The Sweet Smell of Success

How do you define success?
Everyone knows that the music industry is changing at an incredibly fast rate. What worked yesterday might not work today. So how do we measure success in such uncertain times? For the major labels success has always been measured in sales and like I mentioned last week, benchmarks were developed to help them keep track (silver, gold, platinum, diamond). The fact of the matter is that the majority of bands will never reach these numbers and the way things are going major label bands are no exception.

I like the idea of creating "benchmarks" for your success, it helps you to reach your overall goals by giving you a nice place to celebrate in the middle of your journey.Before you begin your journey you need to figure out where you are going, you need to define what success means to you. Success for you may very well may be a platinum record but I think as independent musicians we need to start small. How about: 100 people on your email list, 1000 Myspace friends, write enough material to record an album, headline at your local hotspot or make enough money with your music to quit your day job? Any and all of these are a great start. I recommend sitting down with your band (or by yourself if you are a solo artist) and brainstorming 10 to 20 attainable goals. Start working towards them immediately and you will be amazed at how much easier success comes your way.

So what is success for you and your music? Is it being able to quit your day job? Or, is it getting a big enough cut of the door to afford you some tacos and enough gas to get home? Drop me a line and let me know what you come up with. I would love to hear the way you define success.

Until next time