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What Every Artist Needs To Do Before The End of 2019

To Do List End of 2019

With the year coming to an end, it is time to take stock of where we’ve been and where we plan on going. 

Most days it is hard to believe that 2019 is almost over. In roughly six weeks, people everywhere will be gathering to celebrate the start of 2020. There will be parties held and promises made, all of which hinge on our awareness that time marches on whether or not we are prepared for what comes next. The best we can do is to position ourselves for success, which is what you need to do in the days and weeks ahead.

We live in exciting times. There is so much happening at any moment that it is all anyone can do to try and be present. If you take your eye off whatever you’re doing right now to reflect or plan you’re likely to miss the next opportunity that presents itself. Thankfully, the end of the year signals a slowdown in music that gives people at every level of the business a chance to take stock of their lives. 

There are three things every musician should do before the years ends, but before we get there, consider this: Are you happy? Is the work you’re doing, including everything that has happened over the last year, making you smile? Is the path your on in line with your dreams? If the answer is yes, great! Keep on keeping on. If the answer is no, then consider this moment the perfect time to make a change. Don’t allow yourself to enter another year living a life that doesn’t reflect your values or interests. We only have a limited time on this planet, and you owe it to yourself to do everything your heart desires. Don’t push off being your true self any longer. Be the real you to the fullest extent possible. 

After you do that, do these things as well:

Take time to appreciate your journey.

With so much happening all the time most people rarely take the opportunity to reflect on their journey. A lot has transpired over the last year, probably much more than you realize, and it’s important to set aside time for reflection. Maybe you did not accomplish everything you hoped for, but you no doubt did a lot. Maybe you played shows in places you’ve never been or wrote a song about something you never thought you’d share. Maybe you wrote a single lyric that made you feel like your truest self was being expressed. Whatever the case, take some time before the year ends to appreciate the work you’ve done. The life you are living now was once a dream that felt out of reach. Don’t forget that.

Show appreciation to those that support your dream.

No one is an island. Your success is the direct result of other people caring about you and your creativity. Every listener, concert attendee, and person who responded to an email has helped shape the career you have today. Before entering 2020, reach out to those who made an impact on your career to show your appreciation. Make them feel as special as their support has made you feel however you are able. If you can send notes or cards or gifts, do so. If you want to post a blog that recounts some of the more memorable experiences you’ve had receiving help from others, do that. Go above and beyond to show how grateful you are for the support you have received because there are many who would do anything for the following you have right now.

Make a (reasonable) plan for the new year.

The goal of every artist is to do something new and exciting with each passing year. The best way to position yourself for success in 2020 is to enter it with a plan already in place. Set reasonable goals for yourself that play into your strengths. If you wrote two good songs this year, consider planning to release an EP in the new year rather than two full-length albums. If you played two shows this year and want to play more, try making plans for a short tour instead of a month-long trek across the country. Set your sights on achievable goals that won’t feel too great to tackle when it comes time to work. 

Furthermore, once you have a few goals in mind, create checkpoints in your calendar to help keep yourself on track. If you want to tour for a week in the summer, set aside time every other week where you work on building connections and pitching venues. If you want to record, set aside time weekly to work on your material. 

Small accomplishments can easily lead to major accomplishments, but trying to do too much without a plan is a recipe for disaster. Take your time, trust yourself, and commit to seeing things through. If you can do that, which may be a bigger ‘if’ then you realize, then you will already be ahead of the competition.

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Artist Advice Business Advice Editorials Haulix Writing Tips

Learning how to fail is an essential part of succeeding in the music business

“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.” - Thomas Edison

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison

As much as you may like to believe your career in music is infallible, or that you have a gift for songwriting no one will be able to deny, I can guarantee you there will always be days when your best efforts come up short. Failure is an unavoidable byproduct of any creative endeavor, and regardless of what level of fame you reach in this business there will always bad days. The point of continuing to create is not to work towards perfection, but to take into consideration everything that has happened, both good and evil, and apply it to whatever comes next. Art, like life, is a constant progression, and the best you can do is learn how to frame each failure as something other that is ultimately beneficial to your career.

The number of ways you can screw up in music is numerous, and they range from writing a bad single, to performing in such a way that disappoints your fans. We cannot begin to break down every single instance of failure and how it can be viewed as a positive, but we can offer tips to help you deal with any situation where things do not go as planned. The advice that follows may seem fairly obvious to some, but if applied to your next misstep we guarantee growth will occur. It might not be easy, but it will be beneficial to your creativity in the long run, and at the end of the day that is what matters most.

Start with the truth. Accept the situation for what it is, and be prepared to face it head-on.

