Musicians are constantly bombarded with advice. Granted, a lot of advice isn’t that helpful, but some could completely change the trajectory of a musician’s career.
So why do we suck so much at listening to good advice from others? I have 10 reasons I think keeps us from integrating great advice into our careers:
Read MoreThis week I'm excited to have my friend and fellow Nashville musician DJ Phillips write about what he looks for when hiring pro musicians for his cover band, The Downtown Band.
DJ is someone I admire not just for his quick wit, crazy guitar chops and robust business sense, but also for his uncanny ability to hire and retain top level music talent in a town where it's difficult to hire top talent. My first gig with the band was subbing in for their keyboardist who was currently on tour with Brett Eldridge, and most of the musicians in the group are playing or have played with major acts during their careers. With over 100+ top level musicians in rotation, I don't know anyone better at identifying and hiring successful musicians.
Read MoreThe music industry is a ridiculously competitive field. With many musicians willing to work for free or very close to free, it makes it hard for professionals to compete. So what’s a young pro musician to do? Here are 5 ways to be more successful at getting work:
Read MoreThe music industry is an incredibly competitive business, and small mistakes can add up to not getting hired much, or even black balled. Here are 7 mistakes I’ve seen musicians make that cost them gigs:
Read MoreA few week’s ago I played keys on an absolutely awesome album with my friend Joe. Joe is part of a duo called “A Thousand Miles” that released a hit music video dedicated to first responders everywhere. They took a huge leap of faith and recorded a full length album at one of the best recording studios in Nashville, and now they’re running a kickstarter campaign to try to fund the album.
Read MoreIn the last month I’ve gotten to work with some incredible producers (David Zaffiro and Charles Meserole topping the list) and I’ve learned a lot from the brilliance that they bring to every project they do. Here are 5 things that great music producers do:
Read MoreAs a lot of you know it’s been a busy month here (I’ll be writing a blog about it soon) and one of the things I’ve been struggling with has been feeling insecure. In the last month I’ve played with some incredible players and amazing producers, and I’ve felt a little intimidated by the talent level.
Read MoreMost of the really successful musicians I know are gifted at making meaningful connections with other musicians. Not only is it fun to hang out with like-minded musicians, it’s vital to long term career stability (if there’s such a thing in the music industry). Here are 7 ways to get plugged into your local music scene:
Read MoreI received an email this week from a young singer songwriter about developing a career in the music industry. Here’s an excerpt of our conversation:
Read MoreFor the last four months I’ve been experimenting with fasting, mostly for health reasons. I’ve been trying to fast starting Sunday nights and ending my fast on Tuesday at lunch, and every 3 months I go for a longer 4-5 day fast. As usual, Tim Ferriss turned me on to this in his podcast (click here to listen to it) but I’ve been surprised at some of the benefits for musicians that I didn’t expect. Health benefits aside, here’s my top 5 things fasting does for your music career that nothing else can:
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