The David Andrew Wiebe Show

Have you ever found yourself in a frustration cycle as a musician? Do you feel like thinking more and doing more for your career just leads to more frustration?

In this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast, I share some of my biggest takeaways from my two-week break in Vernon, BC.

Podcast Highlights:

00:18 – Going on break

01:01 – Things work better when you stop?

02:45 – Are you overselling yourself?

03:58 – Life is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal

04:40 – How will you restart your engines?

Transcription:

Hey, it’s David Andrew Wiebe.

I know I went AWOL for three weeks, but I’m finally back to deliver another batch of killer podcast episodes.

So, at the beginning of November, I went on break. This happened a little later than expected, but it was still very timely, as I wrapped up my trip to Vernon just before local lockdowns started up again.

And I wasn’t ready to get back into the swing of things the moment I came back, so three weeks went by without a new episode or for that matter, any new content on the website.

I needed time to recharge the batteries, and as you may already know, I worked myself to exhaustion at the beginning of September, which is nowhere near as fun as it sounds. Yes, it has taken nearly three months to recover in full, and I know for a fact I’m much better now, but I’m not at 100% yet.

But here’s the funny part. Have you ever noticed how sometimes when you leave something alone, it starts working better?

If you ever find yourself in a frustration cycle, then taking more actions isn’t the solution. In that space, your actions just lead to more frustration, and even if something is working, you tend not to notice it. Sheep come out in wolves’ clothing as it were.

So, the best thing you can often do to release all that pent-up energy is to stop.

And that sounds completely counter-intuitive in our hustle culture obsessed with working hard, 16-hour days, fake it until you make it, “take my free webinar now” crowd.

Here’s the goofy thing about it – I tried all that. I tried the 16-hour per day hustle. And it didn’t work for me. It just got me caught in a frustration cycle, like I said.

These cycles are also known as pendulums. When a pendulum gains momentum, it keeps swinging and rotating harder and faster, until you find yourself caught in its grips, unable to escape.

It’s still possible to interrupt that pendulum, but not without taking different actions.

If you stop for long enough, and don’t resist, though, the pendulum will begin to dissolve, and you can start over from a fresh space.

Maybe the 16-hour days work for Tony Robbins, or Russell Brunson, or Gary Vaynerchuk.

And by the way, I’m not comparing myself to any of these guys. I’m not in the same niche, and I’m not the same type of marketer either.

I’ve always been a little more on the side of a transparent marketer, sharing my blunders and stories, my numbers, and I’ve even touched on my personal matters several times.

I know you’re supposed to bring your best self to your content, which is what I strive to do. And my delivery of the content has changed considerably over time.

But I think we can easily oversell ourselves too. No one’s really talking about that. They just keep talking about the fact that you’re not posting enough, you’re not showing up enough, you’re not selling enough.

Again, this hasn’t been my experience. My experience has been that the harder I try to prop myself up, the less things work. Because I’m trying to say, “look at me, look at what I’ve done, I’m amazing.” And it produces the opposite result. All it does is further envelope me in the shadows of obscurity.

When I think about all the times, I’ve tried to prop myself up, I’ve come from a space of wanting something. And when you want something, you just attract more of the same. Wanting leads to more wanting.

Wanting leads to more wanting.Share on X

Maybe others are able to come from a different space when they’re selling themselves. Maybe they genuinely see it as giving. There’s nothing wrong with that.

What works for others may not work for you.

But you’ve got to know what space you’re coming from. Because whatever that is, you’re going to attract more of it.

To me, giving and being generous is showing up and recording a podcast episode. It’s showing up and writing a blog post. It’s giving away free, high-quality guides that can help you in various areas of your music career.

It’s all about creating the life you love through music.

My story has always been one of progression. I went from working five jobs to working completely from home in 2016. Then I created my location independence last year in 2019 and moved from Calgary to Abbotsford. And now I travel and explore as I’m able, which isn’t much, and I mostly spend time writing content for music industry websites, but the point is that it was all created gradually.

And that’s where I am. But I can see further now. And I want to give generously and profit generously. And I believe I have been able to do that. I’ve been doing that all along. There isn’t necessarily more to give, just that I keep showing up to give, which I don’t need to do. I do it because I know what’s possible for others.