Everyone has heard that line about how the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry, and the reason we’ve all heard it is that it’s entirely accurate. You might have written the best song you believe yourself possible of creating, but for one reason or another, it might not connect with listeners. Likewise, you may give what you feel is the performance of a lifetime, only to look at Twitter after the gig and read tweet after tweet complaining about the sound. In times like this it’s incredibly easy to take a defensive stance, but to do so would be an error. Accept that not everyone will experience things the way you do and try to see things from the outsider’s perspective. Be humbled by the fact you received any response at all, as most never do, and ask yourself how you could improve or change what you’re doing in the future.

The key to this step is honesty. It’s okay to say you love something that your fans do no, but do not blame them for not feeling the same. Art is subjective, but if you listen to your audience, you should be able to find a way to do what you want while still playing to their demands. You don’t have to, of course, but most great artists find a way to compromise that satisfies everyone.

Look for the positive, no matter how small it may be.

Let’s say your new album was expected to sell ten thousand copies its first week and only sold fifteen-hundred. That disappointment would be quite a sting, especially from a financial standpoint, but considering the fact that less than 1% of all the albums released in any given year sell more than a thousand copies then you’re still among the most famous musicians in the world. You may not have ten thousand people clamoring to purchase your new album, but fifteen-hundred consumers are indeed nothing to scoff at. There are towns and villages all over the world that have populations far below fifteen-hundred people, and even fewer people outside those communities know they exist. You may not be where you want to be, but you are farther along than most, and that is something you should never take for granted.

The point is, there is also an upside. Your new demo may have gone over worse than Jar Jar Binks, but at least by sharing it with fans, you learned something new about what they expect from you and what they hope to hear from any future material. This knowledge can and should inform future recordings which, in theory, will be received better than whatever came before.

Do not be afraid to take time away from the internet.

We are convinced there are at least two negative comments for every positive one on pretty much every song, video, or think piece posted online. People are far quicker to complain than they are to compliment, especially in a public forum, which is why you should consider taking time away from the constant barrage of commentary social media provides when things take a turn for the worse. If you know the incoming messages are going to be riddled with negativity, there is no reason to wallow in the hurt feelings such commentary can cause. Absorb enough to understand why people are upset, then step away and take time to reflect on how you can improve your efforts in the future. You do not need the internet to do this, and in our opinion, you shouldn’t use it. Stay offline until you have something new to share, and if that doesn’t go over then feel free to take more time away. In fact, take as much time as you need. The internet will still be here when you return.

Whatever you do, keep creating.

No matter how you initially react to failure, you cannot let the ensuing negativity defeat you. Keep producing, always, and do not stop until you decide you are finished. There will still be someone in the world who thinks you are not good enough, but you cannot let the opinions of a select few stop you from expressing yourself through art. Creativity is a gift that is all too rare in this world, and it should be shared at every opportunity. Don’t let the haters win.

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Artist Advice Business Advice Editorials Haulix News

In the music business, you can never get too comfortable

Succeeding in the music business is hard work, and the only way to get ahead is by doing everything you can to consistently develop new skills.

The goal of every aspiring professional is to land their dream job and feel secure within it. You could say the same for current professionals as well. Everyone hopes to find something to do for a living that compliments their interests and has the potential to last for many years. No one likes looking for work, and no one wants to go through life feeling as though their job may be taken away from them at a moment’s notice, especially if they’re good at what they do. 

Life in the music business is a tricky proposition. On the one hand, finding employment can mean the actualization of dreams that have lived in someone’s soul from a very early age. On the other hand, maintaining a job once employed is never guaranteed. Business come and go in this industry just like trends in music. The label that employs 300 people today could very well find themselves needing only a fraction of that staff in five years time. Consumers dictate which businesses thrive and which companies die. You can be the best at what you do, but if no one is buying or supporting that thing there is a good chance you could soon be looking for work once more.

I tell you this not to discourage you, but to reinforce the need to stay engaged in the industry.  If you want to work in music then you have to accept the fact you the hustle really never ends. That doesn’t mean you have to work 24/7, but it does mean you need to be constantly pushing yourself towards bigger and better things. Full-time employment is not enough. Paying your bills is not enough. It’s not about money and it’s not about things. Longterm success in music is about constant personal development, both for yourself and for those around you.

Several years ago the head of publicity at an iconic heavy metal label told me that he challenged himself to develop a new skill every year that would – in some way – aide him in life. The year we spoke he had set to learning video editing, and by the following spring, he was making additional money creating promotional clips and lyric videos for bands of all sizes. He was also creating more interesting content for work, which in turn helped push the label forward.

We apply a similar practice here at Haulix. We invest in the skills our marketing and sales team need, such as public speaking and graphic design. We encourage our programmers to be creative with their designs, make training available to support team members, and hold weekly meetings to discuss the economics of our market with the entire team present. We don’t want our team to understand our business alone, we want them to understand the industry and our role in it, as well as that of all our competitors.

