“If I want to learn about you and your current life, all I have to do is meet 10 or 12 of your friends. Your life is essentially identical to theirs in terms of where you live and what you do, and your income is the same give or take 15%.

“If you all stick together the same will be true in 5 years.” – from Why I Failed in the Music Business

The Power of Association

“A man only learns in two ways, one by reading, and the other by association with smarter people” – Will Rogers

I’m not saying dump your friends. What I am saying is:

• Be intentional about who you spend time with, particularly who you talk to about your career.
• Get around people who are in life where you want to be. Successful people think differently about life and success, it’s why they’re successful.
• Get around people from a variety of backgrounds and with a variety of skills. If you want to improve your songwriting, double your sales and have a healthy marriage, recognize that you’re not going to find anyone who “has it all.” What you can find though, is two people and a couple. Find them.

What are some ways you could meet and spend time with people who are in life where you want to be?

 

About Steve Grossman: Former ACM and Grammy Award winning drummer. Author, teacher, speaker and Dale Carnegie Facilitator. Music career coach and mentor.

Website. Books. Lessons. Twitter.

Music Career Lessons

-Musician Career Training-

Opportunities have opened to experience my one-of-a-kind, Music Career Lessons and Mentoring Programs for players, singers, songwriters and aspiring artists.

Yes, Music Career Lessons

• Musician focused career skills, principles and information.
• 30 years of music industry and business skills narrowed down to exactly what you need to know to make it in music.
• Highly interactive, engaging and personalized.

In other words, lessons that teach you how to confidently work ON your career while staying true to your musical goals and dreams.

Openings for You

• I am currently accepting applications for my June – August, Music Career Mentoring Program: a 12-week, instruction, coaching and mentoring process limited to 8 select participants. This online program is a complete walk through of everything you need to create a useable plan to reach your goals. Receive a $300 discount by enrolling by May 18. Click here to learn more.
• If you live in Middle Tennessee, I will be conducting a 7 week version of the same program at Springhouse Worship and Arts Center in Smyrna beginning Wednesday, May 9th. It is open to the public for a nominal charge of $10.00 to cover materials. Check out Springhouse’s website for directions and more info about this special opportunity.
• Choose from a variety of stand-alone, online lessons covering specific career topics such as marketing, planning, networking etc. I will be adding to the course offerings in the coming months. For choices, click here.

Need More Info?

Check out the Lessons page and Lesson FAQs to choose the Music Career Lesson option that’s best for you.

You already know how music lessons have helped you make great music.

It’s time for music career lessons to help you build a great career.

About Steve Grossman: Former ACM and Grammy Award winning drummer. Author, teacher, speaker and Dale Carnegie Facilitator. Music career coach and mentor.

Website. Books. Lessons. Twitter.

In order to succeed in music, musicians must excel in three areas of life. Most focus on two and ignore the third. How ’bout you?

Be Great

You have to be great to succeed in music.

But you knew that.

Work Hard

You have to work hard to succeed in music.

And you knew that.

You also have to:

Learn About Business

You may have known that too, but you might not know why:

• Business knowledge helps you avoid pitfalls, snakes, and worse.
• It also helps you plan for and recognize right opportunities.

And there’s more:

Business knowledge lets you tell the world who you are, what you do, and why you do it SO convincingly that they can’t HELP but stand up and take notice.

I’ll say that again:

Business knowledge lets you tell the world who you are, what you do, and why you do it SO convincingly that they can’t HELP but stand up and take notice.

Which is why I’m looking for musicians who will learn about business in order to succeed. Now.

Of course I want you to read my book and sign-up for my Music Career lessons, but that’s not the point.

I want to know who you are, what you’re working on and how you’re learning more because you are the future of music.

So what are you doing to learn more about business?

About Steve Grossman: Former ACM and Grammy Award winning drummer. Author, teacher, speaker and Dale Carnegie Facilitator. Music career coach and mentor.

Website. Books. Lessons. Twitter.

 

The Musician’s Life

You’re a great musician.

• You’ve taken the lessons.
• You have the gear.
• You’ve spent hours alone practicing while your friends played outside.

And it’s worked.

Success

• You’ve gotten the gigs.
• You’ve heard the applause.
• You’ve made new friends, supporters and fans.

And you’ve tasted enough of your dreams to know they’re worth having.

Now What?

Do you know how long the gigs will last?

Are you sure you’re succeeding?

Are you playing around or building the life of your dreams?

There Are Answers

What are you doing to get the answers to these questions?

And the hundreds more that can’t be listed here?

Whether you read my book or sign-up for my Music Career lessons isn’t the point.

What are you doing to build your music career?

