Imagine entering into a romantic relationship with someone that asks you to sign a 5-page contract before your first date. Would you do it? If you wouldn’t allow this from a romantic partner, why would you let your agent? Folks, not many of us musicians, have experience writing or reading contracts. Some of us didn’t grow with up lawyers in the household. For many, English is not the first language. Look, you’ve gone to an agent because you needed a job. If not you, I’m sure you know someone. In exchange for the gig, you pay them a commission - that’s fair. So they can protect their work, they ask you to agree to an agreement - also appropriate. However, their contract is littered with terms that only benefit them and hardly benefit you, Tomorrow - I’m going to review a few clauses with you. Stop by and educate yourself. There are agents, hoping you don’t understand the language in your agreement - your ignorance is the price you pay for your loyalty and exclusivity. But, is this really loyalty?

If we’re going to change an industry, we need to change how the industry operates. To do that, we need a new idiom. Thinking about agencies for a second, they’re a dime a dozen nowadays. No offense, to agent friends of mine, but there are a lot of you. Therefore, to create a new model that does what agencies do, but better, we need to create something different. What if we were all agents for each other? If we created a community of musicians, that invested the time to help each other grow, share the best tips for landing jobs, and then we marketed that community to employers - cruise lines, hotels, etc.? What if that community didn’t charge you a commission for the jobs you get? What if that community didn’t charge employers a fee for hiring you? The community and employers win. But, there would be challenges - ourselves.

Is there an art to starting an agency? Is there an art to being an agent?  Absolutely! Of course!  What do we know of art:Requires an idea: The agent has a plan to improve the lives of musicians with jobs.We need to use a form: Create a platform that connects musicians with jobs.Here’s where things, traditionally, go sideways:   Pick the idiom: Create an agency.Create structure: Musicians pay us 10% of their earnings for gigs, in exchange, we find them work.Apply Craft: put up a website, contact employers, request their attention, and run ads on social media to attract talent.Surface: make the website look nice, do more to make our talent look like artists, and tell our artists we’ll “fight” for them to get the best money.  I don’t believe the current model produces art. Have we served our idea by asking people to pay 10% on wages that we can’t reasonably deliver? Do employers buy the line that you’re hiring the best?   We can do better. Perhaps some of us do?Art is the eye of the receiver - you, not the creator - the agents. I put it to you, how many agents do you know that create art?

I frequently am contacted by people asking how to start an agency. Just this past week, a new agency came on the market. I wish them well. Still, I’m left wondering - why does everyone want to start an agency? Is it easy money? What are you providing that others can’t? Who wants to pay you 10-15% of their earnings for you to send emails? I imagine a world where people stopped trying to be agents - especially in the cruise industry. Instead, I believe in a world where people join together and create a community. Stop creating a chokehold on the industry, and start creating access to everyone. Stop thinking you’re the best, and start encouraging others to help others be the best. Stop trying to outdoor the others, and start embracing collective good. The musicians that struggle to find work need other musicians to help them. They need the benefit of experience to know what they’re doing wrong, to find connections, and to be held accountable. Create agencies, but then realize you’re like everybody else - so what makes you unique?

What if a community existed that connected, networked, and brought together musicians to help them get work? What if, in that community, people offered a helpful critique of one another? What if, like Reddit, we promoted up the people who were crushing it, and making the improvements to become better musicians? Perhaps, employers would see the value in such a community and want to hire people from it? If you’re like me, you know a good idea when you see it, and you’re happy to share it with others. We can make this a better world for musicians to do work that matters. We need others to say it’s the right thing and enroll. I’ll be posting more updates via the blog. If you’d like to follow the journey, please do!

I recently attended a concert by a college friend of mine. The concert showcased her original work, and I am proud of her. However, she made a mistake that I see artists make time-after-time. “Folks, thanks for coming out to join me. Be sure to follow me on Instagram, Spotify, Facebook, sign up for my newsletter, let’s keep in touch, stream my music, etc.” Now to the carrot. Do you remember the cartoons with Elmer Fudd dangling a carrot above Bugs Bunny’s hole? Elmer hoped to lure Bugs from his home to capture him. While Bugs never fell for the trick, the analogy is a good one. We use carrots to inspire action from those we seek to serve. Back to my friend. Where’s the carrot? What’s the enticement to reach out to you? I’ve just been given four to five different ways to connect, I’m a busy person, make this easy for me, dangle the carrot. If you want people to engage with you, dangle the carrot. Make it easy. Direct them to one page with a link to what you want them to do - subscribe, open Spotify, buy a piece of merch, pay you money, or whatever else you can think of someone to do. If you want to see results, dangle the carrot.

The writing of Steven Pressfield inspired the recent series on facing fears and telling the “Resistant You” to shush up. Steven wrote a fabulous book called “The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and win Your Inner Creative Battles.” If you are looking for past articles, they’ve been filed under “Making Impact”. If you are like me, often blocked by your “Resistant You,” this book may prove inspirational. I hope you’ll check it out.

The distance between where you are now, and where you want to be, closes with one step - take the step. For the last week, I’ve written how we see “Resistant You” manifested in our lives. I’ve also written on some steps you can take to combat fear - treating yourself as a professional, but what happens next? Come alive. You must confront the resistance, be aware that you might fall flat on your face, and not care. After the mental work - do the actual work! If you want to write music, write music every day. Share it with the world, even if it sucks. Just get out there and write! If you want to be an engaging entertainer, take as many gigs as you can. Yes, free ones. Do what you can do to be in front of others! If you want to be a better recruiter, try new tactics out to reach your target audience - start a blog, offer free coaching, revamp your interview process. We look at successful people, people who are “crushing life.” They didn’t just start that way! You don’t see the many failures people went through to get to where they are today. You, now, January 8th, starting the second week of the New Year, have an opportunity to fail and to win. You will fail more than win - it’s math. But if you fail the way I suggest, you’ll learn! I hope that you’ll start the New Year off inspired to take risks, to tell your “Resistant You” where to shove its dissent, to do something courageous, and to come alive. Face your fears. You’re not alone.

Beating resistance, and coming alive, requires you to treat your work as a professional. I’m not referring to charging for your work, but realizing that professionals exhibit certain traits that amateurs don’t.  No excuses. If I have to show up, I’ll show up.  Faces fear. If you’re doing a gig that stretches your abilities, you’re facing a fear. Pros face their fears.Cares about creating better art. No matter your profession, if you care about doing what you do better, you are a professional. Organizes. A professional seeks to organize their workspace, clearly presents their ideas, and effectively gathers the team.  Patience. If you’re a professional, you know you’re running a marathon, not a race.  Preparation. You wouldn’t show up to a gig without the appropriate cables, would you? You understand things can go wrong, and you plan contingencies.  Humble. A professional plays for the gig. If you’re playing a Top 40 gig, it’s not the time to show off your jazz chops. You play the gig you’re hired to do.  Questions. Never afraid to ask for help, question an idea, or offer another point of view.  Separates work and play. You are not your instrument. When I die, I will not die as a piano; I’ll die as David. I happen to use a piano to create art.  Student. A professional actively accepts feedback, listens to the guidance of others, and takes criticisms as a means for growth.   Courage. A professional faces adversity head-on. Re-invents. There may be a time when you are no longer going to play; perhaps you’ll find fulfillment teaching?  Recognition. Others recognize a professional for their work, effort, and worth.  Don’t let “Resistant You” talk you out of coming alive. Counteract its effects by becoming a professional.