1. Poor Attitude

Look for musicians that adopt these attitudes.

1. Joyful attitude
2. Connecting attitude
3. Creative attitude
4. Learning attitude
5. Prepared attitude
6. I may have left out other attitudes. Feel free add some suggestions.

2. Poor Skills

Most people will assume that musicianship are just musical skills alone. But… People tend to forget that we’re human beings not musical machines programmed to perform a task.

Think of your musical skills as muscles.

If you don’t keep training those musical muscles they will atrophy.

If your not sure what musical skills I’ve written 9 skills of musical awesomeness in a post awhile back. Click here and learn what they are.

Once you’ve achieved success it’s all about maintenance to keep that level of skill and achievement healthy.

Adopt an attitude of learning it will keep your motor well lubricated and lasting forever.

3. Poor Knowledge

If your goal is to learn and achieve a certain level. Maintenance is all you need to sustain the level you have attained.

Whenever a new team member joins make sure you A.S.K.

A.S.K

This is an acronym for what musicianship really is.

“A” is for attitude.

Grammy winning producer Quincy Jones states when ever he’s working with musicians and they enter his studio he has a sign at the top of his studio door that says: “Check your attitude at the door.”

I have this awesome video called “The Business of Bass” featuring bass phenom Nathan East.

Quincy Jones was interviewed and mentioned in this video:

“I would rather work with a B player with a great attitude than an A player with a poor attitude any day.”

I totally agree. I will not work with a skillful musician if their attitude is poor.
I’m looking for someone I can connect with. Don’t assume loud and obnoxious attitudes is what I’m referring to. Shy, reserved musicians are also the case.

If someone can’t open up and share than I can’t connect with them.

It goes both ways.

“S” is for skills

When I ask you to play a minor seventh flat five in a reggae pattern can you do it?

Can your fingers handle steady sixteenth note passages through the entire tune without fail?

When I ask you to lay back on the metronome do you understand what I’m saying?

Skills come with constantly practicing, learning and experiencing. Failure is a key to success we don’t if we don’t fail.

Adopt and learning attitude and embrace failure because it’s awesome.

“K” is for knowledge

Do you know what the arpeggios are of a Db major9?

How about if I plop a lead sheet in front of you could you play it?

Let’s start with the pickup note on bar 39 and let’s do it in cut time. Huh?

Now let’s begin on the 4 chord in the key of Ab. Say that again?

If you understood my instructions than you’re good to go. If not pick up a music theory book and start reading and studying. The more you know the better you can communicate and create in ten different levels.

Become a musical weed and embrace musical knowledge.

Conclusion

I hope this lesson has gotten your brain juices bubbling and please share or leave a comment below.

One question…

Tell me about an experience you had with a diva musician?

1. Leverage and flock to locations of the music industry. (L.A., New York, Nashville, World Wide Web.)
2. Audition.
3. Flock to local jam sessions and networking events.
4. Introduce yourself.
5. Network on social media.
6. Create videos for your resume.
7. Create a website for your resume.
8. You must have personality and a sense of humor.
9. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
10. Be dependable.
11. Be helpful.
12. If you’re on time then you’re 15 minutes late.
13. Be overly prepared.
14. Be respectful
15. Give ideas and suggestions.
16. Connect on a personal level.
17. Sometimes you have to do free gigs. As long as it helps your career and skills.

Remember this, these 17 keys not only require you to take action, but who you are as internally as an individual. Key #10 “Be Dependable”. Many musicians I’ve have encountered can be flakey and that is not an external problem, but an internal one.

As a professional musician to another if you feel that the gig you accepted is not in your best interest, than don’t accept the gig in the first place. Saying, “Yes” to everything may not be in your best interest. Always ask questions first (#9) and determine whether the gig will advance your goals. Flakes are a no-no!

Thanks for reading this comic. These tips seem so simple to do, but a lot harder to implement.

Remember these tips require some mental and emotional strength to get through. Some of us don’t have great social skills and that tends to become a huge barrier when we are looking to reach our goals. I myself am always working on my weaknesses.

Some folks have worked on it all their lives and it seems natural to them while others tend to keep on fighting that social battle.

Become a learner in all areas of your life. We will never be perfect because it doesn’t exist in our universe. We just strive for perfection.

That’s it folks 17 Keys to getting the Gig. Please share this comic with a musical buddy of yours or on social media and let me know what you think in the comment section below.

Do you have any tips?

Let me know in the comment section below.

