HowToBand.com Blog

Portait of Howlin' Wolf

Chester Arthur Burnett, better known as Howlin’ Wolf, (Jun 10, 1910 – January 10, 1976), was an incredible and influential Blues Musician who succeeded against multiple odds, leaving behind profitable tips for musicians to use now. His music and skills influenced and inspired the Rolling Stones so much that they refused to play on the television show “Shindig” in 1965 unless the producers let Howlin’ Wolf play with them.

What kind of challenges do you think you have? Here is are three big challenges Howlin’ Wolf melted away:
1. Racial prejudice in the South during early 1900’s USA
2. No education outside of being a southern plantation farmer
3. Couldn’t read or write until 50 years of age and then very little

THE STUDENT & TEACHER

Howlin’ Wolf wouldn’t settle for anything less than success. In the documentary “The Howlin’ Wolf Story” Hubert Sumlin, Howlin’ Wolf’s guitar player, described him as being focused on continually living and learning as an expert. When he would do shows, even when he was in his 50’s, he would go backstage between sets and learn more about reading, writing, his business skills, his showmanship, and his guitar playing. Since he had the right to choose how he lived, he made sure he did everything he could to improve his living skills.

When Howlin’ Wolf found musicians or worked with them, he would take the time to help them learn better playing techniques. He wanted to make sure that everyone understood what their role was in making the audience enjoy a song.

Wolf believed that if everyone onstage tried to play solos constantly, than the simplicity of sharing a song was lost. The basic communication of the song melody, words, and emotion would be a failure. Untrained entertainers sacrifice a show. Howlin’ Wolf wouldn’t allow his band to perform that way and wanted his band mates to understand the critical importance of playing with trained skill so the audience would enjoy each song the band played. He worked with each musician and they rehearsed their skills together so that the songs weren’t compromised when they performed onstage.

THE SHOWMAN & BUSINESS MANAGER

Howlin’ Wolf was an incredible showman onstage and a business and family man off-stage. When he was onstage he had his practiced wild routines: licking his guitar, crawling around on the stage, laying or slithering on the ground, jumping around, reaching out to the audience constantly, and looking and talking with them (although never sacrificing the simple power of a clear and clean professionally played song). Off-stage he wore his shirt and tie and acted nothing like his onstage persona.

Rules he had for himself and his band mates were: No drinking or doing any drugs before and onstage. After a show he couldn’t keep them from doing destructive things, however he asked them to follow good judgment because he looked at himself as their employer and wanted them healthy and ready to work when ‘music money’ called for them.

As his band’s employer, Howlin’ Wolf took care of his band mates. He actually paid unemployment insurance for them. He took care of all of the band expenses, just as any business owner or manager does.

Who manages business costs and expenses for your band? Is it you? Are you tracking the expenses and counting your earnings? Are you making more money than you are spending?

MAKING MUSIC MONEY

Money. Money. Money. Howlin Wolf did well in his day. He made money playing shows, selling records, and creating his own radio show.

Howlin’ Wolf worked constantly performing. Band’s that play a lot get better onstage, increase their notoriety, increase their bookings, and increase their money making power. Howlin’ Wolf played constantly. Almost every night of the week and he would play for long sets with multiple breaks. How many gigs do you have right now?

To increase his fame, Howlin’ Wolf setup a show on a radio station in West Memphis, Arkansas in the late 1940’s. How did he do it? He found out how much the radio-airtime cost and then went out and gathered his own sponsors for the show. He sold advertising space during his show time to pay for the shows. He made enough money to pay for the show space and to pocket some cash on top of that. For a while, he had a show for a half-hour every hour.

His radio show got him a lot of ‘airtime’ for excellent publicity. It also expanded his network of musician friends and business connections. To improve his listener base, he would invite some of his friend’s bands to play on his show also. This gave his listeners a mix of good airtime content. Eventually his fame landed him a record deal that developed his reach even more.

This model still works today. You can find out how much airtime costs on a radio station or television station, and then gather sponsors to pay for the timeslot for your show. How much could this help your band increase it’s fame and money making power?

Are you living and learning like an expert? Are you developing your music moneymaking power and learning how to improve your shows continually? Are you working with your band mates as a focused team, helping each other improve so you can succeed? Do you look at your band as a business and offer benefits to band members? Are you tracking your band’s expenses and earnings?

If you focus in on the work of your music and band like Howlin’ Wolf, how can it help you now?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Eric Christian Smith is a recognized authority on business and the entertainment industry. His web site, http://www.HowToBand.com, provides a wealth of informative articles and resources on everything you'll ever need to know about making money as an unsigned band or musician. His book, “How To Make BIG MONEY with Your BAND” is a great resource for increasing your cash flow. You can easily buy a copy of the book, available in Paperback or eBook form, online through http://www.howtoband.com (The book is also available through Amazon.com, Borders.com and other bookstores)

More resources on Howlin’ Wolf:

Internet:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howlin'_Wolf
http://www.howlinwolf.com/
http://www.novia.net/~cedmunds/hwbio.htm

Biographical Book:
Moanin’ at Midnight – The Life and Times of Howlin’ Wolf, by James Segrest and Mark Hoffman. © 2004, 2005

Biographical Documentary:
The Howlin’ Wolf Story, by Blue Sea Productions © 2003

Since the beginning of the world of entertainment, there has been a need for financing, just as there is for any business venture. In the entertainment industry, there is a wonderful technique known as Sponsorship. This brings in powerful moneymaking and marketing results.

Today, I caught a short section of the classic movie, “Miracle On 34th Street” and I paid particular attention to the powerful marketing success this movie still is for Macy’s department stores. This is a branded movie giving incredible attention to a company, Macy’s. Not only that, it is also still making money as a product. It was made back in 1947 and still makes money when it is shown on TV or sold as a Video.

You can use this skill. Make an entertainment piece specifically to help develop your identity (your brand), and to help you make money. It is a proven way to develop your moneymaking business.

Bands you know use this when they write some songs. Listen to some of the songs you hear often and see if you can hear them mention their band’s name in the song, their name, or the name of well-known organizations in a positive way. Using well-known organizations in your songs or other famous names in a positive way can also bring a lot of attention to the song. It might sound goofy, however, how many people know the song YMCA, or sing “In the Navy”. Also consider how many Rap artists say their name in their lyrics.

If you are singing a catchy lyric to yourself and it has the name of the artist in it, don’t you think you are going to be able to find out who sang the song? Does this technique remind you of any catchy ‘hooks’ used in the lyrics of product commercials? Jingles have been written for a long time, and will be written for a long time into the future. Why? It works.

Now, what if you wrote a song or designed a show that was focused on helping develop a positive image of another organization, group, or person? They could pay you to do this work for them (sponsor you). You could approach them with the idea. They could pay for you to do it and market the song to their existing market base? This could really help build your notoriety and cash flow.

