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There are two effective models to grow your business.  It’s best to recognize and utilize both to your advantage.

“One Fan at a Time” – Grassroots Growth – You need to be able to identify your audience and speak to their interests.  After knowing who they are you need to go find them (this is called marketing) where they hang out in the real world or online.  Once you find them you need to convince them that your product is worth buying (this is the sales part) – or a better way to look at it is to help them see the value that you could contribute to their life.  Continuing the dialogue with your fans is the final part of grassroots business growth.  Once you’ve found them, engaged them, they’ve purchased something from you (tickets, merch, music) then your job is to keep them interested – to make awesome content or products that inspire people.  I know it’s not easy and there’s no real forumla for it either.  But the point is, if you can learn how to make awesome products and find people who will enjoy them then you’ve built a successful grassroots business.

“Nodes and Networks” – Connections and Top-Down Growth – Who are all of your possible connections that could introduce you to your ideal audience?  The list could include agents, manager, venues, festivals, other bands, local businesses.  As you grow your business think of all the connections that are easy to make and reach out to them.  Even in the early stage of a career there are connections to be made with your local market.  Find and befriend all of the bands in your area that share your genre.  Get to know the owners of the stores that would identify with your brand.  Eventually when you grow your business to a certain point, you will go looking for an agent or manager.  One of the greatest benefits of the right agent or manager is the professional connections they offer.  In fact, if you’re looking for an agent or manager consider whether this person is going to provide you connections into the business opportunities you desire (festivals, clubs, markets).  Connections are an important part of business, just like real life… don’t forget about them!

Grassroots growth keeps you connected to the source – the fanbase.  Connections help network you into pockets of similar audiences where your ideal fans may be hanging out.  Recognize and capitalize on both – all successful businesses do.

It could be argued that offering free streaming of your music is a replacement for radio.

Consider that radio played music at no cost to the listener.  In most cases radio had tremendous reach into the community.  If your song happened to get on radio and was successful, your song was heard for free by thousands of people every week.  After getting to know a band’s product (i.e – the song on the radio) a listener may be compelled to become a customer of the band.  But it took that exposure to the free sample to sell the product.

Streaming your music for free isn’t really a new concept then.  The web is just replacing the radio as the broadcast medium.  You stream your music with the hopes that enough people will hear it, get interested in the free sample and like it enough to buy the product.

What’s different is that radio served as a brand, a broadcaster, and a filter.  There was a symbiotic relationship here between bands and stations.  Cool new music strengthened the radio brand and the radio brand strengthened the clout of a band in that market.

By simply streaming your music away on your site, you lack a branded filter.  In other words, each band is like it’s own mini-radio station.  But with hundreds of thousands of them across the web.  Hoping a new consumer finds your band is like a finding needle in a hay stack.  You aren’t identifying with a symbiotic relationship.

The web is wonderful for its ability to distribute content at low cost.  But the power of a branded filter is still real and needed. Look to all of the great blogs as an example – they become filters for content on certain topics.

If you’re reading this and thinking of how you can be involved in music – consider the act of being a filter for a genre or your local market.  The medium of broadcast has been the only definite change.  The need for branded, broadcasting filters is still real indeed.

Update: A reader rightly pointed out to me that I didn’t provide any advice on how to act here.  I reread the post and clearly see their point.  So… there are two action items here.

1.  If you aren’t an artist but you are interested in getting involved in music in some way here’s an idea: become a web-based filter.  The benefit of the web is that it’s less expensive to start a hub there than it is to start a radio station, it’s less regulated, and you can play whatever you want.  This last point is a benefit to bands as well because many great artists aren’t “radio friendly.”  That’s no problem on the web if you become a filter for your specific genre niche or your market.   Artists and managers still have a need for filters to associate with but there aren’t that many out there.  Go start one and drop me a line when you do or drop me a line if you already have one.

2.  If you are an artist or manager – I’d keep your eyes out for the local filters that aren’t radio stations, especially if you aren’t a “radio friendly” band.  When you come into a market, drop a line to your best fans in that area and ask how they find out about shows.  In most major markets I have found underground message boards, blogs, and connectors through communicating with our hard core fans there.  These connections can be more effective than traditional broadcasters for the power of “Word of Mouth” they offer.

Here are a few examples of various size and style:

1. Charlottesville Indie music – http://www.nailgunmedia.com/blog/
2. San Francisco Indie music – http://www.playinginfog.com/
3. Orlando Blues music – http://www.meetup.com/roadblockbluesjam/

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In context of your projects, your life, your business:

Statistics and data offer an analytical view of your actions.  This is the black and white view.  Analysis is important since it provides a factual (not emotional) view of your efforts.

Critics by definition, judge both the merits and the faults of a work.  Approach criticism from your position of power: you are the creator, yet you are balanced enough to learn from someone else if there is something to learn.

