Viewing: Music Career Mentoring - View all posts

Paying It Forward 

When I graduated Berklee in 20002 they had a great career assistance program in place.  This program allowed recent grads to get in touch with successful musicians who were living in the city the recent graduate was planning on moving to.
   
 
I didn't know very much about Chicago nor did I know much about the music business here.  I just knew I wanted to be there.  I received many great tips along the way about the best neighborhoods to live in, restaurants to eat at, how to avoid parking tickets, how to get…

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New Music Career Mentoring Program Almost in Place 

This has been a really crazy, stressful, interesting few weeks. In addition to maintaining a really intense gigging schedule recently, my behind-the-scenes team has been working day and night to put together my new Music Career Mentoring program.



It’s an exciting new step for all the people who are part of my team. I’m going to be able to offer my elite level career mentoring as part of a fully planned-out program that I’m ready to implement.



It’s been the natural next step for me. I’m really enjoying…Read more

Music Career Longevity 

Many people make the mistake of stopping their search for music work once their students or gigs reach their peak. Even if you have enough income coming in, it can’t hurt to continue trying to expand your music work for the future. The business side of music never stops and growth is essential.

Think of your music career as a flower. Even if your flower is in full bloom you must continue to water it every day. No matter how beautiful the flower currently may be if you don’t water it consistently it will…Read more

Musicians - How to Make Your Website More Marketable 

 Musicians are often folks on a low to no-budget plan when it comes to marketing. Plenty of people would rather craft a website themselves or have a  friend do it for free than pay a webmaster a few hundred bucks or more to make one. While I have no argument whatsoever against saving money,  having a website sufficient to meet the needs of your product is absolutely essential to moving forward in your career.

 In 2010, the top two income streams for independent recording artists comes from record sales and…Read more

Musicians Looking to Relocate – Go Where the Money Is! 

Plenty of people are working on starting a music career by moving to bigger music towns – Los Angeles, New York, Nashville, Chicago and Austin, to name a few.

There are also many musicians looking for music career advice, who are living in small towns and getting ready to relocate to a town with a thriving music community – or at least, it seems like the town is a musical metro.

Here’s a thought – maybe moving to a larger town with a “great” music scene isn’t going to help your career. In fact, if you’re…Read more

Who Influences Your Music Career? 

I’ve always been a huge basketball fan and see lots of parallels between professional basketball and professional music. So, it was with great interest that I tuned in to watch Lebron James announce “The Decision” on Wednesday night. I wanted to see how Lebron navigated his basketball career choice. Could I apply anything from the situation to my music career?

For over two years leading up to this night the media had obsessed over which team Lebron would sign with. Thousands of articles and…Read more

Letting Your Audition Etiquette Slip? Maybe That’s Why You’re Not Getting Gigs. (Part One) 

Auditions are a little nerve-wracking for all of us. Not only are you expected to show your talents and abilities, but you’re thrust into a situation where you’re dealing with the egos and attitudes of other musicians. If you can make it through the audition and make it into the band, you might have one of the best musical experiences of your life – or, you might find yourself turned away, or worse , not called back.

There’s also a HUGE difference between your run-of-the-mill band audition, and those…Read more

Steve Nixon's Interview With Jeremy Baum (Keyboardist For Shemekia Copeland) 

I'm excited to share with you my recent interview with keyboard player Jeremy Baum.
Jeremy is currently the full time keyboard player for Grammy Nominated blues singer
Shemekia Copeland.

Jeremy and I first met on a gig in Atlantic City. I heard one solo of his and I knew
immediately he had something special! We developed a friendship backstage after the
gig and we’ve been friends ever since.

Over the years Jeremy has done freelance work for many different artists, touring and/
or recording with…Read more

Blast to the Top Using Your Own Music Distribution 


We’ve been talking about how the way music was once produced and distributed is quickly becoming obsolete. As I mentioned before, you don’t need a record company to distribute your music or help you make a living.

That being said, if you don’t have a record label and you want to do everything yourself, it’s going to be up to you to promote your own music and sell your records. These days, lugging a stack of CDs and other merch to your show just isn’t enough. There are some intuitive, affordable solutions…Read more

How Do I Get A Record Deal? 

I  received an email from a reader a couple days ago asking my advice on how to get a record deal in 2010.  I know that many of you have the same question so I'll post my response.  I have changed the first name just to protect the reader's privacy.

Hi Suzanne,
   I have to be honest with you.  Getting a record deal is getting harder and harder these days. Record deals are no longer what they used to be. As a result of illegal downloading of music the record companies have really lost a large hold of…Read more

A Gig Question That Most People Forget To Ask 

     So, you've been doing a great job of meeting other musicians.  Your reputation as a musician is spreading and your musical "brand" is growing.  Finally, some calls are starting to roll in.  Band Leader X, who has seen your regularly working rock act perform many times, calls you on a Tuesday.  In a real casual voice asks,  "Hey, you free for a duo gig on Saturday night?"  You are free and could definitely use the $225 bucks because rent is due in 4 days.  You reply, "Yeah, I'm free.  Tell me where and…Read more

Getting Past What Currently Limits You In Your Music Career 

Getting beyond the mediocre threshold as both an artist and a music business entrepreneur can be extremely challenging. There is lots of information out there about how to get lower and medium level gigs. There isn't a lot of information about how to get high level and quality gigs.
The simple fact of the matter is that an average and cookie cutter approach to your music career produces average results at best.

Here's my gig schedule from last year. This is only my national and international dates.…Read more

How To Supercharge Your Band's Bookings 

The following is a guest post by Joe Lilly. Joe is a professional internet marketer and guitar player based in Las Vegas. You can read more of Joe's excellent writing here http://baldguitardude.com/


Getting More Gigs That Pay More


It's a common problem with local bands - you have a great press kit, a good demo and a great look. You have a decent following. But for some reasons the bar owners and booking guys aren't following up and don't answer your calls. You're stuck playing the same Irish pubs night…Read more

Steve Nixon's Interview With Marty Sammon (Keyboardist For Buddy Guy) 

I'm excited to share with you my recent interview with good friend Marty Sammon. If you don't know of Marty yet you need to!

Marty is truly a phenomenal blues keyboardist. He has toured the world many times over as the current keyboard player for blues superstar Buddy Guy.   He's also worked with a plethora of famous names in both blues and the rock world appearing with such artists as Eric Clapton and Carlos Santana (just to name a few).

It is to be note that you don't get opportunities like this by…Read more

Your Reputation As a Musician 


Musical Utopia minus 1


I just finished hosting a jazz jam session at my place in Chicago. It really was a lot of fun and almost an entirely positive situation. It was the type of jam where everybody was eager to play, learn, and to share their musical knowledge. This truly creates a wonderful environment to create music in. It's a rare experience for me these days. There was just one slight exception though to my "Musical Utopia". The drummer never showed up! He had committed and confirmed but was…Read more

Facebook for Musicians and Using Your Own Website 

Facebook is a fantastic tool for certain purposes as musician. There are lots of personal and business reasons to use it as a social network. It should by no means though be your only forms of communicating to your fans.  Make sure you're advertising your announcements and shows on your band's website as well. If you don't have one.....get one!

Myspace (which is becoming more and more irrelevent) has taught us that if you invest all you time in building a community of fans on someone else's network,…Read more