So, as you look to restart your engines for 2021, you might consider taking a break. Stopping and reflecting. Thinking about any pendulums that might have you caught in their grips. Finding a new space to move into mentally and emotionally.

The world, sadly, isn’t going back to any sense of normalcy for a while. So, pivoting, rethinking your direction and strategy, and making the most of the time and resources available would be wise.

Every time you stop, even if it’s only a day or two, you will come away with more clarity. Your vision will expand. You’ll see some things you never saw before, and then you’ll be able to act on what matters to you.

Your purpose will not come to you in a flash. It will unfold gradually. And sometimes we need to stop for it to unfold, so we can see further.

If you’re ready to figure out what to focus on in 2021 and beyond…

If you’re looking to expand your music income…

If marketing is something you struggle with and need to develop…

Then head on over to davidandrewwiebe.com/Join and grab your free guide.

This has been episode 213 of The New Music Industry Podcast. I’m David Andrew Wiebe, and I look forward to seeing you on the stages of the world.

In the music business, there are certain myths that continue to get perpetuated. They call forth a false sense of hope and fill us with frustration, disappointment, and resentment.

That’s what we’re going to be looking at in this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast.

Podcast Highlights:

00:31 – Hope is not a strategy

00:45 – The greatest myth in music

01:07 – The exceptional few

01:50 – Winning the lottery

02:36 – Betting on yourself

03:27 – Taking ownership

04:05 – Connecting with your heart

04:52 – Question everything

05:30 – The miracle of taking responsibility

05:51 – Unlock your true potential

Transcription:

Hey, it’s David Andrew Wiebe.

So, I’m sure you’ve heard before that hope is not a strategy.

Whether it’s sitting around and waiting for something to happen or refusing to take ownership of some aspect of your music career, there are approaches to music that just won’t work.

One of the biggest myths in music ever told is prevalent and alluring.

And that myth is that someone is going to come to save you.

We’ve seen the movies and TV shows. We’ve read the stories of our favorite artists. And it seems like, in many cases, somehow, someway, they just met the right person at the right time to take their music career forward.

Right off the bat, what many artists don’t recognize is that they’re only looking at the lives of the exceptional few who were discovered by an A&R rep or made it by some fateful aligning of the stars.

If you know an artist’s name, in large part, it’s by design. It’s the design of the record labels and the media who report on what they’re told to, and paid to, report on.

This may seem like a controversial statement, but once you unplug from The Matrix, you won’t be able to unsee it. Payola is still real, and it hasn’t gone anywhere.

There’s nothing wrong with aspiring to be like the exceptional few. But trying to replicate their story or journey is a fruitless pursuit.

There’s nothing wrong with aspiring to be like the exceptional few. But trying to replicate their story or journey is a fruitless pursuit.Share on X

Recently I talked about the fact that the average Spotify royalty rate is $0.00331 per stream. So far as I’m concerned, that’s not even a real amount of money.

What’s interesting about this number is that it probably represents your chances of being saved or discovered by an A&R rep.

Your chances of winning the lottery are quite slim, depending on the lottery. With Lotto 6/49, you have a 1 in 14 million chance. With Lotto Max, your chances are even worse, at 1 in 28.6 million.

But everyone still thinks they’re going to win the lottery, just as artists believe they’re going to snag that elusive, lucrative record contract.

I talked to some of my friends who basically said their only backup plan was to win the lottery. I was horrified.

All things being equal, I will bet on myself rather than gambling on the lottery or on a record contract.

I will make music, write books, build communities, websites, and businesses. I will invest. I will grow. I will become smarter and wiser, I will persevere through criticism, defeat, embarrassment, and failure. I will keep taking a chance on myself no matter what.

I don’t care what has or hasn’t happened to this point. The world cannot stop the unrelenting force of David Andrew Wiebe. I’m going to keep pounding on your door until you give me a chance. I don’t care how long it takes or how hard that path might be.

I can get what I want. I will not be denied.

What about you? Do you have that conviction about yourself? Do you believe in you? Will you take a chance on yourself, something you can control, versus taking a chance on the lottery, something that’s completely outside of your control?

