The 10 Commandments of the Independent Rockstar (Pt 2)
Scott James
http://www.WebsitesForRockstars.comFollow @ihelpmusicians
This is a continuation from The 10 Commandments of the Independent Rockstar (Pt 1).
Behold! The last 5 Commandments of the Independent Rockstar:
- 6- Thou Shalt Not Allow Negative Influences Into Thy System
- 7- Thou Shalt Go The Extra Mile
- 8- Thou Shalt Have an Excellent Mailing List
- 9- Thou Shalt Not Release a Record Without a Plan
- 10- Thou Shalt Have Fun and Be Excited
6 ) Thou Shalt Not Allow Negative Influences Into Thy System
Success isn’t a linear cause and effect equation. It’s the product of a system. It’s kind of like a car. When you put the parts together something pretty amazing happens. You can drive. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. The interaction between the parts produces what’s known as an ‘emergent property’. This is something that can only be produced by a group of parts working together.
It’s the same way in a band or a team. If there are 5 members in your band then it might be easy to think of the value of each member as being roughly 20% each. This is an illusion. Important parts in a system have the power to cripple the entire deal. What % is a car part worth to the system? Cut the battery wire in your car and find out.
The same applies to your band or the team behind you. Never underestimate the power of one negative influence on your system.
Another example is a cake. A cake is also a whole that’s greater than the sum of it’s parts. Ad 5% dog food in the next cake you bake and then tell me how well the other 95% makes up for the difference.
(btw I just spent 5 days learning material like this from Eben Pagan and Wyatt Woodsmall at a seminar called “Mind Control – How to Use Your Brain For Success”. It’s going to be released on DVD. Whatever they charge for it – get it. Don’t even think twice. It’s worth it. Trust me.)
7 ) Thou Shalt Go The Extra Mile
You won’t be rewarded for doing things that are common. You won’t be rewarded for doing things that are easy. You’ll be rewarded for going above and beyond and for creating systems that generate tremendous value for large numbers of people.
You have to rise beyond the status quo. You have to be willing to do what the next guy won’t. This is a principle at the very core of evolution. It’s how we got here and how we’ll get to where we’re going.
If nature rewarded the status quo then we would never evolve. Nature rewards those who break new ground, push the limits of what’s possible and have the courage to lead. So if you want to be rewarded then don’t be a clone, don’t be lazy and don’t give up.
“Success is a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don’t quit when you’re tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.”
— Robert Strauss
8 ) Thou Shalt Have an Excellent Mailing List
Don’t gaff this one. Take your mailing list seriously. If you want a great recipe for disappointment and failure then conduct your career as though you’re waiting for someone else to come in and make your poorly run operation profitable. If you want more money and to attract more people who actually want to help you and invest in you, then learn how to make yourself profitable on your own.
Your mailing list is key to making your band profitable. I recommend that you google ‘Frank Kern’ and study some of his material. You’ll learn more about running a profitable mailing list from him than you likely will from anyone in the music business.
Don’t ever be afraid to venture out of the music section of the book store to check out some books in the business section. Wisdom comes from understanding multiple perspectives.
Here’s an old post that’s got some money making ideas for your mailing list: http://independentrockstar.com/336/turn-mailing-list-money-enthusiasm/
9 ) Thou Shalt Not Release a Record Without a Plan
Back in the day I used to work in a record store. I can tell you first hand that with few exceptions, a CD will never sell as many copies as it does in the first week it’s released. If you gaff the release of a CD and just dump it out there without anticipation and without a plan for how you want people to digest it than you’re blowing it. Straight up.
My best advice on releasing a CD can be found on the Disc Makers blog: http://blog.discmakers.com/2010/02/cd-release-tips
10 ) Thou Shalt Have Fun and Be Excited
You can never hide how you feel about what you’re doing. When you are legitimately out-of-your-mind excited about your new CD or your next show then people won’t be able to help but notice. Sometimes the best marketing you can do just comes from being excited and doing what comes naturally. You can’t fake it. If you settled for less than your best on your new CD then people will pick up on this. You can’t hide it, so don’t put yourself in that situation.
What would get you really excited about your career right now? Write a list of 5 things that would get you excited about your music, your band and/or your career. Maybe there’s a venue that you’ve always wanted to play. Maybe there’s a producer you really want to work with. Maybe a special guest or another band that you’ve always wanted to play a show with. Write it all down. Then get to work. Make something happen.
What’s better than having fun and being excited?
