Attitude

I just got back from a couple weeks of traveling.This past week I was in NYC doing some TV interviews about the California 'gig economy' law AB5 which, if unchanged could single handedly crash the California music economy. I've been actively working to get the music industry an e...

This is an excerpt from my new book How to Make It in the New Music Business (Second Edition). Grab it here. The question I get asked frequently by older musicians is “does age matter.”There’s no simple answer because it all depends on what your goals are. But I’ll tell...

I just got back from a really inspiring songwriting retreat in Mammoth Lakes, California. It was organized by a singer/songwriter friend here in the LA scene. Five of us left the whirlwind of the city and escaped to the mountains. Each morning we went on a hike. Inspiration Quest...

“From the point of view of the person doing the hiring, it is far better to contract with a competent player who has a great and professional attitude than with a brilliant but irresponsible and egotistical musician who will likely require reigning in and micromanaging. No matt...

I love podcasts. More specifically, educational podcasts. Even more specifically, educational podcasts about music, business and thinking differently. Oftentimes, though, I'm at a loss when I'm caught up on a podcast I love or just in the mood for something different. I don't lis...

Photo by Abbyshoot PhotographyVery often, people like to try to bring me down and diminish my standing based on their metrics of success. Today I popped over to Amazon because a friend told me my book was still the #1 Best Seller in the Performing Arts Industry category (!!) - 6...

Last night I performed at what's now become ground zero for the LA singer/songwriter scene: Monday Monday.The Monday Monday series at The Hotel Cafe was originally started by singer/songwriter/FOH mixing extraordinaire Joel Eckels at Room 5 in January of 2013 (after filling the p...

Vanessa Wheeler at El Cid | Photo by Hannah Verbeuren Last Monday I judged an open mic contest at El Cid in Silverlake. There were 22 acts who signed up in advance of the night (many curated by El Cid's booker Michael McCarthy). I'd never been to El Cid before and was pleasantly...

I just finished playing mediator between two of my good friends. To protect the innocent, let's call them Jeremy and Jamie. Jeremy had shot a video for me and Jamie a couple years back. On shoot day there were about 10 people on set. We all had a long, albeit fun, day and the vid...

I'm sitting at home listening to bands I love who broke up before the world realized their brilliance. I knew it. The local scene knew it. Some even had major record deals. Some got their album out to the world. And some were 'shelved' until they broke up. See, signing to a major...