This episode is about inspiration. It’s about empowerment. It’s about taking control of your tools and resources. It’s about taking ownership.

What part of your music career are you refusing to take ownership over? That’s the part that’s in need of serious evaluation because some part of you still believes your savior is coming.

What part of your music career are you refusing to take ownership over? That’s the part that’s in need of serious evaluation.Share on X

That was Musician Monster’s Greg Wilnau’s story as well. It took him a long time to realize it, but when he finally accepted that his destiny was in his own hands, things started to change for him and his career.

No doubt, things have been complicated here in 2020. They’ve been difficult. They’ve been weird.

But if you don’t believe in yourself, it’s because you’re still plugged into the media. You’re still believing what you’re being told. You’re under their control. You have no power over yourself whatsoever.

Turn off the TV. Turn off Netflix. Turn off your smartphone. And just sit with yourself. Understand who you are. What you were made for. Become present to your desires. You were made for the very things you desire. What you want, wants you!

What you want, wants you!Share on X

You will never become conscious to any of that without listening to your heart. You will never know what you know deep down without opening your heart again.

Being vulnerable is scary but it’s a gift. It’s a realization of your true potential. Not just your desires, which were always written on your heart. It’s a realization of what you’re capable of.

Learn to question everything. It’s healthy to do.

Learn to question everything. It’s healthy to do.Share on X

Because otherwise you’re in danger of believing everything. Accepting that things just are the way they are. Accepting that you have no power, and there’s nothing you can do about anything.

Do you want to know what that experience is like? Hell. Because hell has been defined as going through day after day with no change whatsoever.

So, what sustains the rut? What keeps the rut alive? It’s ourselves. It can’t be anything else. Because at any moment, we could choose to rise and face the music.

I know what I’m asking is hard. It’s not easy at all.

But it’s empowerment. A miracle happens when you can accept that everything that has happened to this point in your life is because of you.

That’s true empowerment, and I hate to be the messenger, but I haven’t found it anywhere else. Empowerment for me came from accepting that everything I’ve gotten and haven’t gotten to this point is because of me.

So, are you ready to unlock your true potential? Because that’s what we’re talking about here.

If so, we’ll welcome you to the community with open arms. And I’ve always got lots of free stuff to give away. All you’ve got to do is go to davidandrewwiebe.com/Join and choose whatever is there. Something will speak to you. Join the email list, where we reveal tips and strategies we don’t even reveal on our blog, and our blog is pretty stacked if I must say so myself.

This has been episode 212 of The New Music Industry Podcast. I look forward to seeing you on the stages of the world.

Are you interested in landing more sync licensing opportunities in your music career? Did you know you could make six-figures at it without any kind of notoriety or fame? Are you sincere in your desire to create the life you love through music?

That’s what we’re going to be looking at in this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast.

Get in Touch with Adam:

Adam's private music club has some of the top producers, artists, songwriters, and executives all mentoring, collaborating, networking on major projects. Only serious, talented musicians need apply.

Sign up here

Podcast Highlights:

00:36 – Welcome Adam McInnis to the show

04:47 – Adam’s accidental introduction to music

15:18 – How can sync licensing transform an artist’s career?

23:37 – Publishing daily and following Dream 100

32:30 – The value of learning from many teachers

34:53 – What music library or licensing companies should you use?

38:51 – How Adam runs five companies simultaneously

45:55 – Music writing formula

50:31 – The 4-Hour Workweek and lifestyle design

52:13 – Conscious living

54:55 – Is Adam creating the life he loves through music?

1:02:47 – Chasing the shiny object

1:05:26 – Giving, not just taking

1:10:30 – Caring for others

1:19:00 – Experiences are what you perceive them to be

1:22:17 – The last YouTube video Adam watched

1:22:29 – The greatest perspective Adam has been given

1:24:20 – The greatest victory Adam has experienced

1:25:27 – Adam’s recommended documentaries and resources

1:31:37 – Closing thoughts

Transcription:

Coming soon.

Does social media matter for your music career? Realistically, what can you expect to achieve from spending your time, energy, and resources on growing your social media following?

That’s what we’re going to be looking at in this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast.