1. Tony Braxton: “I owe between 10 to 50 million dollars in debt to creditors and the IRS so I had to file chapter 7 again.”
2. David Crosby: “My solo career failed so I had to file bankruptcy in 1985.”
3. MC Hammer: “I burned through $33 million and went bankrupt in 1996. It was fun while it lasted, Lol.”
4. Dee Snider: “Lawsuits over tour advances and endorsements got me.”
5. Goo Goo Dolls: “We sold over 2 million albums and we still owe the record label I wonder why.”
6. Isaac Hayes: “I started a record label and ended up owing over $6 million in debts.”
7. Jerry Lee Lewis: “I filed for bankruptcy in 1988 with over $3 million in debt.”
8. Lisa “Lefty Eye”Lopez: “I sold 13 million in album sales but I still went bankrupt.”
9. Michael Jackson: “You guys are losers, I racked up half a billion in debts. I beat you all. Lol!”
10. Willie Nelson: “I owed the IRS 16.7 million dollars in back taxes, but that’s ok. I released an album called the “IRS Tapes” and soon paid it off.
11. Meat Loaf: “I found shady money managers and never saw a dime I ended up in bankruptcy twice.”
12. Suge Knight: “I had $11 to my name after I file bankruptcy in 2006. Tupac come back!”
13. Tom Petty: “I filed for bankruptcy in 1979. No biggie, I released an album later and now I’m back.

There you have it straight from high paid dummies. 13 broke musician tips. We all make mistakes and I’m sure they all learned a valuable lesson. Debt is a huge part in the downfall of many famous musicians. I thank God I never liked borrowing. I did however had to borrow to get a car, but I didn’t know any better.

“Wise men learn from their mistakes, but wiser men learn for the mistakes of others.”

“But remember my friend it doesn’t matter now much money you earn as a musician if the four basic needs are not met than being broke is not a matter of chance but rather a matter of time.”
One last piece of advice… Never borrow money!!

Not from family, friends, coworkers, banks, boyfriend, girlfriend, neighbors, dog, cat, pet snake… You get the point.

“The borrower is slave to the lender.”

If you’re starting a business and your really need to borrow than make sure you have your ducks in a row. When a business model has been unproven to be successful in the market than it’s risky and not a good idea. Billionaire Mark Cuban said it best:

“Only morons start a business on a loan.”

Thanks for reading and feel free to leave a comment below and let me know your opinion.

Cheers

Here is a list of all the “11 Habits of Musical Geniuses” that are in the comic above.
A genius….

1. Learns it
2. Practices it
3. Performs it
4. Masters it
5. Teaches it
6. Creates it
7. Reviews it
8. Evolves it
9. Shares it
10. Lives it
11. Repeats it

I hope you have enjoyed the comic and please share it with your friends on social media.

Thanks for reading my friend.

The biggest marketing mistake your band is making.

The reason why you’re not getting more heads to your gig or making any cash, is you’re not utilizing or you’re trying to utilize your band members to help promote the gig. But what happens? Nobody’s really willing to help promote, sell tickets or merchandise.

Why is that?

It could be that he’s just the drummer and all he does is drum. He’s not the salesman, marketer or promoter. He’s just the drummer

I get it. There was a point in time where I myself had not a clue or didn’t think it wasn’t necessary to promote or sell tickets. “I’m just the bass player and all I do is bass, get someone else to do that.”

Yes, I did have a poor understanding of team work. Many moons later now that I’m a serial musicpreneur, I can see that my attitude sucked. I’ve learned that team work is a key component for future revenues. You can’t do it alone.

Music can’t sell itself. Writing some tunes, record, mix and master a CD or an EP doesn’t mean people are gonna run to you, pull out their hard earned cash and give it to you.

You’ve got to create value by marketing and selling and utilizing your team to get the job done.

Live Shows

Advancing technologies to sell your music is just incredible, but nothing will replace the live show experience. If you’re not selling merchandise at shows, you’re leaving potential rmoney on the table. Even better, you have a great chance to really connect and build rapport with your fans. When fans like and trust you and your music they’ll run over to your merchandise table and pick up a CD.

Once you’re good at connecting and promoting to fans you can turn “losing” gigs to profitable ones and you’re musicians can still get paid. Many times your band will end up performing free gigs just to get exposure. It doesn’t have to be a loss all you have to do is promote and sell merchandise and it’s a win, win.

Here’s a few ways to sell merchandise.

1. Announce it during the show: If people don’t know you’re selling CD’s than their money is gonna stay in their wallets.
2. Giveaway: During the show give away a free CD or t-shirt.
3. Combos: CD/DVD combo for $20, T-Shirt/cap $15.
4. Upselling: Buy 2 CD’s and get the T-shirt half off.
5. Email list: The money is in the email list.

