan, you will usually go through the week with aimless ambition always scrambling to catch up on what you would like to get done.



5 things - Along those same lines, each night before you go to bed, take 10 minutes to review what you got done that day and write down the top 5 things you'd like to accomplish the next day. This will keep you focused on what's most important.



Be specific - 'Write one new song' is too general for your mind to do anything with. When you draft your plan, give yourself something detailed to work towards. Example: Complete first verse and hook to new song about old girlfriend who broke my heart at a McDonald's with a tune similar to 'I'm a Lil Tea pot'. This gives your mind a direction even if you don't stick to it completely in the writing phase.



Practice? Practice! – You can't be a writer if you're not writing. Make it a habit to write every day. Some ideas are to write a poem, write a short story, describe a photo, write out your feelings/viewpoints, write a love letter and the most obvious....write lyrics. Writing daily helps to develop your imagination as well as your skill with the way words flow naturally. The more you practice, the better and faster you'll get, which will save you time in the long run.



Just DO it – Once you have a written plan, take action!! If the task at hand isn't moving you closer to your goal, stop and re-evaluate. Either find a better way, or delegate it to someone else if possible.

KTB has been accepted!! "Please read"

7 apr 2009, 14:35

Hi Kenneth,



I have read your evaluation form for my Music Careers Mentoring Program... and I have decided to accept you into the new group. Every year hundreds of musicians apply for my mentoring program, but I only accept a small percentage of those applicants because I'm looking for 5 critical elements within the evaluation form and most people do not have all 5 elements. You are one of the few who do.



I look forward to working with you and getting you to where you want to be in the music business.



Tom Hess

Tom Hess Music Corporation



ALSO



Hi Kenneth,



Tom just told me that you have been accepted into the Music Careers Mentoring Program. Congratulations!



I'm Paul Tauterouff, (you've probably seen me on the Hess forum). I work directly with Tom and co-manage the MCMP with him. Although Tom does all of the real mentoring, I am here to assist you and the other members of the MCMP.



Once again welcome to the MCMP and I look forward to working with you in the program!



Paul Tauterouff



Tom Hess Music Corporation


Top 10 Ways To Promote Your Band

25 mrt 2009, 00:07

1. Promo kits are necessary for any serious band.



Venues will ask you to mail them or drop them off before they consider you for a show. Newspapers and music magazines will also ask you for them so they can do a write up. Press kits should include:



* A cover page introducing your band and your musical purpose.

* A detailed bio page outlining your career and band members.

* A large, clear picture in color of the entire band.

* Demo CD.

* A business card with your contact information.

* Letters of recommendations from fans / venues are a PLUS!



You can use online press kits such as sonicbids.com, but most venues prefer the mailed kit.



2. Stickers.



Stickers are great for promoting your band. They help increase your fan base and can increase traffic to your website. Be sure to include your web address and contact information on your stickers. Pass them out whenever you have a show. People love receiving free stuff!



3. Banners.



Nothing says 'your band' like a big ole banner! It's important to have this on stage as you perform for additional advertisement.



4. Business Cards.



Great for promoting your band and to put in your promo packet! There are many sites that will print business cards for you at a bulk rate.



5. Flyers & Posters.



Flyers are great for handing out to promote your next show and website. Make them colorful and eye catching!



6. Website.



One of the most important promotional devices in your band's website. This is where your fans will be looking at your pictures, bio's and where your next gig will be. Make sure your information is organized and updated often.



7. Merchandise Table.



Have a small table set up at each gig with stickers, t-shirts, a guest book and some FREE demo CDs.



8. Email lists.



Have an email sign up sheet at every show and have someone walk around to collect names/email addresses. You will use this information to send out weekly band updates and let them know where you will performing next.



9. Incorporate the fans of your music.



Do not underestimate the power of your fans! They are excellent sources of promotion. They love your music and are willing to spread the word. Have them set up flyers around town, work at your merchandise table and collect email addresses.



10. Utilize the internet.



There are over 100 websites dedicated to promoting your band. Many are free and others charge only for premium services. These sites will allow you to put your band name, short bio and a link to your website. The more places that link to your band's website the more likely it is that future fans will find you.


How To Make The Right Contacts In The Music Industry

19 mrt 2009, 12:34

You know that making the right music industry contacts is a key factor in developing a successful music career. The problem is, most musicians really don't know 'who' the most valuable music industry contacts are, where to find them, how to actually transform a 'first contact' into a meaningful relationship, what it really means to have the 'right music industry connections', etc.



