Blog
3 1/2 Steps To Build Momentum In Your Music Career
Have you ever wondered why it seems that some musicians have it easy and some seem to struggle? Maybe you’ve even felt a little miffed because you’ve been working at this music thing for a while now and you don’t understand why you’re not doing better. You’ve watched...
The Producer Mindset
"Hello, what do you do...?" One of the things I find interesting about what I call “self-recording musicians” is how they do (and don’t) introduce themselves and talk about what they do. Most refer to themselves as some combination of songwriter, composer,...
DIY Musician’s Dilemma: How Do I Get It ALL Done?!
One of the biggest frustrations that I hear from musicians, singer-songwriters, and other musicpreneurs is that there just isn’t enough time to do everything they need to do. In fact, many of my private coaching clients tell me that they’re overwhelmed—even...
Creating Pivotal Moments
I remember getting the phone call from my good friend Sally Fingerett, one of the founding members of The Four Bitchin’ Babes. It was 1999 and I was sitting at my desk looking out my front window as I talked to her. The Babes were coming to Tennessee and they needed...
How To Keep From Burning Yourself Out by February First
It’s that time of year again. A New Year. A clean slate. A chance to hit the Reset button and start over. And yes, a chance to do all the things we meant to do but didn’t get done in the previous year. It’s the time of New Year’s resolutions, setting...
Part 1 of 2: Getting The Most Out Of A Music Conference
Each year, throngs of upcoming and established artists, songwriters, producers, composers, and musicians attend music conventions and conferences all over the U.S. These events can be an important part of your music career. They provide you with excellent...
Part 2 of 2: Preparing Your CD For A Music Conference
(This is the second piece in a two-part series about how to get the most out of a music conference. If you haven't read the first part yet, click here to start at the beginning.) There are many, many wonderful things about music industry conventions and conferences...
Mastering Your Tracks For Film and TV
Mastering your homegrown tracks for film and TV use is a different process from mastering them for other purposes like publisher pitching, artist release for CD or streaming, or radio airplay. When mastering (whether doing it yourself, or hiring a professional...
The Top 6 Reasons Why That VIP Didn’t Reply To Your Email
Over the last few months, I've had several conversations with different clients that went something like this: CLIENT: I tried contacting them [i.e. a publisher / venue / manager / music supervisor / other industry VIP], and I NEVER heard back from them! Not ONE...
It’s ALL About The Vocal!
On my weekly live group Q&A call with my Mixing Mastery students last night, we got into a discussion about "what's the most important thing in a mix." There were various answers, like getting the balance of all the parts right, or making sure that the volume...
Mixing Parts Instead Of Tracks
One of the things I notice about amateur vs. pro mixes is that often, the amateur ones sound like they were done seat-of-the-pants, without much cohesiveness. They lack focus and continuity, and things just seem to be arbitrarily placed, rather than having...
What To Do When You Don’t Get The Gig
In the last few weeks, I've spoken to some frustrated musicians. Each one is a singer/songwriter who is very talented. They've released CDs, played at prestigious festivals, received awards - and yet? They're still having trouble getting gigs. What gives?! I mean, at...
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