Sometimes, people have created these types of songs or entertainment pieces just because they thought it was fun, and then the organization found out about it and promoted the heck out of it. Then again, some people knew that certain organizations would find it exciting, or maybe their loyal following would find it exciting, so they created something in order to capture this passionate energy so they could profit and grow. Of course you would want to make sure that the identity you were building was something that you felt good about, because it would become attached to your identity also.

Think of movies like, “The Passion of Christ”, or musical theatre shows like, “The Lion King”. Both of these entertainment pieces were made to capture the passions of existing markets or excited and loyal followers.

Now, another form of ‘sponsorship’ is to have commercial breaks or advertising built around your show. Television and radio do this. It pays for their existence to bring you all of the entertainment you enjoy. How much does a commercial spot go for during the Super Bowl now? How much does a commercial spot cost for just one day on your favorite local radio station?

I know that commercials and advertising get a bad reputation, however, without it we wouldn’t have TV, Radio, Magazines, the Internet, Books, Movies, or any other form of entertainment. Even Public Radio and Television require fundraising drives at least once-a-year where they are the commercials throughout the day until they raise all of the money they need to keep providing you with their entertainment and communications services.

Keep this moneymaking and fame building method in your idea bag. It will help you avoid the perils of being just another broke musician hoping to someday make it big. Make money doing what you love. You deserve it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Eric Christian Smith is a recognized authority on business and the entertainment industry. His web site, http://www.HowToBand.com, provides a wealth of informative articles and resources on everything you'll ever need to know about making money as an unsigned band or musician. His book, “How To Make BIG MONEY with Your BAND” is a great resource for increasing your cash flow.

By Bob Baker

We've all heard the expression "It takes money to make money." And sometimes it does. We've also heard horror stories about the complications of bank loans, business plans, lawyers and meddling investors. And it's those negative mental associations that keep many musicians from ever taking a stab at a big project—whether it be committing to a record release, buying a new PA and lighting system, producing a music video or starting a small record label. I can hear you now: "Man, I'm never going to be able to get a bank loan. And I wouldn't trust a power-hungry investor with my career. Why bother?" Well, I say, "Don't let those perceived obstacles stop you from getting what you want out of music!"

For now let's forget about bank loans and high finance and start thinking about more creative, street-level methods of raising money. Let's call it Guerrilla Music Financing. And the first rule to note is that—unlike the tried-and-true road to investment capital, where a large lump sum of money comes from one almighty source—we guerrillas have to think in terms of combining a number of smaller money-raising streams into one sizable river of capital. What follows is a list of 18 specific actions you can take right now to get the cash flow moving toward your musical project:

• Make a commitment to yourself right now that you will find a way to raise the money. A wise man once said, "Whether you think you can or can't do something, you're right." Confidence and optimism will take you a long way toward your monetary goals. Know that you can find a way to raise the money and let your passion drive you toward making it happen.
• Set up a Musical Project Fund bank account. Doing so will add more commitment to your intentions—plus it will earn interest while you work your money plan.
• Set aside a percentage of your "day gig" salary. If you have a regular income from another source, take $20 a week (or more) off the top. Self-financing takes a bit of discipline and sacrifice on your part, but it's well worth it, knowing that you'll be in debt to no one when you reach your goal.
• Earn extra cash from other music-related activities. Don't limit yourself to your current financial situation. Is there a product or service you can make or perform to bring in more money? What about music lessons, studio session work, repairing equipment, publicity, computer-related services, booking bands, etc? Open your mind to potential money-making streams you're not pursuing as much as you could be right now.
• Rent equipment you already own to others. Why let that PA system gather dust when it could be generating revenue? Pin up fliers and run classified ads announcing what you have to offer. And then put that extra cash into your Musical Project Fund.
• Sell off old equipment you don't use. Everyone has an amp, mixer, 4-track or some musical gadget they would be better off selling for cash than keeping. Look hard enough and you'll probably find something you can part with.
• Credit cards. The interest will kill you if you take years to pay off the charges, but many bands and small record labels have used this method to finance their early efforts. If you have good credit, it certainly is another option.
• Set aside money from paid band jobs. This is perhaps one of the best ways a musical act can go about raising money. If you gig regularly and don't need all these funds to survive, you can build up quite a stash—possibly up to a few thousand dollars or more—in a couple months.
• Promote one or two live shows as fund-raising gigs for your next album. Not-for-profit organizations use this method all the time. Why not you? Plus, you may be surprised to find that your fans will support your project (with their dollars) if you simply ask them to.
• Sell your own CDs, cassettes and/or records. Even if it's only a primitive, two-song demo, get some kind of recorded product out and sell it to raise money for your project. If you play out or get any radio airplay at all, you're wasting a valuable revenue-producing opportunity by not having a recording available for sale.
• Sell T-shirts, caps, posters, stickers and other merchandise. Having music fans watching your band at a club is the perfect environment in which to market your paraphernalia. If they can't take the band members themsvelves home, the next best thing is a cool memento your admirers can purchase and take with them.
• Family members and friends. Many businesses have been started from these personal loans, but so have many feuds. Be careful in this area, but don't overlook it, either. Make sure everything is in writing: how much money, when repayment is expected, who has artistic control, etc.
• Grants. If your project is of historical significance or has a cultural impact, you may be eligible for the many grants offered each year by government, schools and corporations. Check the library for grant sources.
• Personal credit. If you have a good relationship with a particular music store or production facility, they may extend a delayed payment plan to you based solely on your word and reputation.
• Sponsorship. Instead of Coke, Pepsi or Budweiser sponsoring you, why not the local recording studio? You promote their business to your fans, they give you free stuff in exchange. It can't hurt to investigate this often-overlooked idea.
• Bartering. The ancient art of trading goods and services works perfectly for Guerrilla Music Financing. This may be one of your most powerful approaches to getting what you want on a limited budget. Make a list of all you have to offer a studio or store owner and then, most importantly, see what his or her needs are and how you can find a way to satisfy them—without spending your hard-earned cash.
• Build your own equipment. If that new PA or high-tech studio rental is out of the question, why not just make it yourself—for a lot less money? Check around for local craftsmen, or look through music magazines for mail order, do-it-yourself kits.
• Set weekly and monthly money-raising goals. The only way you're ever going to raise that capital for your musical project is to make the commitment and stay on track. Therefore, break down your overall money goal into bite-size chunks that you can achieve each and every week—or at least every month. By raising, saving and/or trading a couple hundred dollars here, a few hundred there, a single individual can quite possibly accumulate $2,000 to $5,000 dollars in about six months. Multiply those figures by the four members in an average band (or partners in a company) are you're starting to look at some serious investment capital—all without going through the hassles of traditional bank/investment financing.