Podcast Highlights:

00:30 – Does social media matter for artists?

01:14 – Gaining a better understanding of your audience

02:34 – Sharing your music with fan groups

03:24 – Targeting your audience with advertising

04:16 – Building worthwhile connections

05:08 – Will social media make a difference for you?

06:35 – Episode summary

Transcription:

Hey, it’s David Andrew Wiebe.

So, does social media matter?

I talked about this a little bit in episode 183 of the podcast, and that basically turned into a bit of a rant, but I think it’s an important question to ask and one worth revisiting.

After all, the first thing many artists do when they begin marketing their music online is rely on platforms that have millions and billions of users to spread their posts to for free.

And all that looks good and sounds good, but unless you know who your target audience is, where they hang out online, and what they’re interested in, I can tell you almost categorically that it’s going to be a waste of time. It just is.

But let’s focus on a few areas where social media can make a difference for you if you’re willing to do the work.

#1 – You Can Spy on Your Audience and Better Understand Them

There’s a lot of talk about data in the music industry, and I even had a great one with Beatchain founder Ben Mendoza in episode 197 of the podcast.

But staring at your Facebook Insights is only going to tell you so much about your fans. Demographic data is great, but most of the time, you’ll find that your audience is you plus or minus 15 years in age.

What we need to understand to be able to connect, engage, and attract prospective fans is psychographic data. It sounds complex, but it basically just means what your audience is interested in.

What we need to understand to be able to connect, engage, and attract prospective fans is psychographic data.Share on X

And there’s a remarkably easy way to figure this out. Instagram happens to be a great place to gather a bit of intel.

You can look up an artist you sound like or have been influenced by, see who has commented on their posts, and then look at their profiles.

And on their profiles, you’ll find pictures of things they’re interested in. Basically, you’d want to make note of everything you find, and pay careful attention to recurring themes. Once you know what those themes are, you’ve effectively got a list of things you should be posting about every single day.

If you don’t know who you sound like, who you’ve been influenced by, or who in the world your audience is, then this is a pointless exercise. But if you do know, you can begin to flesh out your ideal customer profile.

#2 – You Can Share Your Music in Fan Groups

This is a great tactic overall, as it allows you to get your music in front of prospective fans organically.

Basically, the idea is to go and find Facebook fan groups of a specific artist you sound like or have been influenced by. Then, as you begin participating in the group, you would share your music with members.

It takes some work to be able to do this well. You may need to build relationships with group owners. You may need to figure out how to get your posts engaged. And there can be other strategic considerations when sharing in Facebook groups.

But I can see the value in this tactic, and it’s something I will be experimenting with as well. At the very least, if it’s done the right way, I know it’s a relatively fast way to get a lot of attention for your music, because fan groups tend to be big and the members tend to be engaged.

#3 – You Can Advertise to a Specific Audience

Like I said earlier, this is kind of a moot point if you haven’t fleshed out a profile for your audience already. But if you have, then you’ve got a lot actionable data to work with.

Advertising is incredible. It takes a little while to figure out, and to that extent, I recommend taking a course on the topic. You don’t need to pay an arm and a leg for a course. Just find one that’s up to date, has a high ranking, and was created by a reputable entity.

I recently took a free course on Amazon Advertising. I’ve got five books up there, so I figured, why not?

And once I was finished with the course, I basically had all the information I needed to be able to handle Amazon ads like a pro.

When it comes to advertising, the more you know about your audience, the better. Because you’ll be able to home in on the right targeting and create the right type of post to appeal to your fans and prospects.

When it comes to advertising, the more you know about your audience, the better.Share on X

#4 – You Can Create Connections

I get quite a few messages across social media platforms, and while I was slow to embrace it, I’m starting to see way more value in it than ever.

I’m getting all kinds of interesting questions from people my keyword research may never reveal. And while it’s all well and good to rank for certain keywords in Google, the people who are already engaged with my content generally represent better prospects overall.

So, knowing what they’re interested in learning helps me in a big way.

Connecting with people on social media has led to podcast interviews, guest post opportunities, and even coaching prospects.

