360Smiling.com I'm Smiling at You Behind My Mask It’s a new greeting during COVID times to be safe and bring some joy to those you meet when you must go out. And there is the catchy little tune that is sure to bring a smile to your face behind your mask. Check out one of our Smile Musicians, Zach Brock, performing I’m Smiling at You Behind My Mask @Zach Brock is a jazz violinist. You may have seen him on tour with @Snarky Puppy. And as our T Shirt & Song project is also is helping musicians in need A…

Our new project is helping musician's in need one T Shirt at a time. My work with so many artists has made me acutely aware of just how much income has been lost due to COVID-19 cancellations. After a few weeks into the stay-at-home period, an idea began to blossom that would grow into a creative project to help musicians in need. On one of my first outings for supplies, it struck me how much I missed seeing people’s facial expressions, now covered with masks. So, I said to the cashier, “I just want you to know that I’m smiling…

Delegating versus dumping is a delicate matter. There is always some part of your business that you would like just to have someone else do for you. How often do you say, "If only I had…" you fill in the blank, an agent, a manager, a publicist, an assistant. No matter who works with you on your behalf, you still need to be in charge. After all, it is your career. When or if you ever have that person working for you, you need to make a choice as to how you will manage the relationship and the flow of…

In an effort to keep track of some of the various arts advocacy information that might impact you, I'm passing along important messages and resources that come to me. Here are a few that relate to the current events of the last week along with COVID information impacting artists. The first is a powerful statement issued last week from  APAP - Association of Performing Arts Presenters. A Message of Solidarity Next, Ross Sutter shared a Webinar with me, Co-sponsored by Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, the Children’s Theater Company, and the Minnesota Theater Alliance with Dr. Osterholm, an internationally respected epidemiologist. He takes questions from Minnesota’s…

Here’s a new take on audience swaps during COVID-19 to gain new fans while staying home. You want to open new markets, and expand your fan base, but right now streaming to your fans is mostly what you got going. Why not try swapping streaming audiences with an act you know to introduce each act to each other’s fans. First, find an artist you might know, whose work you like and with whom you think you would be compatible. Second, make sure the artist selected has a strong following on the social media platforms where you are trying to expand.…

First, here’s to those who have served this country as we honor them on this Memorial Day. I remember the stories my dad told to me about his time serving during WWII. And I think of the values our country stood for and the standing America had in world. I’m taking time today to think about our service men and women who gave their lives defending the principals the founders fought so hard to win. Today I’ll keep it short and simply pass along some valuable resources. As businesses, counties, states and countries rush to reopen, the arts community is…

Here are some resources for live streaming that have come my way. Since so many artists are trying to figure this all out, many helpful organizations are coming to the aide of performers , authors, venues and organizations large and small.  I'm keeping it short and full of info this week with lots of resources in the links below. This new world is presenting new opportunities. New opportunities mean figuring out how to best make use of them or begin to use them. That means learning new technology. So here are a few organizations that have gathered some resource information…

Get to your main point fast in all your communications. In order to have your messages read and acted upon, you must decide what the main point of every message is and put it up front. I read tons of bios, web sites, press releases, email campaigns, newsletters, blog posts, letters of introduction, proposals and, well, you name it. Most writers have trouble identifying their main message and then once they stumble upon the main point, it gets buried in the 3rd or 4th paragraph. Everything you write on behalf of your act deserves consideration and attention to determine what…

It’s time to start digging for gold in your contact list. I was recently reminded how valuable our contact lists and mailing lists are. It also occurred to me how often we under use our mailing lists. Sure, you collect names at every concert or event. Then you enter them into your list and manipulate the names to send out your newsletter or email or tweet. But when was the last time you really took a good look at those names, studied them, researched the individuals to discover who they are and what they do? The people who have followed…