You heard it here first: Guerrilla Music Financing can work for you—if you let it.

Bob Baker is the author of "Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook," "Unleash the Artist Within" and "Branding Yourself Online." He also publishes TheBuzzFactor.com, a web site and e-zine that deliver marketing tips, self-promotion ideas and other empowering messages to music people of all kinds. Get your FREE subscription to Bob's e-zine by visiting TheBuzzFactor.com today. Goto: http://TheBuzzFactor.com

Need to get your Music Career going? TAXI: helps Unsigned Bands, Artists and Songwriters get Record Deals, Publishing Deals, and Film & TV Music Placement. See: http://www.taxi.com

Link: http://www.getlyrical.com/

Lyrics, Lyrics, Lyrics…

Are you looking for a song lyric? There is a new website called www.GetLyrical.com that can help you find most lyrics very quickly.
If you want a song lyric, go to the site. It’s easy.

You can search for a Lyric by name, find a Lyric by artist, find a Lyric by song, or find a Lyric by Album. This site makes it easy.

Have fun.

- Eric

Link: http://www.shireenchristina.com/

A Documentary film titled, “What is Indie?”, by Dave Cool made during an 18-month road trip focuses on that specific question. Bands, musicians and fans give their input. See the preview in this blog posting below or at the film web site: www.whatisindiemovie.com

Enjoy,

- Eric
[youtube]5rLLqdnGwqQ[/youtube]

TAXI, a web site focused on helping unsigned bands, artists, and songwriters to get record deals, publishing deals, and placement in films and TV shows, has a good section in their FAQ’s area called, “Making Money with Your Music”.

To see it visit: www.taxi.com/faq/makemoney/index.html

This web site page shares basic insights on how you can Earn Extra Fast Money and includes a solid list of article links at the bottom of the web site page. The list is titled: “Articles on making money with your music”, and contains over Forty articles for you to jumpstart your music strategy marketing plan with a list of money making opportunities.

As you go through your Holiday Season, why not think of the things that are special to you and the things that have been special to you through your life? What things have inspired or helped you remember happiness daily?

Are any of these things incorporated into your daily work and the message that you share with others through the efforts of your work? Can you incorporate any of them into your work now to improve your results or to build greater happiness or inspiring drive for your fans?

These things might be symbols, songs, sounds, beats, colors, movements, or something else. Can you think of any to enhance your work now?

When you are onstage, you are communicating.

So...
What are you communicating to your audience (your fans/your market)?
Is it an emotional attitude?
A view point in life?
A way of living?
A feeling?
An experience?
A message of passion?

What is it that you are communicating? Knowing the answer to this is critical, because 'that' is what your audience (whether live or through your recordings) is taking away with them after they listen to you. This is how they will think of you, see you, hear you in their heads, remember how they felt when they listened to you, and how they will explain you to others.

If you don't know this, consider asking people who listen to you or watch your shows, what they think it is that you share with them.

This is who you are to them, your fans. Market this everytime you try to get gig bookings or sell your music. It will make your message consistent and build your fan/market base much quicker and powerfully.

Michael Laskow, CEO Taxi A&R Company

Television Music

"The Fastest and Easiest Way to Make Money With Your Music Will Be Staring You In The Face Tonight — I guarantee It!"

By Michael Laskow

In one of my recent columns I wrote about recognizing opportunity and then seizing it. This month, I'm going to make it even easier for you. I'm going to show you the fastest, cheapest, and easiest way to make money with your music.

I'm surprised you haven't figured it out for yourself yet. You stare at it night after night, and it stares right back at you. As a matter of fact, it even talks to you (and millions of other people). That's right you slackers, wake up and smell the half-caff, low-fat, double mocha-latte, it's your TV!

Think about it. In the early days of television there were only three networks and only slightly more channels. With the advent of cable and Direct Satellite transmission, the average American home has 60-100 channels of programming and virtually every show needs music. Even better—there are a lot more countries other than the U.S. that have TV's with music hungry programs, and more channels are popping up every day.

Let's see... you've got your big time networks, then you've got your not so big networks (I hate the frog with the top hat logo—really dumb), you've got your food networks, your travel networks, your hunting networks, your fishing networks, your beauty networks, your health networks, your classic movie networks, your porno movie networks, your "classic" porno networks, your religion networks, your fire-breathin' heathen networks, and God only knows what else. My point? They all have programming that needs music!

So where does all that music come from? Most of it comes from people like you. If you think all those shows have high priced music houses do custom scoring for them, think again. The majority of the music you hear on TV comes from what are commonly called production music libraries (they used to be called needle-drop libraries, but for obvious reasons, they're not any more).

Production music libraries buy much of their music from people who work out of home or project studios. You don't need to have an arsenal of equipment. A studio with MIDI and at least eight tracks should do the trick. If you can afford to go digital, so much the better—not because anybody listening at home will have a clue that they're listening to a digital recording, but because it allows you to bounce tracks more cleanly, thus needing less tracks, and keeping the cost of your studio to a minimum.

So, what's the next step? Well, you need to know that making music for TV isn't like making records, and it isn't like making demos. The quality of your recording has to be what is commonly called, "Master Quality." In short, that means, better than a demo, but not necessarily as good as a record. The companies that buy or use these tracks are not looking for good compositions that need to be re-recorded. They want something that's done, finished, complete, finito. They want a mix done to DAT that they can then use in their library, or master on to a CD. No re-cutting, no re-mixing.

Many libraries house their most popular cuts on CD volumes that are often categorized by type of music. Some categories that typically get requested by end users are: Jazz (of all types), Rock, R&B, Country, Alternative, Horrific, Serial Dramatic, 50's, 60's, yep, even 70's period music, Rap, Anthemic (think Marlboro man meets Francis Scott Key), World Beat, Ethnic, Corporate—in short, just about every kind of music is needed for something sooner or later.

Tracks for TV, radio, documentaries, and corporate videos are usually requested in lengths of :2, :5, :10, :15, :30, :60, and 3:00. Most libraries will ask for a specific track in all or most of the aforementioned lengths. Some lengths are used for TV commercials, some are for radio, some are used for station I.D.'s, and some are used for cues in films. Be prepared to write your tracks so they are easily editable to the shorter lengths from the longer "parent" track, and make sure the tracks have a button, or closed ending. That simply means the tracks ends on a beat, not a fade, and by the way, should somebody tell you they need a :30 track, they really mean they need a :29.5 (reverb decay included), a :60 should be :59.5 and so on. If the tracks are too long, they will be cut off by the next commercial or segment of the TV show. Golden rule: never go over the allotted time. Come in just short, ring out included.