So ask yourself: What don’t I know?

Got it? Okay. Get to work.

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Business Advice Editorials Haulix

‘Hustle Harder’ is bad advice. Here’s why:

One of the internet’s most popular phrases, ‘Hustler Harder’ is a recipe for disaster, depression, and feelings of inadequacy.

Read a motivational blog, any motivational blog, and you’re bound to see the word ‘hustle’ used as if it were going out of style. People will tell you to hustle every day, hustle nonstop, always be on your hustle, etc. But what does this really mean, and what – if anything – will hustling every day really do for your career?

I take issue with the idea we should always be hustling for a few reasons. For starters, not everyone knows how to hustle. People often confuse hustling with merely getting your work done, or doing whatever you think needs to be done to get ahead. That may be true in some cases, but the hustling as an idea is a bit broader in its definition. Hustling refers to being smarter than those you’re competing against to get ahead. This goes beyond working hard for long hours. In fact, you don’t even need to do those things to truly hustle. Lots of people get ahead by doing less than their peers, and that is its own form of hustling.

Secondly, hustling every day never guarantees success. A person with a terrible voice can practice singing every day for the rest of their lives and never be half as good as the least successful major label artist. Likewise, I can hit the gym every day and never gain enough muscle to be a linebacker in the NFL. Just because I want something and work diligently towards achieving it does not mean that goal will one day be realized. It makes it more likely, sure, but that’s about it.

Third, and most importantly, some hustles are actually detrimental to your personal development. Some people spend years of their lives working toward something that is never going to happen and in the process make great sacrifices that they later regret. To understand whether or not this is happening an individual needs to disengage from their hustle and take stock of their life. They need to possess the power to step back, examine what does and does not work, then adjust their path in life accordingly. When someone hustles hard every single day, 24/7, the opportunity for reflection is lost. By the time people do think to look up, time and life have often passed them by.

Very few people hustle hard every day and achieve their goals. The vast majority hustle hard for longer than they should and realize they missed their chance to pursue their passion. Worse yet, many often miss out on experiences with family and friends because of their dedication to the idea of hustling hard.

Those who hustle hard will inevitably burn out. Don’t hustle harder, Hustle smarter, and by that I mean constantly evaluate your situation and what you need to do to create the life you aspire to experience. Examine the world around you and ask yourself if you are really leading to the life you want. If the answer is no, adjust your trajectory and keeping moving. Then do so again and again periodically for the rest of your life.

A great hustle is just one part of the recipe for success. Other elements include talent, networking skills, and general likability. Do you really think the hardest working person always gets the job over the person people like the most, or that those who are naturally gifted in a particular field do not rise through the ranks faster than those who have to work on their talent? The idea that hustling hard will eventually give you what you want only applies in a world where things are fair and trust me – this life is not fair.

Don’t hustle to hustle, don’t work hard just to say you drove yourself to the point of mental exhaustion, and don’t place work over people. You may never get where you hope to go, but you can still enjoy the journey.

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News

3 Things Artists Should Keep In Mind While Attending SXSW

We are less than a month away from the start of SXSW, and from the growing number of press alerts in my inbox it seems safe to assume promotion for every band’s numerous performances is well under way. Being a musician at SXSW can be an exciting, dizzying, and altogether life-changing experience, but it is of the utmost importance that you do everything in your power to remain level headed. You never know where your time in Austin will lead, but if you keep the following tips in mind success will not be far away:

1. Do your research and come with a plan.

SXSW is chaos on Sixth street. If you’re part of a band that has never experienced this — do research. Talk to bands that have played showcases in the past, know where you want to be, who you want to see and whose hand you want to shake. Be aware of everything going on and make the most of every minute you are there. This is an industry driven on being in the right place at the right time. Make a plan and do your best to stick to it [and stay relatively sober, no one wants to hear you drunkenly describe your band as The Beatles meets Bon Iver and how you’re going to change the world forever].

2. Keep an ear to the ground.

The amount of unofficial showcases, house parties and sideshows are unreal. Stay glued to social media, email and the talking heads around you for opportunities to jump on last-minute gigs and impress an entire new group of potential fans. These shows are a great opportunity to play with artists you would have never shared the stage with on a normal bill and can build relationships for future touring.

3. Don’t make an ass of yourself.

We already mentioned how important it is to stay sober enough to make the right impression, but really, if you take your band serious, don’t become overwhelmed by temptation. Being the mecca of musical discovery, your band is a dime a dozen for the entire week, your impression is everything. Don’t get us wrong, it is so important to embrace the week and have an unforgettable time doing so, but you must also bring your A-game for all day, every day. Show the people who matter that you are impressive both on and off stage.

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