About Steve Grossman: Former ACM and Grammy Award winning drummer. Author, teacher, speaker and Dale Carnegie Facilitator. Music career coach and mentor.

Website. Books. Lessons. Twitter.

Four Types of Cars

Why are there so many kinds of cars?

Hasn’t it occurred to anyone that they all do pretty much the same thing?

Wouldn’t a two-door, four-door, pickup truck, and van built by one company be enough choice?

That’s not the way it is though, is it?

No.

Instead, we see a non-stop parade of new cars offered every year: big ones, little ones, long ones, short ones, tall ones, low-riding ones, cheap ones, and ridiculously expensive ones.

Why So Many Cars?

There are billions of people in the world with different needs, wants and limitations.

Every make and model of car meets these differences in specific ways.

For example:

• Kias provide safety/reliability and style for an inexpensive price.
• Bentleys provide status and luxury at a limitless price.

What About You?

Are you being “a car” in a world of billions of people with different needs, wants and limitations?

If so, stop it:

• You’re wearing yourself out believing you need to be noticed and heard by everyone in the world – or even everyone in your city and music community.
• You cannot be everything to everyone anymore than one company can make one car for everyone in the world.
• The people who need you want to know about you.

Think about that last point.

People want to know about you if you can meet their needs.

Which means:

Put what you do in front of people that need you and you will succeed. Period.

Food for thought: what else can you learn from the auto industry?

I hope you know the power you hold in your ability to create music.

It changes lives.

It enriches.

Encourages.

It awakens, as this video shows.

Use your gift well.

Tips for Leaders

If you follow me on Twitter, you’re aware of the fact that I tweet a lot of articles like these:

• But My Entire Team is Older Than Me! from Leadership & Learning with Kevin Eikenberry
• First Pursuits Take You Farthest from Dan Rockwell’s Leadership Freak
• 5 Things You Must Do To Scale Your Company from Maria Tabaka and Inc.com

What you may not be aware of is the reason why I fill my music and artistic career related Twitter feed with leadership and business posts:  Because if you’re a musician, you are a leader.

Musicians Are Admired

When the Gibson/Miller Band was preparing to tour the country in support of our first project, the label put us through Media Training with Holly Gleason. At one point we got on the subject of interacting with fans and I’ve never forgotten what she said:

“Don’t ever discount someone’s comments about how lucky you are or how proud they are of what you’re doing. Always remember everyone had dreams to do something like you’re doing when they were younger but they gave up on them. People look up to you because you had the courage to do something they couldn’t.”

If you’re a musician, you are a leader.

Musicians Control the Culture

“Whoever controls the media, the images, controls the culture.”
- Allen Ginsberg

Want proof?

• Brittney Spears Twitter Followers: 14,000,000+
• Lady Gaga Twitter Followers: 20,000,000+
• President Obama Twitter Followers: 13,000,000+

If you’re a musician, you are a leader.

Musicians Need Help

Visit the music section of any bookstore (or peruse Amazon) and you’ll find hundreds of books about recordings, artists, bands, equipment, and a handful about actually building a music career.

Stroll over to the business section though, and you’ll be surrounded by thousands of titles offering you everything you need to know about communication, people skills, finances, marketing, and dozens of other skills that are foundational to building a career – and life.

If you’re a musician, you are a leader.

Be a Good king

I’ll leave you with this quote from author John Eldredge: “The sorrow of the earth is bad kings.” Notice it’s “kings” with a little ‘k,’ that’s on purpose.

We all have kingdoms (and queendoms) and ruling over them badly hurts people. If you’re a musician, you are a king in a position of leadership.

I hope you’ll use it well.

What are the ways you’re making sure you’re a good king or queen?

A week ago I posted my favorite quote from the late Peter Drucker:

“A business enterprise has two basic functions: marketing and innovation”

That day I wrote how to Innovate Your Way to Music Career Success. Today we’ll discuss the importance of marketing for players, singers, and songwriters because they need marketing way more than Artists and Bands.

Campaigning for Votes

Consider the upcoming November elections in the United States. Everyone is aware of the fact that Obama, Gingrich, Santorum, Romney and Paul are the candidates for the office of President.

At the same time, there are thousands of other people running for local government offices across the nation. Thousands of prospective Town Councilmen, Sheriffs, and County Clerks all hoping to receive enough votes to serve their communities.

Who do you think needs marketing more, the presidential candidates or the thousands competing for lesser known positions?

Artists and Bands

Just like when a candidate says they’re running for president, several things happen immediately when a musician says they want to be a solo artist:

• People “get it.” Though they might not be 100% correct, everyone knows what it takes, and what it means, to be a star.
• People respect it. With the exception of naysayers, everyone also respects musicians who say they want to be stars if for no other reason than the guts it takes to say it. As a friend of mine expressed, it takes a special person to look themselves in the mirror and say “I want to be President.” The same goes for solo artists.
• And therefore, people who say they want to be artists are memorable.

