Tips to Achieve Success in the Music Industry
When I came to Nashville six years ago I scheduled coffee and lunch with anyone and everyone who would agree. Maybe you can relate?? Well after a few weeks of that, I got an email forwarded to me by 3 different people that DS Management needed an intern. Talk about going from knowing no one to feeling like Nashville was a small town in just one month. Crazy! Well, I landed that internship and it eventually became my full-time job.
Long story short... Denise, the owner of DS Management retired this past December. Last night as I left her retirement party, I realized how many amazing people she's surrounded herself with over the years. Even though I already knew everyone, seeing them all come together to celebrate Denise was pretty special.
Sarah Jarosz, Denise Stiff, Katherine Forbes
In honor of her amazing career... I want to share these lessons I've learned from her. Some serious - some funny.
Delete emails before your inbox hits 49.9 GB and locks up your computer.
Be honest.
Keep secrets and people will tell you the good ones.
FaceBook. YouTube. Tweeter. InstaGram. Hash Tag. Wait. What?
Triple check everything. Online content. Liner notes. Approval. Shipping addresses. Eblasts. Venue ticket pages. Online content. Liner notes. Approval. Shipping addresses. Eblasts. Venue ticket pages. Online content. Liner notes. Approval. Shipping addresses. Eblasts. Venue ticket pages.
Work with someone who shares your passion but has an opposite skill set.
Be authentic and have passion for what you do.
Send birthday cards. And thank you cards. And love letters.
It's ok to cuss sometimes.
Use a calendar. Multiple ones. Like on your phone, iPad, paper, computer...
Ticket counts. Get those. Marketing plans too.
Relationships. Those are most important. This should probably be #1.
Dream big. #GirlBoss #GirlPower
It's not the end of the world if you're late (see mom & dad!?).
Music Row alleys are for avoiding one way streets and stop lights.
Teaching is rewarding.
Sometimes you just gotta pick up the phone (I'm still practicing this one, but I know it's true).
Massages and margaritas cure stress... at least temporarily.
A true artist has a better live show than a recorded album.
Don't just strum your guitar all the way through a song because that's lame.
Collaborations can be powerful but must not be forced.
If you try to force success it won't stand the test of time. True success doesn't happen overnight.
Asking questions only makes you smarter.
And last but not least... I challenge you with these questions that came to mind as I left Denise's retirement party last night...
Who are you surrounding yourself with?
Are you accepting work or clients just to get by, or are you working with passion?
Who do you want to have in your life at the end of your career?
Are you constantly challenging yourself and pushing your comfort zone?