The exception to the button ending, timed to perfection track is when the film or TV show needs a song with lyrics, not just an instrumental track. There are often cases where a scene requires something that sounds like a hit song, but has never actually been a hit. It's cheaper to license a song from somebody who is "nobody" than it is to license a song from a major superstar. In fact, it can be tens of thousands of dollars cheaper. My advice—try to license the stuff that's been sitting on the shelf for a while and has no great probability of ever being a hit. Save your best for Clive Davis if your ultimate goal is to get a record deal.

Speaking of record deals... I realize that for many people a record deal is the brass ring they're after, but the truth of the matter is that getting a deal on a major label is very, very hard, and getting a deal on many indie labels means that you've just signed with a label that can give you lots of attention, but they have no marketing machine or promotion money behind them so your record is doomed.

I'm guessing that most of you who are reading this column would be very happy to just make a living doing nothing else but music, and the most realistic way I know how to do that is to get your music in to TV shows and film. You probably won't make millions, but you can earn a very nice living.

I know of quite a few people who subscribe to my service (TAXI), who have been successful in getting their music into music libraries, who in turn have placed their music in T.V shows and films. One of our subscribers makes over $100,000 a year working from his home doing music for film and TV, and another was recently able to quit his day job as a phone line installer (with 20 years seniority) because he is becoming very successful doing music for film and TV Nice work if you can get it!

One of our subscribers had three songs picked up by the show, Sisters on NBC last year and between his publishing income and his performing rights income (in this case, ASCAP), he made about $1,700 per song for a grand total of $5,100. While he didn't make a fortune, at least he made a nice chunk of change and some credits on a national TV show.

The bottom line is that if you get off the couch and get motivated, you can make enough money making music to quit your day job. One word of advice—the companies that need this music won't track you down, you'll need figure out who they are and how to make contact with them. Hint: The networks themselves aren't the people to call. Try to find music libraries, publishers who regularly work in film and TV, and music supervisors working on film and TV projects. There are directories that list some of these companies. Work on your phone presentation before you call—be succinct, keep the conversation very short and very to the point.

Happy hunting!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Michael Laskow is the President and CEO of TAXI, “The world’s Leading Independent A&R Company and can be found at http://www.taxi.com

Need to get your Music Career going? TAXI: helps Unsigned Bands, Artists and Songwriters get Record Deals, Publishing Deals, and Film & TV Music Placement. See: http://www.taxi.com

In an email exchange with Scott Southworth, a songwriter living in Nashville, TN, he mentioned a comment about Nashville being a 5-Year Town. I asked him what him meant by that. His response, I found insightful and helpful for others to hear.

FIRST, A BRIEF BIO ABOUT SCOTT:

Born in California, raised in Oregon, Scott has followed music to the Mississippi Delta to study blues in Memphis, sung rock and reggae music in the North Pole and played country music on the beaches of San Diego. Scott experimented with several types of music before realizing his writing has strong country tendencies. Claiming various influences from Johnny Cash to John Lee Hooker, Tony Bennett to Bob Marley, He's happy to sing anything, anytime, to anyone who'll listen. In November of 2004, after spending 3 years with San Diego's finest Country Rock band, the Ranch Rockers, Scott and his family pulled up stakes and moved to Music City, USA to pursue a career in songwriting.

NOW:

Scott has been a resident of Nashville for two years and his developing efforts to build his songwriting career continue. I believe that when we are working on something, we can share helpful insights with others that we forget after we have already achieved our goal.

Here is the email Scott shared with me when I asked him:
What helpful insights can you share with me about Nashville being a 5-Year Town for career development?

Scott’s Email:

Hi Eric,

All I meant is this is a very social town. A lot of your success has to do with the contacts you make and how visible you are. When you meet with publishers, managers and such they all ask where you live and for how long, etc. If you don't make the commitment to be here, it's very hard to be taken seriously here. People come and go here so quickly that it's important to show that you are here for the long haul.

In the 2 years I've been here I've seen so many people move here and move back home in a matter of months. I think they believe that their music is so good that the town will open all their doors and beg for their songs. But this town is full of amazing songwriters, singers, pickers...etc. You may be a big deal in your hometown, but here you're one of a million. On any night you can catch “writer’s rounds” full of amazing song crafters that don't have a cut but absolutely should.

I'm not trying to be negative, but people need to have realistic expectations when they move here. I love it here, I love the scene and I love the progress I've made so far. It's humbling when you meet with a publisher and see stacks of unopened, unheard music that has been submitted and may never be heard.

Be here for the long haul, be willing and able to take criticism on what you think is your best work, and surround yourself with people that are better than you...not with people that make your songs stand out. There is no "one fool proof" way to succeed here, but there are a lot of ways to crash and burn quickly!

All that said, I don't know how much of this I would pay attention to if I were someone else. I have yet to have any financial measure of success, cuts (yet), or a publishing deal. My knowledge is pretty much guesswork right now. If I achieve my goals, then I'm a genius. If I don't then I'm a dope. You can find great info off of websites like barbaracloyd.com or NSAI.com with advice from people that have actually had success here.

Cheers,

Scott

IN CONCLUSION:

Scott points out something that is critical for all musicians to keep in mind. “Be Realistic”. Focus on real efforts that will help you get to your goal. Work hard. Work smart. Work for the long haul. Pace yourself. Take your challenges and make them lessons to build your success upon. And, plan on putting in the time it takes to achieve your goal. Sometimes I see people get really excited about a goal, they go off to a new location where they think their dream will come true, and after only one or two years of work they give up.

I can’t think of one successful person that would say to “Give up” when you get tired or feel overwhelmed. However, I can think of many that would say to pace yourself and persist with healthy efforts until you get to your goal.

KEEP IN MIND:

The Beatles might have been a massive success in their careers, however it took tons of hard work before they were even heard on the radio or seen on television. They worked for years doing sometimes 8-hours of performance time onstage per day for seven days a week in dank dirty clubs and strip clubs. They slept on the club booth benches sometimes in the night before they got up to work again. Their work – get onstage and play music for the patrons. Many people just think of the glitz and glamour of their careers in the lights, with the money, and in front of applause.

Take action. Make choices. Stick to your goal path. Live your work as a lifestyle worth living.

LEARN MORE ABOUT SCOTT SOUTHWORTH AT:

http://www.myspace.com/scottsouthworth

http://www.scottsouthworth.com

Keep things simple. If you were going to setup and make money with a Lemonade Stand at a park full of people playing sports on a hot summer day, how complicated is it? Think of this simple business model when you think of your band.

You go to where the people are going to be. You give them what they want. You collect the money they give you to get what they want. If they like it, offer them some more.

Your band business is based on this simple model. You can make it more complicated; however it is valuable to operate on this basic model first. Then your band business will grow. Have fun.