Get your band members to sell: Some members might be shy like I was, but it’s a good chance to build confidence and make some sales.
If you’re not sure what type of merchandise to sell. Read my other blog to get a list of ideas.

Before the gig it’s important to market on social media. Facebook can be a huge game changer if used correctly, but it must be used. You have a Facebook profile and fan page you can cross promote on both. But here’s the kicker, you band can also promote on their personal profile.

Many times the band would promote their show on their fan page but not on every band members profile. That’s prime real estate to bring people to your shows. The average Facebook profile user has about 300 friends. 300 friends x 5 band members = 1500 targeted Facebook friends. Plus if you promote on your fan page which could have 1000 “likes” if used properly it can draw a good crowd.

Lesson

1. Use your team to help market.
2. You can’t do it alone.
3. If you’re not selling at shows you’re leaving money on the table.
4. Market on social media.

Thanks for reading and if you haven’t already please sign up and get free comics and updates.

What issues have you faced when it comes to selling and promoting your music?

Every artist or band that’s just starting in the music business believes if they just do enough shows then people will just come and give you money.

It doesn’t work that way, you need to learn about sales and marketing.

“What?? I don’t wanna do that!”

Every artist and musician needs to adopt the entrepreneurial mentality in order to make it in todays music industry.

If you’re an artist seeking a band to perform with, I’m sure you know hard it is to get musicians to play for almost nothing. Professional musicians need to make a living too.

Young artists and bands with little to no following must understand that it’s important to your success to learn the music business.

How Independent artists can make a killing at their shows.

Create merchandise and sell it at your shows or you can cut a deal with the musicians or barter with them. Maybe offer some of your musical services in exchange for a gig. There are many things you can do.

“Okay, so what kind merchandise can I sell?”

Here’s a good list:

1. Album
2. EP’s
3. Singles
4. T-shirts
5. Baby Tees for women
6. Caps
7. Wristbands
8. Bumper stickers
9. Pins
10. Underwear (Just playing.)
11. Lighters with band logo ( I got this idea from my old band.)
12. Wallets with logo ( I don’t see too many of those.)
13. Download cards
14. USB flash drives with album
15. Posters
16. Mugs
17. Tumblers
18. Email list: This is a must to build a following.
19. Transcription books of your original music in kindle and print format. (Never seen this done before.)

Yes, you’re going to have to make an investment, but it’s worth it. If this is too much merchandise for you to handle than just start off with a few things than build from that. Don’t forget your brand must be attached on everything that you offer. Your band is a BRAND!

Artists like Justin Timberlake, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, make a killing on sales of merchandise at their shows. It’s one of their biggest cash cows.

The Lesson

1. Take care of your band and they’ll take care of you.
2. Your band is a business whether you like it or not.
3. Always sell at shows, if you have to give it away to gain a fan, do it.
4. If you want to be a major artist, think like the major artists.
5. Brand, brand, brand!

One question.

What’s a good product to sell at a show for your merch table? Gimme some ideas.

Beginnings

When I began my so-called career as a musician, all I wanted to do was get as much experience as possible so I accepted as many gigs as possible and most for free. Building connections was crucial and I did pretty well creating relationships. The issue was that I created a great network of artists that didn’t have a budget, but that was my fault. I needed to create more relationships with more established acts that had budgets.

Slowly but surely I created better relationships with music directors and producers that could get me better paying gigs. But fair warning, if your intentions to network are purely for business purposes and not to create lasting relationships than you’re in the wrong racket.

99.99% of all my gigs were all word of mouth! I didn’t hand in a resume or filled out an application. The music industry is almost predominately a relationship driven business. If you have social anxiety you must take care of that issue if you wanna be in the music business. Your talents and skills alone won’t do much.

Michael Jackson off stage was known to be an introverted shy person but he loved people and kids. Be like Mike except for the kids part. Lol.

The answer to why you keep getting that $50 gig.

The ultimate reason why you keep getting that 50 dollar gig and not that $5,000 gig is Value.

The more people value you as a person and your abilities the more opportunity comes your way. Relationship over ability is always top priority. The best musicians on the planet usually only work with their close relationships and that’s not my opinion that’s a fact.

Quincy Jones said it best, “If the musician can’t get the music right, but he has a great attitude, than I’m willing to work with him until he gets it. But if he’s an amazing musician but acts like a diva than that’ll be the last time time he gets a call from me.”

We’ll put Quincy.

The more people like you, the more you’re valued.

