A long time ago, I didn’t know who David Bowie was. I was young, foolish, and in 8th grade. Without a drivers license, and desperate to “spread my wings,” I learned how to navigate the subway system. Now all of Boston was at my disposal, and I slowly mastered the city. My favorite place was a poster / merch shop called “Stairway to Heaven.” Incidentally...
Doing Business
The other day, I went to a grocery store. In an attempt to start eating healthier, I noticed they had wild-caught, Sockeye salmon from Alaska. Fish being healthy, and brain food, I decided that was going to be my dinner. I got a lovely filet and proceeded to the checkout line. When I got to the cashier, she told me that my fish was $18.49. I told her I was a musician, and didn’t have a...
Let’s not forget
Lately, I’ve seen an increasing number of artists and musicians coming to me looking for help. What’s fascinating is that they’re very quick to point fingers at everything around them. Usually, fault lies within. Here then, a list of things musicians shouldn’t forget. Let me know if you’ve got one to add to the list! Let’s not forget…...
But seriously, folks…
Lately we’ve gotten a ton of calls from potential clients wanting to work with us. And there’s nothing we love more than clients who want to pay us tons of money. Unfortunately, client expectations often exceed things like … reality. Here’s an example: Client calls in, says they need to make more money from their music. I ask them to send along links to their website...
Then what?
When you work with musicians, lots of fun things happen. At the outset, the excitement is palpable — so many cool things you’re going to do, so many great ideas, and that new album is going to catapult the artist into the stratosphere. A few months later though, it’s not all that. As a marketing guy, you’ve done everything you said you would, and there’s a solid...
Fun With Banking
After verifying my info for the third time in 10 minutes, they explained that yes, they had received the letter of termination, but no, they hadn't terminated the account. Why, I asked. I mean, it seemed like a logical question considered they'd received and acknowledged verbal and written requests to terminate the account.
Gee, they said, we don't know.
Authenticity
I got into a pretty heavy “discussion” with a friend the other day. He works in content marketing, and his job is to create content around a brand that helps drive focus and awareness. Ultimately it’s what all marketers do, but his specialty is in content creation. Sometimes it’s good content and other times, the cause of my distress, it’s just noise wrapped...
Enough already!
Where is David Bowie?
Without going on and on and on about how last night’s Closing Ceremonies, what seemed oddest to me was the attention lavished on David Bowie. Don’t get me wrong, I love the guy. But where has he been lately? There’s no mentions of him in the press, no albums to promote, no tour dates, not even a TMZ style “hey-look-who-we-just-bumped-into-getting-dinner-at-Mr...
Tits too.
Amanda “Fucking” Palmer raises over a million dollars on Kickstarter prompting her to scrawl the fact across her naked torso. There are her boobs for all to see. Oh, you rebel. Oh, you cutting edge, avant garde-ist, you. And golly wow, you’re really pushing that envelope. There were gasps from here to Williamsburg, from Lexington to Concord, and from PayPal to pocket. But...