If I gave you my complete list of music industry contacts (key industry people I have established important relationships with), do you think it would help you develop a successful music career? ... NO! Why? Because a mere 'contact' is not worth anything. Music industry contacts need to become meaningful music industry connections. Meaningful connections are developed by building good relationships...



However, even if you have good relationships with the right people, this won't help you until and unless you work on having the right things in place which enables your industry contacts to feel confident enough to work with you. You can see more about this specific topic in a free video on how to become a professional musician.



So, who are the music industry people you should be contacting? ... And when you get through to someone, what do you say to him/her? How can you make these important people pay attention to you if you don't yet have a 'name' in the music business?



Let's explore the first question "Who are the music industry people you should be contacting?" To answer this, you need to ask a series of other questions such as:



• Who are some music industry contacts who have great influence and power?



• Who are the music industry contacts who have the greatest number of key relationships with other music industry professionals and companies?



• Among the most important music industry contacts, who are the easiest to locate in your local area?



• Who are the most accessible music industry contacts?



• Who are the music industry people who you can help to solve THEIR problems and/or help them to reach their goals?



Is there a single "type" of music industry contact person or (company) who fits ALL the above criteria? The answer is 'Yes'. And if you do not have music industry connections, this 'type of contact' may be your best place to begin... So, who is this type of person or company? Record label executives? A&R people? Producers? Publishers? Managers? Entertainment Lawyers? Famous bands? No... The answer may surprise you... it is "Concert Promoters".



Serious concert promoters have massive power and influence in the music industry. They are the real entrepreneurs of the music business. They deal with thousands of very important music industry people every year such as: well known bands, record labels, artist management, tour managers, entertainment lawyers, production companies, merchandising departments, the venues, booking agents, radio stations, the press, and more.



If you live near an urban area, you won't have any trouble finding concert promoters who live and work locally (use Google). Unlike most other important music industry contacts, promoters are generally accessible and will be willing to talk to anyone who has 'something real' to offer them (that's where you come in).



Generally speaking, concert promoters take on more risk than any other person or entity in the entire music industry. All promoters lose large sums of money every year (because some concerts lose money). The successful promoters make (and keep) more money than they lose throughout the year (because they promote other concerts which make a lot of money).



What every promoter wants is a bigger and stronger team of people to help ensure that the concerts/tours they promote make more money! Obviously, it's expensive to employ a large team of experienced people. However, you can join their team (at least on a part time basis) if you are willing to volunteer, intern, or earn a small salary. You may not yet know anything about promoting tours, but some promotion companies would be eager to train you if it isn't expensive for them to do so.



Think about it from their perspective. If you were a big time promoter taking on huge risks, wouldn't you want another person to work for you, for free or for a very low salary? Of course the answer is 'yes', even if that person could only work part time.



Many musicians who want a music career are told to intern for a record label. The conventional wisdom is that when you do this, you will learn a lot about the music business. The reality is, most of these interns never get into a position where they can truly learn much at all as an intern. However working for a promoter, your ability to learn how the music industry REALLY works (at least on the touring and promotional side) goes way up because your level of access to what is going on 'behind the scenes' goes way up! In addition, the number of music industry contacts you can make are 200 times more than what you would likely make working at a record label. And compared to record labels, there is a lot less competition for internships or jobs with a promoter.

As excited as you may now feel, knowing that you CAN actually do this.... there is a catch... a big one. In order to have any real chance of pursuing this opportunity and using these music industry contacts to help launch your music career, you must work on having the right things in place which enable your music industry connections to feel confident enough to work with you. The truth is, nothing in this article will help you until and unless you do take this critical step.



You must do two major steps my bandmates

1. learn your values

2. learn your risks



When you have done this you will see that none of us are perfect you all hate somthing and love somthing.

You will have the things you suck at (exp. talking to fans, managing time, organization, racist ect.)

Things your good at (exp. communication with fans, writing music, running business ect.)

What you need to relise is the music industry looks at our values and risks and gives us a yay or nay!

GUESS WHAT!? musical talent is one factor only one factor around 10% of what they look at.

What this means is you can be the best guitarist on the planet they really don't give a shit because if your an

IDIOT in business and being professional your a huge NAY!.

So what this means is you need to do these two things to become the musician that they will hire to play music for life!



1. relise your values and try to upsize them

2. relise your risks and eleminate them or downsize them to being almost not noticable.



Remmeber, music talent is one thing anyone can pick up an instrument and play a greenday song and they are huge.

It's about HOW good of a musical athlete are you and what will you bring to the leaders in the industries!



remmeber they are investing money into us to make them money back. Maximize Values, Minimize Risks and we are a golden opertunity for any industry!