The Lesson

1. Increase your value by building better relationships with more connected artists.
2. Count your costs before accepting a gig.
3. Learn business.
4. Sometimes you need to accept that unpaid gig to get ahead.
5. Build a business mindset.

Feel free to leave any comments below and I hope I can learn from you as well.

Cheers.

Back in 2009 I began to research “investing” and stumbled into some books, one was Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. I learned several important words that I never really heard of until now. Here they are:

1. Assets: Simply put, assets put money back into your pocket. (real estate, businesses, song royalties.)
2. Liabilities: Takes money out of your pocket. (TV’s, tablets, cell phones, consumer debt, women. Lol.)
3. Passive Income: When you work very minimal to none to receive income. (Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, The Waltons, Paul Mc Cartney.)
4. Earned Income: Where you physically have to work 100% of the time to earn a paycheck. (Most people fall into this category.)

Successful investors invest in assets that produce passive income. This was mind boggling because I thought wealth was all inherited or luck was involved. I finally realized that the opposite was true, and soon discovered that the wealthy think differently than the how the average person thinks.

“The wealthy think smarter not harder.”

Then I thought there must be famous musicians that think this way. Googling “wealthiest musicians” he found several lists of the richest musicians on the planet and realized the top musicians were on every list he found.

“Did these guys create their wealth purely on song royalties?” He thought to himself.

After studying more about these artists the research shows every music artist on the rich list invest in many assets other than song and album royalties. Though song royalties is great passive income it’s not the only form. The richest musicians on the planet learned from the richest people on the planet. Go figure.

Here is a compiled list from the 10 wealthiest musicians on the freaking planet at this moment in time 2015 among others and I learned quite a few gems.

1. Madonna Net Worth $650 million: Assets include: Merchandise Sales, TV rights and DVD sales, Material Girl Clothing Line, Truth or Dare Perfume, Smirnoff Vodka, Vita Coco Water.
2. Paul McCartney Net Worth $800 million: Assets include: Music Publishing, Apple Corps, MPL Communications, Beatles Catalog.
3. Sean Combs Net Worth $550 million: Assets include: Badboy Records, Sean Jean Clothing, Restaurants, Ciroc Vodka, Revolt TV, Enyce Clothing line.
4. Jay Z Net Worth $500 million: Assets include: Rocawear Clothing, Damon Dash Clothing, Carol’s Daughter Beauty Products, Brooklyn Nets NBA Team, J Hotels, Armand de Brignac champagne, Block Starz Music, Gain Global Investments Network LLC, Roc Nation Sports.
5. Dr Dre Net Worth $620 million: Assets include: Beats Audio, Aftermath Record Label, Hp Laptop Line.
6. Celine Dion Net Worth $400 million: Assets include: Nickel Restaurants, Album Sales, Les Productions Feeling Inc., Le Mirage Golf Club, Schwartz’s Restaurant, Pure Night Club, Celine Dion Parfums.
7. Bono (U2) Net Worth $600 million: Assets include: Album and song royalties, Clarence Hotel, Elevation Partners private-equity firm, Forbes Media LLC, Facebook stock.
8. Andrew Lloyd Webber Net Worth $1.2 billion: Assets include: Really Useful Group, Song and Album Royalties, Musical Theatre.
9. Beyoncé Net Worth $350 million: Assets include: Album Sales, Dereon Clothing, Real Estate, Endorsements.
10. Kenny G Net Worth $50 million: Assets include: Album Sales, Starbucks Investment, Stock Investments.

Wow! What a list.

Why Kenny G? Well, because he’s one of my favorite instrumentalists and his bass player is slammin’ and I recently found out that Kenny G is a stock trader and I myself in the last year have been study stock trading. So I guess we’re two peas in a pod… Kinda.

Most musicians are lazy asses and don’t want nothing to do with managing or investing money they just want to perform and receive a paycheck. That’s the way poor people think.

Here’s compiled list of books to get you fellow musicians starting in your journey. If you don’t like reading than it must suck to be you. I didn’t enjoy reading myself but when you have a thirst for knowledge it doesn’t matter what you like or dislike you’ll do it either way. There are audio books available.

1. Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill
2. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
3. Millionaire Fastlane by MJ Demarco
4. E Myth by Michael Gerber
5. Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey
6. The Millionaire Mind by Thomas Stanley

Read these titles and your mindset completely changed from thinking like the 99% to thinking like the 1%. Thinking like the 1% of successful musicians will keep you moving forward while thinking like the 99% will keep you complacent.

Message:

BUILD ASSETS!!!

Roland