Goals & Planning

The Holidays Begin Celebrate YOU during this holiday season. So take a break from planning, practicing and do some partying. You’ve earned it after a full year of nose to the grindstone, conferences, phone calls, newsletters, and emails. I always take Christmas week and reflect, regroup, reorganize my office and get ready to dive into the New Year. It’s really a great time to celebrate — but not just the holidays. It’s a great time to celebrate all you’ve accomplished over the last year. We don’t do that enough. We don’t congratulate ourselves for what we’ve achieved, large or small. As independent artists we are most likely not involved with…

Kick bookings into high gear with a two-year planning cycle and give your career a big boost! Widen the picture. Expand your overview. Always looking ahead two years affords you the great luxury of giving your career the momentum necessary to succeed. The fact is, that if you only look out as far as the very next booking, your calendar may seem pretty empty two months from now. The solution is really very easy though. Think about it. Whether you work with a team, like agents, managers, publicists or not, two years of planning allows the team to be more strategic in setting their promotions and vision for you in…

I cook so I can have leftovers so I can make great things from leftovers. In fact I plan my meals with the intention of creating leftovers. Holidays offer a perfect opportunity for leftovers. I think about the holiday season as the leftovers of the prime time for touring. You have about a month and a half of time when booking personnel are either scrambling to finish their bookings or they are done and not taking any calls. You have returned from most of your intentional tours and are either playing holiday gigs or laying low, trying to book late year gigs for the coming winter. These are the leftover…

Which comes first Creativity or Productivity? As a musician and performing artist, I would venture a guess that the creator in you was the driving force that led you to become a performing artist. OK, let’s back up a bit. First let me break open Webster’s Dictionary and define these two terms so we can be on the same page. Creativity: noun, 1. The use of the imagination or original ideas, esp. in the production of an artistic work. Productivity: noun, 1. A measure relating a quantity or quality of output to the inputs required to produce it. Now with these definitions in mind, I’d like to make a few…

Are your methods working for you? Are you satisfied with the results you’ve been achieving?  So as you review how you have managed your business over the last 4 years, can you identify one thing you have been doing repeatedly to achieve desired outcomes? Is there one way you have been booking your dates or making your calls or marketing your act? Has it been working time and again? If you are, then please identify that method or strategy and repeat it often in everything you do. BUT, if it has not delivered the results you are after, then again, identify that strategy or method, isolate it and let’s really…

When it comes to festival bookings plan your approach for a better response. There’s no doubt that playing festivals can expand your audience within the festival market. There are so many to play and choose from as you plan your festival booking search. If you feel ready to pitch your act to the festival market, then here are 5 steps to take before picking up the phone or emailing a link to your Electronic Press Kit or your website to every festival on some huge list. Set some touring goals as to the markets that are logical for you to tour at this time in your career. Research the festivals…

Make better career building decisions by doing the numbers, create budgets and let the numbers guide you rather than your emotions. How many times a day do you have to make a decision that might impact your career or even your life? What factors do you use to help you make your final decision? Most people are influenced by their emotional response to any given situation. Heck, that’s what advertisers count on as do car sales people, real estate agents…you’ve been there. You remember, “So what color car do you see yourself driving.” Emotional? You bet! When it comes to your career, choosing to take a gig or bring a…

Here are 5 steps towards future gigs that you can implement immediately and get ahead of the booking game. Since this is winter, you are likely hitting the road to fulfill all the gigs you worked so hard book a few months ago or you are using the winter months to work on future bookings, a recording project or taking time off the road to do whatever... Well I've got a winter to-do list for you to help you stay on track to get future gigs. Step 1: Reconnect with recently played gigs. Gather up all those recently played gig contacts and make a list of your favorites. If you…

I thought I’d offer 3 best practices for the New Year that you might make part of your routine this year and for years to come. The new year is off and running. Holiday travel is winding down and winter is about to kick into high gear. Are you ready? Adopt these 3 best-practices and you will have an advantage over other artists vying for the same gigs. Practice Gratitude: One sure-fire way to build great relationships in business and in life is to demonstrate your appreciation to those with whom you interact. From the business perspective, that might simply mean remembering to send Thank You notes to bookers, presenters,…