Be Committed!...You’ll
Never Be Famous If You Don’t Show Up!
By Sheena Metal
Everyone wants to be famous: live in a mansion, drive a sports
car, tour the world in your private plane, date a model, float
around in the pool while collecting royalties for CD sales,
and drink beer right out of your private tap. But not everyone
is aware that, with any career that has the potential to end
in a bounty of riches and beautiful babes, climbing your way
to rock stardom is very hard work.
So, how does your average musical genius go from penniless
Pop Tart-eater to Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous? How do
you move on up from mom’s garage to a deluxe apartment
in the sky? What’s your first baby step on the Yellow
Brick Road to fame and fortune? That’s simple…be
committed!
It sounds silly, but many a musical boat has sailed with
a crestfallen unsigned artist standing confused on the dock,
for lack of nothing else but follow-through. Commitment to
your deeds and plans is the single most essential skill towards
achieving your goal of Ultimate Superstardom. Entertainment
is a fickle business and chances don’t come along every
day. One missed opportunity now could have spiraled into dozens
even hundreds of opportunities down the line.
It may be true that talent is a gift you carry with you from
birth, but commitment is a learned skill that you need to
hone every day. So, how can you make sure that you’ve
got what it takes to gather up your supreme musicality and
conquer the universe with it continuously?
The following are a few tips that may help you to make sure
that you’re truly committing yourself to your musical
career on a daily basis:
1.) Follow Up On All Leads---No matter how insignificant
they may seem at the time, it’s important to follow
up on every musical lead that’s thrown your way. Letters,
calls and emails should be answered politely and in a timely
fashion. New contacts should be logged in your address book
for future correspondence. Opportunities should be taken,
invites accepted, and chances to network relished. By starting
out with just these simple rules you’ll watch your resources
and mailing list grow. Suddenly you’ll have music community
friends with which to share your leads and ideas, ask advice,
trade experiences, and combine talent and energies. Through
these friends, you’ll meet new friends and fans and
from them even more new connections. Soon, you’ll have
so many opportunities that your concern will change from lack
of opportunity to lack of time in the day to pursue each new
chance.
2.) Just Show Up---Sounds so simple it’s stupid, but
you’d be surprised how many talented people have fallen
by the wayside because they were unable to simply show up.
Cancelled gigs, forgotten meetings, and missed auditions say
to the Musical Powers That Be, “I’m a huge flake
who doesn’t think your opportunity is worth a half-hour
of my precious time.” This is a really bad thing. Entertainment
is a small town with a huge memory. Don’t give people
any reason to think that you’re not the person they
want to work with, give the job to, book for the gig, sign
to their label, write about, talk about, and help any way
they can. Remember there are tens of thousands of musicians
waiting to take your place, so step up to the plate and seize
each chance with optimism and enthusiasm.
3.) Take Initiative---Don’t wait for opportunities
to come to you. The world is a virtual cornucopia of information,
so reach out and nab yourself some chances at stardom. Comb
the internet, join music communities, visit open mic nights,
take classes and workshops…put yourself out there where
there are cool musical happenings and let others know that
you can be relied upon and want to be involved. By going out
and seizing your own opportunities, you may double, triple,
etc. your resources and chances, and expedite your journey
to success.
4.) Do The Best Job You Can---As important as it is to show
up, it is also essential that you come off efficient, talented,
and professional when faced with a new opportunity. Being
there is half the battle but the other half is being the best
that you can be and impressing industry, press, clubs and
your fellow musicians enough to make them want you to be involved
in anything and everything they do. Make a commitment to put
on the best live show possible, to have a terrific CD, to
make a professional presskit, and to spread the word about
your music. Be punctual, be courteous, be positive and be
fun. Don’t give anyone any reason not to work with you
again and you’ll see that it becomes easier and easier
to get what you want for your artistic career.
It really is as easy as simply showing up, following up and
giving it your all. Making it in music is not impossible;
it’s just a lot of elbow grease, a little organization,
a bit of strategy, and the simple sculpting of your talent
into a marketable commodity. There are thousands of chances
offered every day to musicians...reach out and grab them by
the handful, make every opportunity your own, get everything
you want from this business and when you’re richer than
Oprah and more famous than Madonna, remember that it was you
who made it happen. You were a pro. You showed up. You committed.
Sheena Metal is a radio host, producer, promoter, music supervisor,
consultant, columnist, journalist and musician. Her syndicated
radio program, Music Highway Radio, airs on over 700 affiliates
to more than 126 million listeners. Her musicians’ assistance
program, Music Highway, boasts over 10,000 members. She currently
promotes numerous live shows weekly in the Los Angeles Area,
where she resides. For more info: http://www.sheena-metal.com.
Past Column's by Sheena
Every Song
Fan Etiquette
To Tour or Not to Tour
Leave Your Drama At Home
Burning Bridges
Radio Play
Opening Acts!
Managers
Show Me the CD
Be Committed
Scandalous Behavior
Create A Buzz
Green Eyed Monster
It's All Good
The Winner Is
