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Feature Article-July

Move Your Feet!

This month our feature article speaks directly to aspiring arists and producers. Our question to you is...Do you plan on being an ASPIRING atist forever or one day being established? If so, then make that day TODAY. If you're wondering how in the heck am I supposed to do that here's the answer...MOVE YOUR FEET! Without getting too complicated, you can be certain that nothing will ever happen for you if you do not move your feet. Go places, meet new people, make new contacts, build new relationships, get stuff done! If you decide to commit your self to doing this everyday the worst thing that could happen is that a bunch of people know who you are.

Here's a start for my local artists and producers: How to plan for a productive week...

1. You should have a list of at least 4 music-related events that you will attend every week.

2. Keep a list of new contacts you make everyweek and most importantly KEEP IN TOUCH! Email and MySpace should not be your only interations with a "true" contact. Plan to physically sit down with at least one of your contacts every week.

3. Keep a short list of specific individuals you want to get close to and be stategic in how you go about initiating those relationships. Keep in mind that most people succeed at getting close to these individuals by getting in good with everyone around them first. Research where these people hang out, eat, play, and work. Envision how the conversation will go when you finally meet this person and when you get your shot, execute. Persistance will win everytime.

4. Master your craft! You should plan to create new material by the end of everyweek. This doesn't mean that you have to record a song or make a beat everyday but make every effort to make music every chance you get. This does mean that you should think outside the walls of your home setup. Making music with others opens a whole new world of opportunities and perspectives. Oh, and work or school is not a valid excuse for not being able to put down new material. Wether valid or invalid the bottom line is that if you have reasons why your not getting stuff done then obviously your not getting them done which means that there is no forward progress.

5. Get a job, internship, or aprenticeship with a reputable company with contacts in the music indusry. The more contacts the better. I promise that this is by far the fastest way to gain some valuable contacts and initiate relevant relationships.