When we get out of our own way and begin interacting with others in an authentic manner, we can connect with just about anybody in the world, and the value of that is often lost on us, because we get too fixated on our personal comfort and interests.

As I’ve shared before, the only proposition worth making is one that’s win-win.

The only proposition worth making is one that’s win-win.Share on X

Will Social Media Make a Difference?

So, will social media make a difference?

Although I could keep talking about the benefits of social media, of which there are more, I think it’s time to get to the crux of the show.

So, the answer to this question is… it depends.

It will make a difference if you’re clear on your strategy – most importantly, your brand and your audience.

Every decision you make in your music career should stem from those two things, because let’s face it – it makes life so much easier.

Once you’re clear on your brand and audience, you can begin to develop your Dream 100, and that’s going to get you focused on connecting with the right people.

Rather than getting overwhelmed by the thousands of people you surely could connect with; you can limit it to those who have access to your target audience. And that makes this whole matter of networking and collaboration so much more focused.

And, as I’ve already shared, social media represents a massive opportunity when it comes to learning about your audience.

There are certain things social media can’t do, and that’s what we want to watch out for.

You can’t own social media. Meanwhile, you can build a website where the sole focus is on you and your music.

You can’t own your followers on social media. But you can encourage them to sign up for your email list, which you should!

And, if you don’t have a hot clue what your brand is, or who your audience is, then social media is ultimately going to be a waste of time.

Social media can also end up being a massive distraction, and I would argue that for most musicians, this is what it typically ends up being.

Episode Summary

Okay, it’s time to summarize this episode, so here’s what you need to know.

Social media is good for some things. You can spy on your audience, share your music in fan groups, get your ads in front of your target audience, build great connections, and more.

Social media isn’t that great for other things. Organic reach sucks. And social media is basically just a time suck if you don’t know what your brand is, or who your audience is supposed to be. Social media is also a massive distraction for most artists.

There’s so much more I could get into here, but the key is to understand how powerful social media can be if used strategically.

So, what if you need more guidance around social media? What if you need some structure to ensure you’re doing the right things at the right time?

I suggest picking up a copy of my latest book, The Music Entrepreneur Code at davidandrewwiebe.com/Code to learn exactly how to get more done in less time.

This has been episode 210 of The New Music Industry Podcast and I look forward to seeing you on the stages of the world.

Do you have music you’re hesitant to release? Is perfectionism getting the best of you? Don’t sit on your music – make it work for you now!

Let’s talk about how you can make that happen in this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast.

Podcast Highlights:

00:30 – My guitar solo sucked

01:08 – The perfectionism trap

02:11 – Digging for gems

02:55 – New music = new opportunity

03:58 – Critical mindset shifts

04:55 – Reduce social media consumption

05:54 – Don’t get caught looking in the rearview mirror

07:06 – Put your money where your mouth is

07:45 – Episode summary

Transcription:

Hey, it’s David Andrew Wiebe.

As an artist, it’s easy to become precious about your work, isn’t it?

Many years ago, I remember having arguments with my drummer about a solo I had written specifically for a song of ours. He was basically trying to gently break it to me that the solo just didn’t fit the song and wasn’t all that good. Meanwhile, I was trying to defend it because I didn’t like that feeling of having something I created criticized.

This debate should not have escalated into a fight, but that’s exactly what ended up happening. In the end, I started to see things from his viewpoint and came up with some other riffs for the song, which ended up working out perfectly.

Perfection Should Not be the Goal

All that to say, as artists, we tend to stress over, strive for, and try to create what we think is “perfect”. Anything less, and we’d be letting ourselves, our collaborators, our heroes, our fans, or our peers down. That list of people could go on for miles.

I interviewed one-half of Pomplamoose and CEO of Patreon Jack Conte about three years ago, and he shared with me that he had to get comfortable with the idea of publishing before he felt his music was perfect.

And what I’ve found time and again is that many musicians have music sitting on their hard drive, just waiting to be published.

I’m not talking about sketches, half-finished ideas, demos, experiments, and so forth, although there can always be gems in there too.

King’s X guitarist Ty Tabor often remarked that he had tons of material in his archives no one would ever hear. And you’re certainly entitled to keep that to yourself.