“Doing it for you” is the most important aspect of these three.  This should be the core of every iteration.  When you choose to take on a new project, a new line of work, a new exercise – find your reason for doing it for you.  If you are assigned a certain task by your boss that you don’t want to do initially, reframe it in such a way that you can find the opportunity in it.  Make the project yours, take ownership of the reframed perspective so you see your benefit from it.

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If you can successfully frame your work and life so that you are doing things for you, then you’ll see analysis and criticism as teachers leading you down the path of improvement.  This is satisfying.

It’s very easy to instinctively reach for your phone in an uncomfortable moment.  Most phones are equipped with multiple ways to grab and retain your attention.  In social situations like being at a party, bar, or concert, when you are in between conversations, you don’t want to feel like the loser with no one to talk to so you pick up your phone.  Look at it, see if any new emails came in, send a text, read something.  Anything to keep the moment from being awkward.  When you’re walking down the street on the way to work or to meet a friend you pick up the phone.  Walking is boring so why not.  Driving down the road and you’ve got to stay in touch?  Grab that phone and text.

In these moments you are not reaching for your phone, you are reaching for a security blanket.  Your phone as a security blanket is called a Phone Blanket.  Using the Phone Blanket is common in this fast paced world.

We reach for the Phone Blanket because we are afraid that we are going to miss something.  Afraid of the awkward moment.  Afraid of being bored.

If you’re reading this and it jives with you (and I’ll put myself in this camp) then join me in putting down the Phone Blanket.    Lift your head up and take in the fearful moment.  Break through and be a prisoner no more!

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Update: Someone had asked me how to break through.  My answer is 1) that awareness of the issue is the first step.  Secondly, if you find that you’d rather not have the phone blanket feeling then 2) when you feel the urge to reach for it, become aware of it, and focus on your breath.  Let the thought pass.  Simply be in that moment without having to reach for the phone.  By doing this you are breaking a habit, and slowly you can condition your mind for a new habit.  The new habit could simply be to enjoy the moment of alone time.  Try to be comfortable by yourself.

Several years ago I was at a Phish concert in a large amphitheater.  If you’re not familiar, Phish is a band known for improvising significant portions of their show.  Watching this show, it became clear to me that the artists and the audience were engaged in a dance – an exchange of energy and attention.  The band circled through three stages:

Driving - At times, the band would crescendo (get louder and faster).  This would send the crowd into a frenzy.  At these moments the band was clearly putting out a big amount of energy.  The audience would absorb it and the music would drive them to dance.  Imagine the energy from the band getting injected into each person.  The band couldn’t sustain this for an entire show.

Cycling – Often times after a crescendo the band would pull it back down into a pre-scripted part of the song (this part not being improvised).  At these moments the energy exchange seemed about the same.  The audience knew the words, the band knew what to play.  This is like hitting even ground on a run or going through the fundamentals at your job.  It’s kind of easy compared to the hills.  Though it was an equal exchange of energy it appeared to be a more superficial exchange.

Absorbing – Then there were the times, often for extended moments and before the crescendo where the band would open up into an improvisational jam.  Often times these started slow and open.  The music created more of a landscape that invited the listener to step into it.  It was in these moments that the band clearly absorbed energy from the audience.  In this case, the audience was “paying attention”.  With the audience investing their energy it allowed the band to recuperate a bit and pull in more energy in preparation for the crescendo.

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The best concerts are ones where both the performer and the audience walks away Refreshed.  This doesn’t mean they have more energy than what they started with.  It means that they spent a huge amount of energy but they got an equal and different amount in return.

These concepts are illustrated here with music but they are universal.  Your greatest interactions are no doubt the ones where you get as much back as you put into it.  Since we are all artists of life, you could ask yourself the same question performing artists ask themselves on a nightly basis: how to we increase the energy exchange?

If you want to walk around energized and refreshed, then work on getting your balance of cycling, driving, and absorbing.  Once you get it down, you’ll feel the applause all around you.

The most visible creators I know of
are those artists whose medium is life itself.
The ones who express the inexpressible -
without brush, hammer, clay, or guitar.
They neither paint nor sculpt -
their medium is being.
Whatever their presence touches has increased life.
They see and don’t have to draw.
They are the artists of being alive…
-J. Stone

“If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it wouldn’t seem wonderful at all.”
-Michelangelo

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One definition of “artist” in Webster’s Dictionary is: ‘a skilled performer.’

In my view we are all artists.  We are artists of life.  Life itself is the art form.  Like the masters of any art form, it takes considerable practice to achieve grace.  Everyday is an opportunity to work on some aspect of the thousands that comprise our lives on earth.

No, it isn’t easy but then again most practice never seemed easy (think back to childhood sports or arts).  But in this one case, you don’t have the option.  You are an artist of life.  You can either embrace it, open up to your medium, and learn to be a graceful artist, or you can be frustrated.

One benefit of this medium is that there are billions of others out there to learn from.  Billions are on the same journey right now and billions have passed.  Many of these people have kept record of their journey and insights.  There are great books and mentors out in the world ready to teach or guide you in your endeavors.

