What Are You Afraid Of…Uhhh?

Most people are crippled by negative possibilitites.  They question themselves with “What if’s”, which prevent them from doing things in their lives that they would truly enjoy, or that they dream of doing. I have got to admit that I used to be one of those people.  I don’t know why but for years after I stopped singing with my sisters in the music group Nik-Tash’tA, I had developed this terrible stage fright.  I think it stemmed from doing a couple of just really bad shows.  We had been exhausted.  I was in school full time, and so were my sisters.  We hadn’t really practiced that well.  I think that also, with one of the performances, I had totally syked myself out because it was one of those “comedy and R&B” shows.  So I created this FEAR inside me of what if’s”.  What if I totally choke and then the comedians make fun of us all night?  Man it was a self fulfilling prophecy.  Our rehearsal before the show was great but during the show my throat felt like I had eaten a box of salteens.  It was totally not me and absolutely aweful.  I heard a guy in the audience who was at the rehearsal say…”what in the world happened…they were great in the rehearsal.”

So years afterwards, I have had to face my fears to really live the life that I truly want to live.  I am a singer down deep in my soul. 

I began to think about this topic last week, but really got deep into this conversation of “fear” running your life, with my best friend.  She was dealing with the same issue, and was finally recognizing it for what it was and what many people have learned that fear stands for…False Evidence Appearing Real.  You have to face some of your fears head on, and to do so, you have to see the positive possibilies insted of the negative what if’s.  I’ve learned that time is going pass with or without me doing things that I really love so I might as well do them, while still be reasonable and ethical.  I’m not saying do something that will harm or injure yourself or someone else, but to move you to action with things in your life that will make your dreams come true or move you to happiness.  What are some of these things for you?

6 Tips To Promote Your Music Like a CEO

Do you want to be able to quit your day job and focus on your music full time? There is a way to do it but you have to put on that business hat of yours. I know that is sometimes hard for those of us who are artists, but we can truly experience the freedom to live our dreams on our terms if we also make a living off of our talents. The internet has given us an outlet to share with the world our music, but we can also focus on our local fan base, too, through some of tools that are offered online. Here are a few tips to help you promote yourself or your band and sell more CDs.

1. Learn How to Write Good Songs. You can learn so much by listening to hits and song writing abilities of artists that have come before you. You may want to take a lesson or two in song composition if you get stumped on how to pull something together.

2. Make Sure Your Music Sounds Professional. You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on studio time nowadays to make professional sounding recordings. With pro tools your music can be produced in a home studio and sometimes sounds just as thick as the majors. Make sure your fans are able to buy your music and its levels sound as clear and crisp as the other music they have on their MP3 or CD players.

3. Perform, Perform, Perform. Get on the phones, get out to the clubs, talk to booking agents or whatever hook-up you have and book your shows. You have got to get out there to make a name for yourself. Don’t forget to video tape your performances so that you can have some material to place up on your acts website (not just MySpace…a little about this later…)

4. Promote and Make Sales During Shows. Have someone close to you go around during your show and have a sign up sheet where fans can placetheir info on your email marketing list. Also make sure you have a merchandise table set up so that fans can buy your music at the show. Look into investing in a credit card swiper, or if you are really selling a lot of merchandise, an electronic wireless credit card swiper so you can take credit cards at your shows and sell a ton of stuff…CDs, T-Shirts, Hats, Bags, buttons. You’ve gotta diversify. If you sit at the table after the show, you’ve gotta have photos to autograph…make sure you are nice, too.

5. Use the Heck Outta The Internet. You have to set up your own website with your own domain name…www.youract.com, not just a myspace page. You will get more sales that way. Some people just want to go directly to you. Have a box on your site where fans can sign up for email notices for your next performance. Also, make sure there is a way to buy your music on your website. www.cdbaby.com, and www.tunecore.com, are independent music distributors that set up mini websites for you for about $35. you input all the information about your music and they upload the audio for you. They sell your CD for a fee but can also set you up on ITunes and for individual song downloads and more. Load your vidoes to YouTube.com. Maybe set up a Facebook page or be a Twitter Tweeter, so that your fans can know what you are up to. Start a blog about the act and all of your adventures in the music industry and more.

6. Whatever you do be consistent. Set up a routine on when you are going to get the word out on your performances and send an email every Tuesday maybe. Update your status daily on Twitter or Facebook. Try to perform at least Twice a month or more. Announce when you put up a new video on You Tube…

After doing these things you should be on your way to building your following, so that you can make a living doing what you love…making and performing good music. If you have any other tips let us know in the comments below…