But I’m talking about songs that just need a guitar solo, or a bit of mixing work, or some backing vocals. Maybe it’s even finished, and you’re scared to release it.

Revisit Old Material and Don't Sit on Your Music

I think it’s important to go back into your catalog and review your material from time to time. Because even if you thought some of it wasn’t all that inspired or good, I think you’re going to find that, when you return to it, some songs are perfect exactly as they are.

In 2016, I released a series of singles. And the first and third singles I released, “Fragments” and “Don’t Wait Too Long”, both came from half-finished ideas just waiting to be exploited. And I’m glad I did because the results basically speak for themselves. I’m proud of what I was able to accomplish.

But the truth of the matter is that, while I’ve hesitated at times, I’ve rarely if ever been afraid to release half-finished or less than perfect music. You can even check out my Fire Your God album or Nowhere Even Near EP.

Every Song Represents a New Opportunity

I think what’s important to remember is that every song represents a new opportunity.

An opportunity to be heard by a new fan. To be playlisted. And to be noticed by an influencer. To be covered in an article. To be approached with a licensing deal, or otherwise.

A lot of musicians are trying to figure out how to make it big on Spotify without so much as a release strategy that revolves around coming out with something new every one to three months. I mean, that’s like 80% of the game, right there!

If you want to pique algorithms, you’ve got to publish regularly. If you want to engage your fans, you’ve got to publish regularly.

If you want to pique algorithms, you’ve got to publish regularly. If you want to engage your fans, you’ve got to publish regularly.Share on X

And, by the way, I don’t think Spotify is even close to the best opportunity for the average musician right now. Licensing and placements are!

Lately, on Music Entrepreneur HQ, I’ve been publishing a blog post or podcast episode every single day. You heard me right – something goes up every day, even on the weekends.

Every new post represents a new opportunity to engage my audience, get discovered in search, be seen by other people in the music business, and more.

Don't Sit on Your Music Mindset Tweaks

I don’t think I’m saying a lot of things you haven’t already heard or realized for yourself. But I also think we all need to be reminded of the path we’re on and the opportunities that are available.

And, when we’re struggling to publish or waiting for something to be perfect, we’re usually struggling with mindset more than anything else. So, let’s talk about making some mindset tweaks.

When we’re struggling to publish or waiting for something to be perfect, we’re usually struggling with mindset more than anything else.Share on X

First, please understand that we’ve basically been conditioned and programmed to be selfish and insecure. The media has succeeded beyond belief in this regard.

There are other parts of the world where this conditioning never took hold. I grew up in Japan, where people were community minded and cared about their neighborhood. I never felt alone or like I didn’t have any friends. There was always something to do, always people to do it with.

I’m not holding up Japan as perfect. They had – and still have – their own cultural challenges.

The point is, if you’re in North America, this is not how things are across the world.

Tip #1 – Cut Down on Social Media

So, my first point is to cut down on social media.

Everywhere you look, people are trying to present only the best versions of themselves, their perfectly manicured and polished profiles, and pictures. If you think fulfillment is going to be found there, you are sorely mistaken.

And if you thought even for a moment that influencers had a hot clue what they’re supposed to be influencing, most probably couldn’t even tell you.

Your music doesn’t need to be perfectly polished and manicured on anyone’s behalf.

Your music doesn’t need to be perfectly polished and manicured on anyone’s behalf.Share on X

Because ultimately, people aren’t thinking about you so much as 95% as you think they are. And what you think isn’t all that great might be amazing to another.

So, stop letting your programming, your own biases, and even your desperate need for validation rule you.

As with Jack Conte, get comfortable doing the uncomfortable. This will come with repetition.

Remember how playing the C major scale was so hard at first? You just kept playing it until you got it under your fingers, right?

It’s the same thing here.

Tip #2 – Stop Trying to Fix the Past

Maybe you aren’t entirely proud of your first or second album. Maybe you aren’t proud of your entire catalog!

What many musicians do is go back into their past and try to fix it, present company included. Look, I’m as guilty as sin!

Remember what I said earlier – every song represents a new opportunity. There are so many advantages to having a larger catalog.

Want to make more money on Spotify? Then keep growing your list of releases, because the more there is for fans to dig into, the longer you can ultimately keep them listening.

