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Music artist
resources: On this page we
will offer updated links, articles and other info you may
find useful in making moves as an artist or when starting a
record label. Past articles appear at the bottom of the page. Resources page
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.: Read the article below by
Tim Sweeney, who over the last 20 years has helped
several major labels (Columbia, Epic, MCA, Universal, Warner
Bros., Capitol, Mercury, Polygram, Revolution, Hollywood
(and their sub-labels), and well known independent labels
(Restless, Metal Blade, Enigma, Accretions, etc.) develop
the careers of some of their most promising and successful
artists of all time.
Why Do Music
Artists Put More Effort Into Their Day Jobs Than Promoting
Their Music?
By Tim
Sweeney
Is your day job more valuable than your music? While most
music artists immediately say no, the simple fact is they
spend 8 to 10 hours a day working for a person or company
that doesn’t pay them enough or value their effort. They
will even work overtime at a job they claim to hate yet they
won’t spend 1 or 2 hours a day of their own time, promoting
their music that is supposedly more important to them!
While you can jump up and down screaming that it pays the
bills, the real question is, “ does it give you what you
need in life?” Or should I ask, “ do you want to impact
people with the messages in your songs or have the same day
job for the next 20 years?”
You have to treat your day job as a second job. I understand
that most music artists need one to give them a financial
foundation to start with but your music has to be the“
Priority” in your life! You have to spend time promoting
yourself and the messages in your songs to new fans and the
media every single day. You have to educate them about the
value you have for them and others. This means instead of
sending emails, faxes and leaving voice mails saying pay
attention to me, you are going to show them results! Here’s
how you are going to do it.
Start by planning where you are going to promote your music
on a daily basis. Go there and hand out the special kind of
CD samplers I talk about in Tim Sweeney’s Guide To Releasing
Independent Records PART 2. (order at www.TSAMusic.com/products.asp)
Build relationships with your fans where you get to know
them and they can learn from you while you are handing them
out, through conversations at shows and through your CDs.
Challenge yourself to expand beyond the current form your
art is in. Two ways that I help artists like yourself do
that right away is by one, helping them write books based
upon the messages in the their songs and two, creating DVDs
of their live shows that include special features where your
fans get to know you and more about your music.
Strive to be “indefinable” like I talk about in the first
chapter of my new book, Getting What You Want Out Of Life (www.TSAMusic.com/products.asp,
www.TimSweeney.com). The term “artist” does not come with a
title in front of it! An artist can present his or her art
in many different ways. The key is promoting yourself and
your music all the time.
While there is nothing wrong with working for a company for
the next 20 or even 30 years and eventually moving up to a
management position, is this why you got into music? If you
are like me, you got into music to inspire people, to impact
them. To make them stop and realize what they are missing in
life because they are focused on their day jobs that they
hate, the hours of wasted time in traffic and the problems
in their lives. It is your job through your music to snap
them out of it! To inspire them, to help them see there is
more to life!
Your art is your passion not your day job! Stay focused and
use the strategies in Tim Sweeney’s Guide To Releasing
Independent Records PART 2 to give you ideas of what you can
do everyday to promote yourself and your music and order a
copy of Getting What You Want Out Of Life to learn how to
reach people with the messages in your songs.
Tim's book available at his site:
www.tsamusic.com
Past Articles:
Getting
More Press Reviews
by Tim Sweeney
Motivation
by Tim Sweeney
Who's
on Your Mailing List?
by Tim Sweeney
How To Generate
More CD Sales In Record Stores by Tim Sweeney
Being in Control of Your Music
by Tim Sweeney
How to
Put Out Your Own Record by Wendy Day
Business Basics by Wendy Day
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