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Success In Music And Your Mindset
Today I want to address a topic that is a little more esoteric than the technical aspects of the music business that I often discuss, but nonetheless is just as important. The topic is how to cultivate the right mindset for acheiving success in the music industry.
I really think to be successful in the music industry you need to have both talent and very thick skin. You need to be extremely determined, ambitious and motivated. I know I'm not telling you something you don't already know, but let's think about what this really means. Let's break it down, step by step.
The music industry is an industry a lot of people are drawn to because, let's face it, writing and playing music is just freaking fun! And of course it also has a perception of being cool and if you're a guy playing music can help you meet girls, and if you're a girl I guess it can't hurt with meeting guys. Music is awesome and if you have a knack for it why wouldn't you want to share it with others.
Because of this coolness and fun factor a lot of people pursue music, both as a hobby and as a profession. This creates a lot of competition, on all levels. Everything from getting a good slot at a nightclub, or getting your song onto a TV show or Film, or landing a record deal, involve in one way or another, you competing with somebody else.
Now I don't think competition in its modern day form is insidious or bad. For the most part, here in the western world, we are not beating each other with clubs to get what we want. Competition has a tendency to make us work harder, and if embraced in a healthy way can make us better musicians and better people. When we know something isn't easy we tend to work harder for it and are forced to expand and grow.
It's when the inevitable rejections and setbacks we face get the best of us that the competitive nature of the music industry turns into an ugly and insidious thing. But if we cultivate the right mindset we can take these events in stride and move forward un-phased.
How??
A couple of years ago I ended what was nearly a six year relationship with my girlfriend at the time. After about six months or so of being single and not dating very much at all I asked a girl out who was drop dead gorgeous and to my surprise she said yes. We went out and I was a complete nervous wreck. I placed so much pressure on myself and on her to make this night a success that I came across as stilted and weird and I never heard from her again.
I was disappointed the next few days but I immediately realized what had happened. I then decided to cast a much wider net, so to speak. I started meeting girls online, in clubs, on the street, in trains. When I really opened my eyes there were opportunities to meet girls literally everywhere. Over the next few months I started actively dating many different women and what happened was really amazing. I was meeting so many different women that I stopped looking at each date and interaction as such a big deal. This allowed me to be myself and just meet women being very present and in the moment. I've now been happily involved with one woman for close to a year now.
Why am I telling you this story? I think this same sort of strategy can be applied to anything and works particularly well when applied to your music career. When you're pursuing one or two opportunities it's easy to get discouraged when they don't work out. But if you're pursuing many different opportunities, not only are you exponentially increasing your odds that one of them will come through for you, but you will relax when you realize that there are many different ways to achieve success with your music. If you don't get your music on one show, pursue another. If you don't get booked into club x, pursue club z. This is the mindset you need. Don't worry about any one particular goal, pursue them all with equal fervor and enthusiasm and success will become a matter of when and not if.
The A To Z Of Music Licensing Master Class
I recently put together a new and totally comprehensive package for songwriters interested in learning how to license their music in TV and Films and I wanted to give you a quick ¨heads up¨. I´m calling this program The A To Z Of Music Licensing Master Class. I have several projects in the works currently so I'm limiting participants to the first six people who enroll in the program. Here's how it works:
1) This program includes my program ¨The A To Z Of Music Licensing¨ as well as my comprehensive directory of places to submit your music within the music licensing industry. (If you've already purchased my program you can also purchase my coaching services separately, visit my product page for more)
2) After you purchase the program you´ll send me a link to your music so that I can review your music and get an idea of how and where your music fits in within the music licensing industry.
3) After you review my program and I review your music, we´ll schedule a half hour phone consultation to discuss your music and the music licensing industry in general. We´ll discuss different steps you can take to get started and I´ll address any questions you have about the business.
4) We´ll keep in touch via email to discuss your progress and address any questions or issues that arise.
5) Finally, 30 to 60 days later (the time frame is up to you) we´ll schedule a final half hour phone consultation to discuss your progress and discuss any additional steps you need to take to successfully license your music.
Again, I can only offer six of these packages, and after that I will take the link down. Sign up now here: http://www.howtolicenseyourmusic.com/master_class
For a complete list of all my products and services related to the music licensing industry visit my product page.
Aaron Davison
