Media Kit

An Overview of This Page

This page provides a selection of news ready content about Steve and his book, Why I FAILED in the Music Business and How NOT to Follow in My Footsteps. All content is available for download individually or in Zipped downloads.

Individual Items

Click on the links in the list below to go to each section.

About the Book – Short and long sales copy, product specs and formats.
About Steve Grossman – Short and long bio (more is available here).
Interview Resources – What to know to sound like you’ve read the book, bio talking points, interview topics and interview questions.
One Sheet – quick reference, promotional “one sheet” about the book and Steve.
Book Images – a selection of book images
Steve Images – a selection of author images

Downloads and additional information

Individual downloads are available at the end of each section. Or:

For complete set of Media Kit Documents, click here.
For complete set of Media Kit Book Images, click here.
Book Chapter Summary Videos can be found on the Why I Failed YouTube channel.
To request a Review Copy, please contact my publisher, Mike Parker
For interview and appearance requests, or for additional information, please click here.

About the Book

Short Sales Copy

A frank and honest discussion of the 8 reasons most musicians fail to build a long-term, music career and proven “real world” skills, principles and tools about finance, marketing, communication and business that can and should be applied directly to their music career. Written specifically for players, singers, songwriters and aspiring artists, this book asks the questions musicians are afraid to ask and gives the answers they need to know.

Part bio and part workbook, Why I FAILED is full of useable tips, tools and thought provoking questions that guide the reader to create a written plan based on who they are, the things they want to do, and the life they want to live.

Long Sales Copy

Overview

A frank and honest discussion of the 8 reasons most musicians fail to build a long-term, music career and the proven “real world” skills and principles of business that are rarely taught to people in “the arts.” It is full of usable tips and tools about finance, marketing, sales, communication, strategy, goals and people that can and should be applied directly to their music career.

When they finish the book, readers will have a written plan based on who they are, the things they want to do, and the life they want to live.

The Book

Introduction – why musicians must look to the “real world” of business for how to succeed in “the arts.”

I Thought Talent Was Enough (The many things needed for success) – talent is a given, it’s everything else that makes the difference in building a successful career.
I Thought I Had Enough Talent (Self-development – you can learn it all) – everything outside of talent and musical skill can be learned. Successful people do it everyday.
The Company I Kept (You can’t do it alone – Networking and crabs in a bucket) – success is a team sport. Association with the right people is the foundation to a successful career – and life.
How I Kept My Company (You own a business and it’s YOU!) – musicians are much too close to their art to make the right career decisions. That’s why they have to act like CEOs.
My Attitude (The power of belief) – whether a person believes they’ll fail or succeed, they’re right.
I Was Dreaming (Is what you want real? Make sure.) – the only thing worse than failing is to succeed in the wrong thing.
I Was Hoping (The power of a right goal.) – most people spend far more time planning vacations than they do planning their lives.
I Wanted to be a STAR (What you want is a LIFE!) – why the “why” is the most important element in success. The reason to succeed has to be bigger than the pain of overcoming failure.
You, Inc. – how to put everything in the book into a usable plan that is actually used.

Resources – where and how to learn more

Author Bio

Steve Grossman is a husband/father, a businessman and an encourager who is passionate about living fully alive and helping others do the same. Following a 20 year career as a Grammy award winning drummer, he joined and climbed the corporate ladder of a privately held firm in the Automotive Industry. Now well into his third career as an author, speaker and consultant, Steve encourages individuals and businesses to uncover what it is they’re meant to do and how to do that well. He currently lives in Smyrna, TN with his bride of 25 years and their two children.

Product Specs

Paperback: 154 pages
Publisher: WordCrafts Press (June 15, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0615490824
ISBN-13: 978-0615490823
Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 10.2 ounces
Publication Date: June 15, 2011

Product Formats

Paperback
Kindle
Epub
PDF
RTF
LRF
Palm Doc
Plain Text (download)
Plain Text (view)
HTML Online Reading
JavaScript Online Reading

Click for download of About the Book.

About Steve Grossman

About Steve Grossman, speaker, consultant and author of, Why I FAILED in the Music Business and How NOT to Follow in My Footsteps

Short Bio

Former musician and businessman Steve Grossman has led a varied and ever changing life. For over 20 years, he performed as a drummer in almost every state and several countries, played countless recordings and live shows and even won ACM and Grammy Awards.

When he realized he had failed to build a sustainable career, he got a “Real World” corporate job, eventually managing businesses and products worth well over $20 Million. He also got an education.

Well into his third phase of life, Steve now shares the lessons he’s learned as he helps musicians and individuals build success-full careers and lives.

Longer Bio

Steve Grossman was born the second of two children in West Islip, NY (Long Island). He was often caught banging on pots and pans and was given his first drum set before he was five. After that, there was never a doubt that Steve would pursue a career in music. He spent most of his young years practicing or playing with any group he could find.

He attended the University of North Texas to challenge himself against the best in the country and graduated with a Bachelors in Jazz Performance. After a couple of years playing in top-40 bands in Dallas, he and his wife moved to Nashville. Over the course of his 20 year music career, he performed in almost every state and several countries, played on countless TV/radio jingles, records and live shows and won an ACM award (1992 Top New Duet or Vocal Group of the Year, Gibson/Miller Band) and a Grammy (2002 Best R&B Album, Indie Arie, Voyage to India).

When circumstances changed he found himself at a crossroads. Down one path was building/rebuilding a music career and down the other was a BIG question mark. It took over two years of wrestling and deep self-reflection before admitting it was time to move on. Yes he had succeeded at working as a musician, but he had failed to build a long-term music career.

