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A Real Reality Check!
By Michael Allison - 06/17/2002 - 02:37 PM EDT

So, you’ve submitted your music to every website that you could find, sent out endless amounts of CD’s and promotional info, and wasted countless hours sitting in front of your computer wondering why you aren’t selling any CD’s? You’ve had hundreds or thousands of people downloading your music, a ton of people making you offers and feeding you bull shit, and you still can’t figure out why you haven’t been signed. Well that’s life! Deal with it. If you haven't guessed by now, we are continuing our reality check series this week at The Musician's Desktop. Sometimes things just don’t go like they are supposed to. You spend your whole life hearing those lines that tell you, “If you work really hard and try your best, you can be anything you want to be” -- Then only to see the lazy-asses and half-asses of the world get all of the lucky breaks! Well, you’re not alone.

If you’re sitting there now thinking so what am I supposed to do about it, well you’ve come to the wrong person for that advice. Instead I’ll tell you what I did. I stopped listening to everyone else and did everything my way! That’s right! I stopped listening to all of those “music business professionals” and all of those web site of the month wanna-be’s and did it my way. I didn’t try to make 50,000 fans in one week, I did it one at a time. I didn’t try to sell 100 CD’s in a month, I did it one at a time. I didn’t try to become the biggest thing since sliced bread, I tried to be the best that I could be. It’s just that simple. I didn't become a big star, but I did make a decent living for a while doing what I loved to do. That was my goal, and I accomplished everything I set out to. One step at a time.

The problem with artists on the web or artists in general is that everyone is looking for a quick fix. Sorry, Not Gonna Happen! There is no such thing as an overnight success. Even those little boy bands had to bust their butts to get where they are now. It’s just that simple. Lack of patience is the one thing that kills most bands. I’ve seen so many bands completely fall apart simply because they wanted too much, too fast. Don’t get greedy! It will come for some and for some it will not. If you believe and work your ass off, it might come and it might not. That’s just the price you pay for living.

That goes with anything and everything you do, not just the music business. So here’s my advice to you. Stop trying to conquer the world and start trying to get from point A to point B. Don’t make these points so far apart that they become unattainable. Reality has a strange way of kicking you in the ass when you least expect it. So the lesson here today is you can work yourself into a coma trying to get a record deal, or you can simply take it one day at a time and attain smaller goals. These smaller goals will eventually add up into a much larger goal.

The second part of this lesson is, no matter how hard you work or how good you are, the chances for your success are no greater than anyone else’s. I don't care what all of the "Positive Thinking" gurus are saying. Positive thought is not the cornerstone of success! Luck and persistence are. Learning how to take a good ass kicking, and getting back up to take another one is another cornerstone. It's just not as simple as being good enough. You also have to be a million different other things. The perfect money machine! Get It! Do you have what it takes to make a truck load of cash with your music, with your looks, with your image, with your personality? That's what it all comes down to, and if your think otherwise you're only fooling yourself.

Take a look at some of the popular artist out there now. Then ask yourself if you are any better than they are. If so, why aren’t you where they are? Get my point? You need to decide whether or not the sacrifices that you will need to make in order to be successful are worth it. Even if you do not succeed. If they are, then you better get back to work. If not, you could always start up a website and help other artists out with your knowledge and experiences. On second thought, that position is probably already filled.


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