"How I Turned A Trip To The Music Store Into Gold And Platinum Records On My Wall"

Lengthy headline for a simple concept. The concept: Recognize opportunity. Seize opportunity. Be persistent as hell and you'll get what you want.

By Michael Laskow

This is a true story.

I saw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show when I was about nine or ten years old. I knew at that moment that I wanted to make records when I grew up. When I was nineteen, I happened to be in a music store and overheard one of the employees say, "I'm taking this Arp String Ensemble to Criteria for Stills." I knew that Criteria was one of the largest recording studios in the world at the time and it didn't take a genius to figure out that "Stills" was Stephen Stills. I asked the delivery guy if I could take a ride with him so I could see what a real studio looked like. He said it would be okay, but I'd have to wait for him in the studio lobby because Criteria was a high security kind of place. No problem.

I waited for the gentleman to disappear from sight and carefully opened the door far enough to ask the receptionist if the less than friendly man was the owner. She said, "Yes, that's Mack Emmerman." I now had all the information I needed to begin my career in the record business.

I went home and called the studio. I called five times a day every day that week. Twenty five calls in all. On the fifth day and twenty-fifth call, Mr. Emmerman came on the phone. He said (in a rather loud and unfriendly voice), "You're driving my receptionist nuts! If I interview you for this job and you don't get it, do you swear you'll never call hear again as long as you live?" I promised to grant him his wish. An hour later he granted me an interview. I got the job.

Now, I realize that a "job" usually means some form of remuneration is in order, but not this job. It was an "internship," and there were a hundred other people that would take it in an instant if I didn't want it. That was just fine with me. I didn't care if I couldn't afford to eat as long as I could work in a studio. Nobody ever swept floors with as much zeal as I did. I admit that I was a little less enthusiastic about cleaning the toilets. I eventually graduated to cable wrapper, then to tape box labeler, then to dub room king. I learned how to make great cassette copies, and I loved every minute of it.

One fine day I was called to the front office. I thought my glory days were about to end. Instead, the studio manager asked me if I was ready to be an assistant engineer on a session. Of course I replied, "Yes, I've been waiting for this my entire life!"

The group was an unknown band that none of the other assistant engineers wanted to work with because they weren't "famous." The group was called FIREFALL. Was I ready? Hell yes. I'd waited my whole life for that moment. For the next month I was an integral part of what would quickly become a gold record. Not bad for my first time around—not that I wrote the songs or anything, but I was doing exactly what I wanted to be doing with my life. I was living my dream, and I was finally getting paid for doing it.

A few months later I was asked to work on some sessions with Eric Clapton. A few months after that I got to work with Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. I was working hard, keeping my mouth shut and my eyes and ears wide open. I began to get good enough that I got to push some buttons every now and then.

I eventually became an full-fledged engineer and worked with many of the great bands and artists of the day. I especially enjoyed working with Neil Young, and am fortunate to have credits on several of his records. In just a few short years, I had gone from music industry dreamer to engineer/producer.

All this came about not because I was the smartest guy you'll ever meet, and not because I'm the best looking, but because I saw an opportunity at the music store and I acted on it. I saw another opportunity a scant thirty minutes later and acted on that as well. But even more importantly, I didn't take "No" for an answer. I was persistent and didn't quit calling until I got what I wanted.

You can apply this approach to your life and get what you want as well. How many times have you passed up an opportunity without even recognizing that it was an opportunity? How hard have you really tried to succeed in your musical career? It's a lot safer and easier not to try, but you will never be rewarded if you don't try.

The reason most people don't try to succeed is because they fear that they will fail. That's natural. The fear of rejection looms larger for some people than death itself. It's part of human nature to protect yourself from things that may hurt you, and failure can definitely hurt. But how much does it really hurt you? How much did it hurt me to not get through to Mack Emmerman on my first twenty four tries? Not that much. After all, if you think about it, it wasn't me that was being rejected. It was the situation he was rejecting. He didn't know the first thing about me, Michael Laskow. How could he possibly be rejecting me?

The same holds true for you when you send your tape to somebody and they reject it. They're not rejecting you, they're rejecting that tape or that song, but not you personally. You may have written the song, or you may be singing the song, but that only represents your work, not your self. You can always write another song. You can always sing another song. Look at that one defeat as just that—one defeat. By my way of thinking, you still have twenty-four more chances.

Recognize opportunity. Seize opportunity. Be persistent as hell, and you won't have to go to your grave knowing that you didn't honestly try your best to live your dream. That would be very painful. Don't fear failure, use it as the adrenaline to make you work harder.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Michael Laskow is the President and CEO of TAXI, “The world’s Leading Independent A&R Company and can be found at http://www.taxi.com

Need to get your Music Career going? TAXI: helps Unsigned Bands, Artists and Songwriters get Record Deals, Publishing Deals, and Film & TV Music Placement. See: http://www.taxi.com

Elizabeth Lavenue is a certified voice teacher with the Northwest Institute of Voice, and has performed for over 15 years in opera, musical theatre, and musical comedy. I had fun working with her in the past in a Musical called “One” and then later studied voice with her to strengthen and improve the health of my vocal technique. Well worth it.

As a performer and artist, she has developed her income by building her teaching skills and recently just released a powerfully helpful book called, “Note-a-Day Calendar”. It contains 365 Voice Lessons, one for everyday of the year.

Consider what you have to offer. Can you help others with a service or product? If you focus in on these things and sell them to others, you can help yourself and your thankful customers or clients.

I know I am thankful and happy for what Elizabeth has taught me, I look forward to learning more from her, and I am happy to pay for it.

Many people think it is bad to sell things for money, however think of the good that comes from it. Offer something good to others and they will give money to you as a thank you.

Business can be a wonderful thing. Especially if you are doing what you love and helping people you care about.

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If you are interested in Elizabeth Lavenue’s book, “Note-a-Day Calendar”, or if you live in the Portland, Oregon area and want vocal lessons, you can learn more at:

www.ElizabethLavenue.com

I am new to personally using MySpace and have just added a MySpace account site. Discoveries abound and challenges offer new possibilities for me to reach out to more musicians and bands to share powerfully helpful tips.

See: http://www.myspace.com/howtoband_com

What I have found out is that setting up your website, is a puzzle at first. It takes a little time and investigation to discover where to add code so you can make your site look the way you want or like others you see (unless you just keep it in the given basic template – not exactly good looking). There are many websites out there to help you develop your MySpace quickly; you just need to find them through a Google style search or by asking people on MySpace.

After I got my site up, I found myself baffled as to what to do next. I saw all of the links and buttons titled ‘Send a Message’, ‘Add to Friends’, ‘Blog’, etc. However, I didn’t exactly know how to use them correctly and became frozen with activity.