When you get stuck in the past worrying about things that are incomplete, you never move forward with the enthusiasm and presence required to relish in the present.

When you get stuck in the past worrying about things that are incomplete, you never move forward with the enthusiasm and presence required to relish in the present.Share on X

In our own ways, we each need to create completion. You don’t find it. You CREATE it! You cause it.

I have my own list of unfinished projects that I know are holding me back from moving forward in some ways, and I’m actively looking for ways to create and cause completion without adding a huge set of tasks to my to-do list.

You can’t fix what’s already done, and it’s probably not as bad as you think it is. And it probably doesn’t even come close to what you’re capable of today.

Chances are you won’t regret what you’ve done as much as what you never get around to!

Chances are you won’t regret what you’ve done as much as what you never get around to!Share on X

Tip #3 – Make a Commitment to Yourself

My third tip is this:

Go sign up with Ditto Music to distribute your music today. Go to davidandrewwiebe.com/Ditto (d-i-t-t-o) to get your account set up. You can release as much music as you want for the low price of $19 per year.

Make the commitment now. Don’t wait until you’ve got a huge catalog of music to release. Commit first, then deliver.

People get this backwards all the time. They say they’ve got to see something to believe it. The truth is you’ve got to believe something to see it.

So, don’t worry about the journey. Just get engaged in the process. Making more music is all about getting engrossed in the process.

Making more music is all about getting engrossed in the process.Share on X

Don’t Sit on Your Music, Episode Summary

So, we jumped around a little bit from stories to mindset tips, but let me summarize those mindset tweaks for you:

Cut down on social media. Better yet, reduce your consumption of anything mainstream, and get connected with your heart and soul. Stop trying to be perfect and emphasize authentic expression instead.

Stop trying to fix the past. There’s nothing there to fix. It was perfect as it was. Now it’s a memory. Today, you’re alive. Create fulfillment and joy in the moment.

Make a commitment to yourself....

Trying to make things happen in your music career? Do you often find, at the end of the day, you’ve basically accomplished nothing of substance? Do you find yourself overthinking every decision you need to make?

That’s what we’re going to be looking at in this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast.

Podcast Highlights:

00:31 – Mindset

01:01 – Tip #1: Stop relying on new training resources

02:32 – Tip #2: Recognize DIY stands for Do it YOURSELF

04:29 – Tip #3: Identify what game you’re playing

06:14 – Tip #4: Get a copy of The Essential Guide to Music Entrepreneurship

07:11 – Episode summary

Transcription:

Hey, it’s David Andrew Wiebe.

I know there wasn’t an episode last week. I needed a little bit of time with my family. But I’m back, at least until I go on break towards the end of October. Maybe I’ll be able to stockpile a couple of episodes for you before then.

Today, we’re basically talking about mindset.

Mindset is an expansive topic. More so than you may even realize.

Mindset is an expansive topic. More so than you may even realize.Share on X

But in this episode, I’m going to try to keep it tight and tackle what’s most relevant as applied to this issue of getting into action versus getting caught in analysis paralysis.

Let’s get moving.

Tip #1 – Maybe Another Book or Course isn’t What You Need Right Now to Make Things Happen

*Gasp* What did he just say…?

Don’t get too excited. I said “maybe”, not “definitely.”

CD Baby founder Derek Sivers always held to the notion that you already know what your next steps are, you’ve just got to stop procrastinating, get up an hour earlier and do them.

You already know what your next steps are.Share on X

I shared a little bit about that in my interview on The Unstarving Musician as well.

And, today I was reflecting on the fact that as human beings we feel most alive when we’re outside our comfort zone. It doesn’t matter to what degree we’re outside of our comfort zone, a lot or a little.

What matters is we put ourselves in uncomfortable territory because that’s how we know we’re growing. That’s how we know we’re taking actions that are going to get results.

This doesn’t automatically mean you’re going to win just by getting uncomfortable. That’s not how life works.

You have been turned down for a date before, haven’t you?

But when we procrastinate, there’s usually something uncomfortable about what we need to do next. Yet, we have a good intuitive sense that the thing that makes us nervous is exactly what we need to do next.