Whether you spend your days as part of a large corporation, a small business, a non-profit, traveling, relaxing, panhandling on the streets, or performing art in the traditional sense – you are your own person and this grace is yours to own.

Like the great masters, approach your craft with a willingness to learn, adapt, and practice to yield the greatest results.  Eventually you will find that each moment of practice in itself is an opportunity to perform with the grace of a master.

An ideal world is one where humans live in peace and harmony with each other and the earth.
This will never be achieved from the top down.
The only way this will happen is if each person comes to peace within themselves first.

Peace within comes through each individual being self-aware,
observing their ego, and practicing mindfulness.

This practice yields self-confidence, in the truest form.
I’m not talking about arrogance or cockiness which is typically
just plate armor over a soft and self-conscious interior.
I’m talking about true self-confidence.
The kind where you recognize the ego as something separate from your being.
The kind that when someone tries to put your idea down,
you realize they are talking about an idea, not you.
The kind that when you get angry,
when your head spins out of control with wild scenarios and fears,
you take a deep breath and cease the thought.
An ideal world comes about from each individual being at peace.

These ideas are not new, they have been written about in ancient books.

In my business and life I explore and use self-awareness and mindfulness to do the best work I can and to empower and awaken my co-workers as best I can.
In writing I hope to explore and convey this same message.

Becoming mindful won’t pay the bills.
But it will make you realize that life is so much deeper than the surface trappings of society.
From this comes confidence and peace, and with it the fear associated with money melts away.

Living this way isn’t about proselytizing.
I’ve learned that you can’t “tell” anyone anything if they aren’t ready to hear it.
The best you can do is put it into the world by living it.

The journey is about leading a balanced and peaceful life.
The journey is about how to build up our every day lives from the deepest truest source in ourselves,
using mindfulness and self-awareness to guide us along the way.

I am interested in seeing and learning what enterprises are created out of this deep living.
I am interested in knowing the people who create them.
I am interested in helping to connect and celebrate people who embody this.
I am interested in teaching, inspiring, and guiding people to build these practices into their businesses, lives, and organizations.

I am not perfect… we are not perfect.
What unites us is the commitment to observing ego, being mindful and self-aware and becoming truly confident in our own lives.
Living from this place unites us with all humanity and nature.

This is our time to redefine society, business, and life -
living from this place, deep within.

What will this world look like?

It’s already here.
I look around and see it every day.

You can do this.  This is hard not because some big outside force/company/organization is opposing you or isn’t embracing your idea.  Some big outside force has no control over you nor can it help you.  The force that is opposing you, that isn’t embracing you… that’s you.  You are beating yourself.  If you want to succeed (in any realm, by any definition) you need to figure out how to do it with what you’ve got, in the way that works for you.  That’s complicated I realize- there are lots of factors that define your version of success.  The point is that you are in control of every single one of them.

If you’ve got a moment, take a deep, slow breath… and exhale slowly.  Then read that again deeply.

Thank you.

I am looking for the inspiration in life
The spark to ignite the vein of coal
Show it to me live, loud, and large
Beautiful and boastful
Triumphant and glorious
Arrogant and aromatic
Gleaming and gold
Proud as the day it was born
Poetry of the subconscious

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There are all sorts of fears holding us back.  Find at least one way that you can let it all go.  It could be on paper with pen, with a paintbrush, in the woods, in your kitchen, on the dance floor.  Wherever it may be, just let it all go.  This is a feeling worth feeling.

Great businesses tend to have great systems at work, many times as the foundation of the business.  Having a system as a foundation provides an economic engine and allows for more time to innovate on the higher levels of the business.  Of course, a system can always go through improvement and innovation in its own right.

In the music business we have been going through a significant shift.  One of the biggest changes is that the primary revenue stream for most artists is now the live show (touring).  For all of the income made in touring there isn’t a shared understanding of how to make a show great (from the business side).  Feeling the need to have a system that incorporated best marketing practices and a timeline for how to carry out these tasks, The Artist Farm created a tour marketing system.  The results (in current form) took several years of testing to hone.  I wrote a book on this system called “Squeezing The Show” which we are selling now on our publications page .  The cost is $87 which includes my 3 years of work at real management companies compiling this system and creating the spreadsheet and email templates included in the Tool Kit.  Though I’m not the best at selling things, I can assure you that you will make your $87 back within a couple of shows if you apply all of the techniques I teach.

This book is written for artists and managers but I think the following people will find it useful:

Anyone in the music business

• Managers (use it as a manual to train your new hires, learn some tricks yourself)
• Self-Managed artists (learn how to market your shows and get more people)
• Agents (use it for your self-managed artists, pick up some ideas of how managers work)
• Record Labels (doing 360 deals and want to know how to service touring?)

Anyone who has an event based business (the timeline tasklist idea is universal for event businesses)

• Photographer, Craft makers, Painters who participate in art shows
• Caterers
• Speakers/Lecturers

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