Hmmm… How was I going to get to meet people and network? Then I got an email from a MySpace User named, Simply E’Luring (MySpace Address: http://www.myspace.com/simply_eluring). She helped me understand so much about the MySpace world.

I am just starting out with MySpace, however I think that people can learn from these basic insights I have learned so far:

1.
Look for sites through Google searches that explain how to easily set up your MySpace.com website page.

2.
Find someone through the MySpace Search feature that has a site that looks good, has many friends already, seems to enjoy things you do, and then ask them through the MySpace Email feature how to network and find friends.

I am just now learning about how to use features like Bulletin and MySpace Blog to communicate even more with my MySpace Friends, so I will keep you up to date as new and exciting things develop.

Now, I am writing this entry to share something simple and fun… I will not say that the movie “Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny” is a deep film, however I will say that hidden in the simplicity are powerful tips that can be used by anyone to improve their band’s success.

FIRST:
I went and saw the film. I enjoyed it. It was a touch of the Who’s “Tommy” mixed with Twisted Sister’s music video from the 1980’s for the song, “I Wanna Rock”, mixed with Alice in Wonderland, mixed with Ben Stiller’s “Zoolander”. I’m a sucker for fun silliness, especially if it is mixed with music.

Wrapped into this movie are pure truth tips about what a band can do to improve their stage show and performance power. You will see the importance of having a team working together for stage power, practicing how to perform in front of a difficult audience, practicing stage choreography and moves, having a good introduction by someone else before you enter the stage, going off stage before you enter to start your show, being passionate when you sing and play your songs in front of others, being committed to what you are doing onstage in front of others, the importance of finding a fan that is passionate about your band and supportive, and performing your music and message as good entertainment for your audience.

KEEP IN MIND:
Jack Black and Kyle Gass of Tenacious D (who acted, wrote, and produced much of the show) have been around and performed music professionally since 1994 and have played large venues POWERFULLY since year 2000. They are great first hand source of the right things to do onstage to be great (even though they are comic in their presentation).

It’s amazing the information you can get from movies like this. I recommend this movie to anyone who likes the idea of building a Rock Band. Watch for the inside secrets they share in their goofy adventure story.

Other goofy movies share similar insights, like “Spinal Tap”, however that is a future BLOG entry.

More about the movie:
http://www.tenaciousdmovie.com

More about Tenacious D:
http://www.tenaciousd.com

A stronger Bio about Tenacious D:
http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/tenacious_d/bio.jhtml

I went to the Mall this weekend and saw a DJ working his mix tables inside a Metropark Clothing store. This is part of the way they build atmosphere in their retail clothing stores. The store owners like, want, and benefit from having a musician playing music in their stores as a show piece that doesn’t interfere with people shopping, however brings people in to enjoy the experience of live music. You can do this to increase your money making opportunities for yourself or your band.

WHAT YOU NEED:
Business card, samples of music (either on CD or a web site address on your Business Card showing where they can listen to you music)

HOW YOU DO IT:
Approach stores you think could benefit from having your music at some point. Some store types you could approach are clothing retailers, boutiques, grocery stores, bookstores, or small private shops.

Think of how they might use you and your music. Can they use you any time as part of their shopper’s experience? At a special sale or a store event? At an employee shopping day or party? Can you be the center of an in-store event to increase their sales?

Tell them how you can come in, setup easily with your own equipment or theirs, and breakdown easily and quickly. Help the storeowner visualize the whole experience as something easy for them to do and good for increasing sales or positive attention to their business. If it is an employee party or event, help them see, feel, and hear the how they will be the center of the thankful applause they will get for making it all possible.

HOW MUCH YOU COULD MAKE:
Depending on the type of gig you arrange, you could have a flat performance fee, a per-hour fee (if you play for a long time), or you might play for Free and ask instead to be able to sell your band products. Of course this is up to you and how you want to structure the deal, however make sure your deal is in writing and signed and dated by both you and the person that will write you the check.

Have your agreement contract detail the time you setup and breakdown, how much you are paid, where you set up, if they want you to say anything on the microphone during your event, the correct name and contact information for you or your band, any information they need for the marketing or publicity of the event (if there is any), or any other details that you can think of.

Remember that every opportunity you have to play is a way to increase your cashflow, increase your popularity, market yourself, and sell more of your product.

The drummer from the band Greenlander asked me if I could think of an easy way for his band to get gigs. I gave him the following response:

If Greenlander (or any band) wants to get more gigs quickly and easily, they can accomplish that by EXPANDING their Band.

What do I mean by that? Well, think of the word BAND. In this context, it means, “A group of people united together.” Greenlander is a BAND of people bound to each other for a unified goal of creating, performing, and making a living as a BAND. By EXPANDING their BAND, they can increase the amount of people that are always together helping each other accomplish their goal.

This is a proven and practiced method. Teams unite to achieve goals in sports and business all the time. A Band is a business, unless you only play for free or never play in a club or public place. If you want more, you are in business together. Think of the teammates that a business uses to win: representatives, technical people, marketers, sales people, assistants, and more. What kind of new Band members could you find useful? Not every Band member is ONSTAGE.

Greenlander can find a New Band Member that will be passionate about getting gigs for the Band. The drummer needs to be passionate about being onstage being a drummer, the guitarist – a guitarist on stage, the singer – a singer onstage, etc… The New member would be passionately focused on being the Greenlander Gig Booking Agent.

This new member of the “Band” wouldn’t be onstage performing. They would be offstage promoting, selling, and booking gigs for the “Band”.

There is someone around you that loves your Band, is passionate about music, is terrified of being onstage playing music, however would love to be part of the “Band”. And this person is passionate enough to learn how to excel at booking the Band for shows. They most likely already have networking talents, or sales skills. They would love to be the Band Star, in a different way. In a hidden behind the scenes way, however knowing confidently they are part of the Band and a very important part of the Band.

Think of how many people are a part of the creation of a movie… How many are happy to be On Camera? And how many are happy to be the ones who did the makeup, the sets, the costumes, the directing, the producing, the camera work, the cinematography plan, the food during scene shots, the truck driving for the movie making equipment, etc… All of these people are happy and proud to have worked on the movie to make it a success. These people are happy to have done the role they did especially knowing that their special talents or skills were used to make it happen. A Band Succeeding is no different. The movie production team is everyone who worked on the film. The Band is everyone who is part of the Band working to get it to the unified goal.

Some people worry and say, “Well I can’t pay for someone to give that kind of help.” Well, this New Band Member gets paid their share of the profits as the Band makes money, just as each Onstage Band Member does. If no one in the Band is making money right now, then ‘no one’ gets paid. If the Band is earning money, then the Band Members get paid what you have all agreed upon. This is the same as building a new startup business bootstrap-style (Undertaken or accomplished with minimal outside help).

