Music for the Mind

Music, like so many other art forms, is becoming a business. The question for artists is simple. Where does the art end and the business begin?

In retail, the power of your business is in selling. If you sell clothes, you look for the people who would be interested in buying those clothes, then attempt to convince them they need more of them. If the prices of the clothes drop too far, you need to sell even more to make up for what you're losing, just to make your profit margin.

In the service industry, there is a need for repeat customers who are satisfied with their service and willing to continue paying money for it. For example, internet industry fights back and forth between cable, verizon fios, and satellite. Which service is most reliable? Which service is most expensive? Which service gives you the most?

So for music, there are a few things you can sell. T-shirts, pictures, videos. Each article brings you closer to your fans and gives them the feeling that they're apart of something. People will like your music for the beat, the words, the sounds. You can use that to sell your t-shirts and cds, use that to gain popularity, and so be able to go farther and see more people than you saw before.

So which part can't you really sell? Which part is the real deal?

I think that part is you.

When you create your project, whether it's in a band or a solo project, everyone becomes a character that people listening can identify with. Red Hot Chili Peppers, Third Eye Blind, Britney Spears, Rihanna, Jay-Z, Eminem, each artist has a defined character. I believe they're more successful if they're real people that are presented.

More importantly, it's a journey, your journey that you share with your growing fan base. Your first music video might not be perfect, it might be an inexpensive camera and a few shots on a cell phone, but the question your fans will ask: Is there soul? Is there heart?

Better to start small and finish big, than to never give a piece of yourself that allows the world to grow.

The Fading Times

Media. It literally tells us what's going on everyday, causing us to make decisions immediately that affect our lives so quickly. We love this vast network that we so easily get lost in, but we come together over some of the greatest moments in time, as well as the worst.
    i have a twitter account (@kadesound) and i like to mix in both heartfelt emotional statements about what is going on around me with idiotic/comedic commentary about things that are affecting my life. So far my vulgar statements have been ignored, while my smarter moments also seem to be untouched for the most part. We all say stupid things, right? No big deal. Yet it seems to be a great deal.

After recording a video of myself playing guitar, i checked my account and saw a statement by Ashton Kutcher yesterday, saying he didn't quite agree with firing Joe Paterno, the legendary Penn State Lions coach. The statement was made without Mr. Kutcher knowing what was going on with the sex scandal at the school, and the issue of Mr. Paterno not reporting what he had heard to the police. Ashton Kutcher quickly apologized and noted that he had not heard the entire story. A day later, Mr. Kutcher then made a statement saying that he would no longer control his own twitter account after his mistake. I wanted to know why.

The backlash at Ashton Kutcher was intense, people from all over the country attacking him for his statement after he apologized and then updated himself on the news. I noted that so many people felt it would be alright to scream at a celebrity, yet why were they angry at a mistake? Mr. Kutcher literally had nothing to do with the actual sex scandal, but as a football nut, was merely remarking on losing a historical football figure.

Welcome to the fading times, where a person can't make a mistake. If they do, they're publicly humiliated and crucified for it. Look at the anger of the people directed at Ashton Kutcher and Joe Paterno, when neither of them were sexually assaulting children. If you want to be angry at someone, Jerry Sandusky was the architect of that moment in our lives, the moment when we found out children hadn't even been given a chance to keep their innocence.

If I recall correctly, Ashton Kutcher has been involved in helping people most of his adult life, being more of a humanitarian than people would believe him to be. Yet people would lash out at him. Times are fading. We're losing our focus on what matters most, giving in to attacking the nearest target instead of finding the RIGHT target.

Remember, we're all human. If YOU say something wrong, but have done so many good things in your life, how would you feel?

Above is the video I was filming. It's about trusting your friend to help you and having a good time.

Economics

The problem with money is it SUCKS. Right now as a country we're struggling with our economy, but we're not alone. Europe is struggling, Greece in serious trouble specifically. I was told not long ago that if we were asked to pay the amount of money we as Americans would be responsible for if we had to pay off the country's debt tomorrow, it would be roughly over $700,000.

That's a lot of money. Seriously. I don't know if i'll see that amount ever in one year, there's a small percentage of Americans who do. Yeah we see the millionaires and billionaires on tv talking about how amazing their lives are, and how they got there, but I can't say everyone is going to be wealthy. I can say we all want to try.

Rule One: 1've learned you have to spend money to make money. Right now our stock market isn't doing well because people are afraid to spend money. They're "saving" which is causing other people's jobs to falter or employees to be nervous when businesses aren't doing as well.

Rule Two: I've learned that everyone likes something that looks pretty, but a loyal customer will buy something that works consistently. Selling a customer a product that will break will change that customer's mind immediately regardless of the look of the product.

Rule Three: Innovation. Look at Steve Jobs with Apple products. Change your thinking, change the world.

This actually applies to the music industry. Musicians get signed to the record label, the record companies pay so much for the recording studio, the advertisements on the music, the radio stations. But what if one small change could save money and put it back into the pocket of the musician?

Answer: Learn the technology you have and use it as much as you can. Getting discovered in a country where everyone wants to be discovered makes for a lot of people only paying attention to what is given to them. So give them something to look at, and people will start paying attention. It applies to most every business.

Just a lot of food for thought. Have a nice week