In the fall of 2001, Steve was hired as a Tech Support Specialist at Manheim Inc., the world’s largest provider of auction and support services for the wholesale vehicle remarketing industry. Over the next 9 years, he was promoted 8 times and eventually managed and/or launched businesses and products worth over $20 Million.

It was during his transition from the music business to the corporate world that Steve became increasingly aware of his passion for helping others. He realized encouraging others makes him come alive and it always has. When his time at Manheim came to an end at the beginning of 2011, Steve reinvented himself yet again. As a writer, speaker and consultant, he encourages executives, young professionals, musicians and creative artists to uncover what it is they’re meant to do and how to build success-full businesses and careers and lives.

Steve lives in Smyrna, TN with his wife of 25 years and their two children. His current work includes consulting with several Nashville businessmen, conducting workshops at local arts organizations and colleges, serving on various boards and writing. He is blessed beyond measure.

Click for About Steve Grossman download

Interview Resources

What to know to sound like you’ve read the book

After 20 years in the music business, Grammy Award winning drummer, Steve Grossman realized he had failed to build a long-term, sustainable career. So he left “The Arts” for a “Real World” corporate job. In the next 9 years, he received 8 promotions, nearly tripled his salary and eventually managed or launched businesses and products worth over $20 Million.

He also received training and mentoring in skills, principles and concepts of business that gave him answers as to why he had failed in music. Skills, principles and concepts that he never learned as a musician yet lead to success in both the “Real World” and “The Arts.”

So he wrote Why I FAILED in the Music Business and How NOT to Follow in my Footsteps to pass this information to players, singers, songwriters and aspiring artists. Each chapter covers one of 8 reasons he failed as well as what a musician must do to avoid the same fate.

These 8 Reasons fall into three broad categories:

Musician’s understandable, but fatal reliance on talent
Misconceptions and fears about marketing
Vague and “fuzzy” goals

The book helps musicians understand that they do not have enough talent to succeed on talent alone and that they have more to offer the world than their musical ability. Once they are able to think beyond their talents, they are ready to learn simple and useful marketing strategies (Steve’s 4 Simple Rules of Marketing) which lead them to explore who they are and what they want – from music and from life. With these things in place, they are better positioned to reach the right fans and/or customers and build the right career.

Bio Talking Points

Steve Grossman is a Grammy Award winning former musician turned successful businessman turned author/speaker/consultant. This has given him a unique perspective and skill set related to success, personal development and helping others to find true success.

1. He has had three unique careers

20 years as a professional drummer based in Nashville
9 years in corporate America
Author/Speaker/Consultant

2. He is building a “Slashed Life” career for phase three

Author of books, blogs and articles
Speaker and teacher – keynotes and workshops
Consultant and coach – musicians, professionals and entrepreneurs

3. There are common threads through all three phases

Encouragement – drumming, management and of course, current phase
Personal development has been key to transitions and successes
Core values of family, faith, life success and helping others

Interview Topics

Why talent and the desire to be a “STAR” cause most musicians to fail.

From an early age, most musicians have been told how talented they are and how they’re destined to be stars. Sooner or later, they come up against people more talented than they are and they realize they can’t compete. Without additional skills and realistic goals, they stagnate, get frustrated or worse.

What musicians can and should learn from the “Real World” skills and principles of business.

One of the most surprising things I discovered in my time in a corporation was that the skills and principles of success I learned there are universal. As I thought about my own failure and other musician’s successes, I realized that no matter what field a person is in, the path to success is essentially the same.

Why having a solid understanding of who you are and what you want as a musician are crucial for you, your fans and true lasting success.

First, musicians must learn that they are more than a talented musician and that they don’t just want a music career, they want a life. This ensures that they have goals that actually matter. It also ensures that they have something to communicate to prospective fans. In today’s crowded marketplace, fans are looking for people they can connect too, not just good musicians. Lastly, this understanding ensures that when the musician succeeds, they will have built the life they want to live.

How a complete understanding of true marketing leads to a successful career and life.

If musicians think about marketing at all, they think it is nothing more than creating business cards and a Facebook page and selling themselves everywhere they go. In other words, they believe marketing is a message you shout at people all the time. True marketing however, starts and ends with customers. A musician that does this well can therefore focus on just the right people in the right way at the right time and therefore find more success with less effort.

Why now is the best time ever to be a musician.

While it’s true that the music industry of today is largely in disarray, the number of music consumers is growing everyday around the world. There is also unprecedented access to tools, systems and support for every facet of what it takes to make, market and distribute products and services. 20 years ago, gatekeepers controlled almost every aspect of an industry that is today open to anyone in the world.

Interview Questions

With a Grammy Award and other successes, why did you write a book called Why I FAILED in the Music Business?
What’s the main reason you say you failed in music? Do you think it’s true for most other musicians too?
The core premise of your book is that there’s very little difference between the “Real World” of corporate business and “The Arts,” what do you mean by that?
You say a lot in the book about how a musician’s talent is often their biggest challenge, what do you mean? Are you saying talent isn’t important?
You also say that wanting “to succeed in music” is a terrible goal, what do you mean?
What’s the one thing you want the readers of this book to understand? (or,)
What are the three main things musicians should understand if they want to succeed in music?
You spend a lot of time in the book making sure your readers explore and understand who they are and what they want from life beyond music, why?
Given that the current industry is in such a state of confusion, isn’t now a terrible time to pursue a music career?
Along those same lines, do you think someone wanting to be an artist should pursue a big label deal or be independent?
Ever think of going back into music now that you’ve learned all this stuff?