The question now is… How many more members do you think your Band can benefit from having? Could you imagine seeing a Band perform that had a costumer, a lighting person, a personal sound man, a gig/show booking person, a business manager, an event planner, a publicist, a recording expert, an Artistic Director, etc… What kind of show would that “Band” be able to produce? What kind of show do you want to produce?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Eric Christian Smith is a recognized authority on business and the entertainment industry. His web site, http://www.HowToBand.com, provides a wealth of informative articles and resources on everything you'll ever need to know about making money as an unsigned band or musician. His book, “How To Make BIG MONEY with Your BAND” is a great resource for increasing your cash flow. You can easily buy a copy of the book, available in Paperback or eBook form, online through http://www.howtoband.com (The book is also available through Amazon.com, Borders.com and other bookstores)

To learn more about Greenlander, visit MySpace URL: http://www.myspace.com/greenlandermusic

BandChemistry.com is a one-stop musicians‚ portal. Here, musicians find each other, showcase themselves and their music, and express their views on topics interesting to them. Best of all, it's completely FREE!

The site was created when the founders found themselves a void in the area of musician matchmaking. They hope to fill this void by creating a small community with free flow of ideas and content.
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Finding like minded and committed musicians is critical to your success. Use the services offered by companies like BandChemistry.com to help you succeed easier. Technology and the Internet makes finding connections easier and quicker if you use it packaged in a way that supports your needs. Musicians looking for band members, to develop their skill, and expand their community can do it easier with BandChemistry.com.

http://www.bandchemistry.com

I watched the VH1 Hip Hop Honors today and saw and heard great tips that many musicians can benefit from.

As they went through the history and biographical talks on different honorees, many entrepreneurial examples were celebrated. I think this is something that musicians that want to make a living doing what they love (making music), can grow quickest from hearing. Many Hip Hop artists grew into incredible businessmen.

The Wu-Tang Clan developed a powerful group of artists and also a line of clothing. Most notable to me was Russell Simmons who co-founded and built Def Jam. I agree with the statement that Russell Simmons is the most important businessman in the history of rap music. Simmons was the entrepreneur who shepherded rap music into big business, gradually building his own communications company into the largest black-owned enterprise in the industry. He sold Def Jam for 100 million dollars in 1999.

Look for examples of entrepreneurial choices, actions, and successes from music artists. Please don’t be just another dreamer who complains and says that other people are the reason you are not successful. You have the skills to make your love of music into an incredible method of earning money. You might not know everything you need to know now, however the only way you will find out everything you need to know is by taking action and doing things you know are of value to others. Your action will develop your skills, build your team, accumulate your critical tools, and amass your money. And keep in mind… Unless you are literally stealing from someone, you are not taking other people’s money in ‘Good Business’. In ‘Good Business’, people are happily giving you money because they are thankful for the service or product you are giving them.

To learn more about the VH1 Hip Hop Honors 2006, see:
http://www.vh1.com/shows/events/hip_hop_honors/2006/show.jhtml

Making Money-Making Secrets
"The secrets to making money in the music business"
By Bob Baker

Why is it that some people in the music business make tens of thousands of dollars a year, while others wallow in poverty most of their lives? Is it because the rich ones are just plain lucky? Or because they were born into a musical family with clout? While these easy-road explanations might be true for a few people, most of the real music business success stories involve everyday people who discovered what it takes to make money and get ahead by doing something they love.

It's unfortunate that so many people who pursue artistic endeavors never make much money at it. A lot of people I know are content simply to toy with their musical whims, never reaping a real financial gain while doing it. Actually, I'm convinced that many of these people would feel guilty if they made much money from music. I'm serious. Think about it.

Tradition tells them that the only way to realistically make good money is through the tried-and-true, nine-to-five grind—doing something they're not particularly thrilled with. Well, here's some personal advice for you:

SNAP OUT OF IT!

It doesn't have to be that way for you. Why not make good money at something that excites you, at something that holds your interest? If your desire is strong enough, if you educate yourself and come up with a game plan—and implement that plan!—you can do anything you want.

Whether your passion is being an onstage performer, an offstage support player or both, you will find literally dozens and dozens of honest, down-to-earth, cash-producing possibilities by putting to use your most valuable instrument—the one that lies between your ears: your own brain.

Remember, playing paid gigs and getting a hefty record contract advance are only two ways to make money in this business (although they certainly are great ways to make it). But most musical success wannabes make the mistake of ending their search there. And that's exactly why they'll lose and you'll gain, because there are so many more ways to tap the lucrative music business money machine. The smart music business entrepreneurs are already profiting from this fact. Now it's your job to find out where you fit into the picture... and then go get your share.

The '90s is a decade of specialization. Progress and advancing technology may make things more complicated, but they also open a lot of doors for enterprising people like you to find a niche and fill it—and take home a few bucks in exchange for your expertise.

But I can hear the pessimist in you saying, "But aren't there countless numbers of people every year who strive to make a living with music and say they want to make good money at it—but they never seem to get above the poverty level?"

Well, as a matter of fact, there are. But I'm here to tell you: Don't let that sad fact get you down, because there are also tens of thousands of people who make excellent money working in their chosen area of the music business. And the majority of these successful people weren't born into it. They didn't make it because of luck or fate or mystical circumstances. They became financially independent and successful because they made a conscious decision to do so and then took the action necessary to make it happen. That's what sets the winners apart: acting on good ideas!

Some people never take action because they think "it takes money to make money"—how many times have you heard that myth?—or because they "don't have connections." Here's another good excuse: "It's not what you know, it's who you know that counts." Don't be so quick to make these limiting beliefs part of your philosophy.

Whenever someone confronts me with one of these shallow scapegoats for not making money, I think back to January of 1987. That was the month I came up with the idea to publish a music newspaper in my hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. At the time there was no all-music-and-entertainment publication in the city, and I was very excited by the prospect of filling that void and creating a nice little business for myself.

The only problem was I had no idea how to run a newspaper. I'd never worked on my high school or college papers. I'd never even taken a journalism class. And I certainly didn't have a reserve of cash to help finance my new business, nor did I have any connections with banks or investors. So what did I do?

I used my own drive and determination and made use of what I did have, which was a command of the English language and a typewriter—that's it! So when I had typed up the four pages of the first issue, I went to a local print shop owner and offered to run an ad for his business in the issue in exchange for a discount on printing. He agreed. That first issue of my magazine cost me about $25 to put out. I had it distributed to about 20 locations in St. Louis about three weeks after I came up with the concept.

Was it a primitive start? Yes. Did I make mistakes in the first few months or couple of years? Yes, and I still do. You may also wonder if many people expressed their lack of faith in the magazine succeeding? Most definitely. And, you may ask, has it become a success over the years? Without a doubt.