Players, Singers, and Songwriters

Contrast this with what happens when someone says, “I want to be a drummer:”

• People don’t really get it other than a rough understanding of music + hitting things. Even other musicians are left with questions like: What kind of music? What kind of venues? Can you help me?
• People can’t respect something they don’t fully understand.
• And therefore, people who say they want to be players, singers, or songwriters are forgettable.

The only way to overcome this deficit of understanding, respect, and memorability is to understand that you have to be marketing all the time.

Want to learn more?

• Get a copy of my e-book How to Get Noticed, Heard and Hired free on Smashwords.
• Sign up for an upcoming online workshop. In the days and weeks ahead I’ll be scheduling more and more so check back often.

And while I’m on that subject, what would you like to learn in upcoming workshops?

Compliments

“I can live for two months on a good compliment.” – Mark Twain

There’s no question people long to know they’re appreciated. There’s also no question that compliments are rare, especially good ones. Even Mr. Twain said, “It is a talent by itself to pay compliments gracefully and have them ring true. It’s an art by itself.”

But before I show you how, I want to discuss why you should master this art:

The Power of Words

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue” – Proverbs 18:21

• Learning how to give life with your tongue will ensure people find you and stay with you. It also creates an environment of life and life equals growth – which is what you want professionally and personally.
• Likewise, “speaking death” by cutting people down, cursing them out, and railing on them will only make them leave. I know it makes great “Must See TV” but in the real world, it makes failure a guarantee.
• Lastly, don’t keep silent either. All this does is leave people to starve to death. In the absence of compliments, people will assume the worst, and then they will leave.

Now that you know the importance of words, lets organize the right ones:

Observe

Before you can speak, you have to pay attention enough to find something worth complimenting. It also ensures you speak meaningful compliments:

• Relevant: Words that are not only true, but positively effect the other person in ways that matter to them.
  
• Timely: Words that are spoken in the moment instead of later as an after thought.
• Specific: Words that show the person you were paying attention because they have detail and substance.

Things Are Nice, But,

Which of the following is more meaningful?

1. Your guitars are gorgeous!
2. I appreciate how your guitars are always polished and looking great, it shows me how much you care about the band and what we’re doing. Thanks!

Number 2, right?

Actions and/ Achievements

Number 1 is about things your guitar player owns. Number 2 is about:

• The efforts taken by your guitar player to make his guitars look gorgeous.
• Recognition for the fact that your guitar player makes this effort because of a deeper commitment to the band.
• Thanks for how much that commitment means to you personally.

Number 1 is forgettable. Number 2 will encourage your guitar player for two months.

Now that you know how, who are you going to compliment this week and what will you say?

“A business enterprise has two basic functions: marketing and innovation”

This is my favorite quote from the late, “greatest management thinker of the last century,” Peter Drucker (November 19, 1909 – November 11, 2005). And though you may not know who he was, I’m bringing his quote to you because marketing and innovation should be your two basic functions too.

But You’re a Musician

Yes, I know that all you want to do is play or sing but I also know you want to make money playing and singing so you are officially a business enterprise. Congratulations.

To learn more about Marketing, check out a recent post and get a free copy of my e-book on the subject entitled, How to Get Noticed, Heard and Hired here or on Smashwords.

I want to focus this post on innovation: a subject that I hope you find exciting because…

You’re a Creative!

Yes! Finally an area of business that you were born to do well.

Well, I wish it was that easy. As a creative myself, I’ve found that I can be extremely creative about my art – 1st music, now writing – while struggling to find even one imaginative way to promote what I do. Weird.

But I have found the following tips to help:

Focus

The most valuable step you can take is to focus on your career as a separate entity from you and your art. You are a passionately artistic person who creates breathtaking music. Your career is a business entity that is the way you pay for your food, shelter, needs and wants. It can also do things that you can’t – like “be” a recording on iTunes that makes you money 24/7.

Set Aside Time

Set aside specific times to creativity explore and invent ways to do the business of your career.

Study (steal)

Study other businesses and steal their ideas:

• Formal: Yes you can actually study businesses. Read books about businesses you admire and/or their founders and CEOs. Read magazines like Fast Company and Inc.
• Informal: Be aware of the companies you interact with everyday. Sitting in Starbucks? Why? How did they get you there? What do they do well and how? Etc., etc.

If something’s working for another company it can probably be used successfully by you! All you have to do is:

Dare to Be Different

I’ll bet you’re already thinking about what you need to get yourself noticed, heard, and hired.

What’s keeping you from using your idea?