Today, the paper, called Spotlight, runs about 36 pages a month with four-color covers, with 25,000 copies being distributed to hundreds of locations all over town. It's recognized as the voice of the St. Louis music scene. And it didn't get that way because of money or connections or lucky breaks. It got that way because I took the raw resources I had and acted on my intense desire to make this exciting idea a reality. Over the years that same desire led to the newspaper growing and evolving into the success it is today.

Can you do the same thing with one of your own music business ideas?

Along with learning a lot about life and money from running my own business, I've also had the good fortune to meet and interview dozens and dozens of music business success stories—from artists and managers to record company executives and business owners. Whenever I meet these people I can't help but ask them how they got started, what steps they took to get where they are now, and what qualities they believe it takes to make money and be successful in this complicated business of music.

Through this research I've come to realize there are three key qualities—or rules—to creating musical wealth. These three keys could mean the difference between your success and failure when pursuing your career.

First off, money-making success has as much to do with your frame of mind as it does your luck or family tree. Remember this first important rule of prosperity:

Musical Wealth Rule #1:
You Are What You Think.

How many times have you heard the phrase "starving musician"? Or how often have you heard friends say, "I'm never going to make any money with music. Why bother?" It should be no surprise that the people who say (and therefore think) these things the most are among the poorest individuals you know. Remember, if you tell yourself something often enough, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy.

The key, then, is to program yourself for success. Stop thinking and uttering thoughts of limitation and deficiency. Start getting your mind attuned to thoughts of boundless possibilities and abundance — and watch what sort of rewards come your way!

Many of us are so used to thinking in these negative terms, it's difficult to shift into positive gear and stay there. A great mental technique to reprogram your thoughts is the use of daily affirmations, which remind you of your goals and keep you focused on achieving them. Affirmations are basically specific statements that spell out what you want to obtain and when you want to obtain it. They should also be read aloud every day and worded in the present tense.

Therefore, "I will be a successful music publicity specialist someday" is not an effective affirmation. It's too bland and vague. On the other hand, "I make $25,000 a year by December of this year doing music publicity for touring bands and independent record labels" is a much more solid, results-oriented affirmation.

Musical Wealth Rule #2:
You Get What You Want When You Help Other People Get What They Want.

(This phrase also makes a great affirmation, just replace the You's with I's and you're set.)

I truly believe that a lot of people don't become successful or make much money because they consider themselves to be in the taking business. Their only concern is what they have to do to take someone's money away from them. The thing that drives these poor creatures is the prospect of jumping on what's going to make the fastest buck, regardless of what it is. But I pity them, and so should you, because they'll never know the joys of being in the full-time giving business.

Being a success in the field of musical giving means that the product or service you specialize in adds real value to the lives of the people who become your customers. Of course, the thing that makes you happiest is being directly involved in an area of the music business for which you have a burning desire and passion. But the aspect that will make you rich (and even happier) is making sure your customers feel that what they get from you is worth more than the money they have to give up.

For instance, a successful club band gives its fans a good time and the bar owner a packed house. A photographer gives his client a hot, new image. A music teacher gives her students the ability to make music and impress friends. Are you getting the picture?

In other words, make sure you have a firm grasp on what it is that the people who pay you get out of dealing with you. Once you know what that is, you'll know how to promote your special area of the music business and how to make sure your customers keep coming back for more—while referring you to others.

The bottom line is this: Concentrate on what you're giving to the people who send money your way. If you continue to give what they want and need, you won't have to worry about taking anyone's money. It will take care of itself.

Let's move now to another rule I'd like to encourage you to adapt for yourself. It's a philosophy I've always lived by when pursuing my music ventures—whether it was publishing my own music magazine or writing this book.

Musical Wealth Rule #3:
Develop an Attitude That Allows You to Make Money and Have Fun While Doing It.

It's an outlook on life that's always worked for me. Can it work for you, too? What would happen if your goal was to make money and have fun while doing it? Wouldn't that put the whole subject of money in a more positive light? Of course.

The problem is that many of us are so used to dealing with money in stressful situations. The rent is due, it's time for the equipment payment, how are you ever going to scrape together the cash to get the van fixed?! For many of us, making money is associated more with scrambling under painful circumstances—not fun! No wonder people become so cynical about it. I can hear you now: "What are you talking about, Baker? Making money isn't supposed to be fun, it's something you do because you have to!"

Well, I say that's nonsense! Making money should be fun, creating music should be fun, just as life itself should be fun. And don't let anyone—including yourself—tell you different.

Right now is the best time to get started on your money-making career in music! Keep your mind open and your aim high. There's no reason why you can't turn that million dollar musical idea into reality... starting today!

Bob Baker is the author of "Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook," "Unleash the Artist Within" and "Branding Yourself Online." He also publishes TheBuzzFactor.com, a web site and e-zine that deliver marketing tips, self-promotion ideas and other empowering messages to music people of all kinds. Get your FREE subscription to Bob's e-zine by visiting http://TheBuzzFactor.com today.

Making Money-Making Secrets and many other articles, tips, and other info can be found in the Music Biz FAQs section of the site for TAXI: The World's Leading Independent A&R Company.

PunkBands.com is one of the most connected and up to date sites on the Punk Rock Music scene. If you want to keep up on the news, music, and shows in the world of Punk Rock Bands and Music - go to PunkBands.com.

The key to good business development is to know your market and know the new trends. If you are a Punk Rock Band, You need to know your market and the desires and interests of your fans. PunkBands.com is the source for Punk Rock Music.

See: http://www.punkbands.com

IndieCentric.com offers a place for musical artists to sell music. Indiecentric is an online store and community hub intended for the makers and fans of independent music. To clarify their position on Indie, they say, “By ‘independent’ we don’t mean any particular musical style. Rather, we take the word to mean: autonomous, self-motivated, uncompromised and uncompromising, unrestricted.”

IndieCentric has a offers you a website page location through them, and they have a unique and effective way of getting your band listed better in search engines. Currently they are waving their $29.95 set-up fee. To learn more, go to: http://www.indiecentric.com

Sex Money Kiss (Gene Simmons Family Jewels) by Gene Simmons

New company, SellaBand, helps bands make money by letting fans fund them like they are purchasing shares of stock on the stock exchange.

You, the Band, share a bio/info page about your band, and others choose to help fund you to make more money. If you raise enough money, SellaBand will even provide you with a producer, an A&R rep and covers the cost of making 5,000 CDs. Revenue from CD sales and ads on SellaBand.com are split among the company, the artists, and the investors (your fans).

This is a win-win situation for you to make money, build fame, help your fans make money (as well as make them bigger fans of you) and improve your band’s success with Music Production, can be yours with the help of SellaBand.

SellaBand is worth your time to investigate. Check them out at:
http://www.sellaband.com