When we procrastinate, there’s usually something uncomfortable about what we need to do next.Share on X

If that is the case, then spending time in books and courses is not what you need right now. You’ve already identified what needs to be done. It keeps gnawing at you every single day and I don’t need to tell you what that is.

So, take a deep breath, take advantage of your peak hours where you feel the most lit and energetic, and make that phone call, send that email, have that conversation, hit “publish”, whatever you’ve got to do…

Tip #2 – Don’t Wait for Your Savior

There’s literally no one coming to save you, no matter how much you want it. Society has done a pretty good job of conditioning us to believe that there must be a savior. When you were born, you had parents. When you went to school, you had teachers and professors. At a job, you’ve got a boss.

Now, just so we’re clear, don’t take this from the religious or spiritual context. That’s a different story.

But in your music career, there’s only you. You’ve got to be the ambassador for your brand.

As an aside, I would argue that there’s probably already someone in your life who’s incredibly supportive and even has the skills necessary to help you on your path.

The problem is we completely disregard these people because they don’t have experience.

Again, they are not your savior. But you’d best recognize them and ask them for their help, because you’re probably not going to find anyone like them again.

Getting back to this point, it’s getting to be a dead horse by now, but if I were to beat it again, hope is not a strategy. It just isn’t.

When you think about it, school and media have basically conditioned us to be selfish and insecure. And I can promise you that’s not where you’re going to find fulfillment, let alone success.

We’re most fulfilled when we’re helping others achieve their dreams and desires. Hmm… I wonder why I show up every single day to publish useful information for my fellow musicians…?

One of my mentors Daniel Guy Martin said he would deliberately look for opportunities where his music could serve others. And he blew my career out of the water in a matter of months.

Is that part of your practice? Do you go looking for collaborative partnerships?

If you want to do something with your music, start creating your own contacts, and actively seek opportunities to add value them with your music.

The only way to get out of your own way is to set your eyes on serving others. Unplug from The Matrix and get connected to your heart again.

The only way to get out of your own way is to set your eyes on serving others.Share on X

Tip #3 – Treat it Like an Experiment

We often get caught up in thinking everything in life is meant to be taken seriously. When it’s all just a grand experiment. A game if you will.

It’s not a game where there are no consequences for your actions. You can’t throw a stone in a pond without it creating ripples.

But people often don’t realize that if they started asking for what they wanted, and didn’t get it, they’d basically be in the same situation they were before they asked. They’d be no worse off!

Here’s something I paid good money to learn:

Do you want to know what the most successful people in the world have in common? They ask for what they want.

Successful people ask for what they want.Share on X

But please do look for the win-win. Again, it doesn’t help when our communication and intentions are inherently selfish. You can make bad impressions with high-level influencers doing this and I see it all the time in my inbox.

Want to know how to interact with others? Call them by their name. Compliment them on something. Show genuine interest in their lives. Create a win-win proposition. Keep it brief. That’s it!

Bottom line – you’re afraid of things that aren’t happening right now. This is called inauthentic fear.

Your fear would be authentic if you were running from a lion right now. But I doubt that’s what you’re doing while listening to this podcast.

Your career is an experiment. And it’s okay if you fail. You always learn from failure.

Your career is an experiment. And it’s okay if you fail. You always learn from failure.Share on X

But most of the time what you call “failure” is just a lesson, a steppingstone, or even an open door. You won’t know for sure until you’re on the other side of it! So, don’t be too quick to judge any circumstance. You’re not god, and you don’t know what might come of it – maybe something better than what you started with!

Tip #4 – This is a Bonus Tip to Make Things Happen

Pick up a copy of The Essential Guide to Music Entrepreneurship. This book is chalked full of mindset tips.

Yeah, I know I said you might not need a book or a course right now, but this is a quick read. You can get through it in 60 to 90 minutes, and it should leave you feeling inspired and ready to cause breakthrough in your life.

Christopher Sutton of Musical U had this to say about this book:

Really excellent book. Concise and to the point, and most importantly it focuses on what really matters: not the nitty-gritty tactical stuff that changes practically every week – but the crucial mindset and strategic thought work that's required to succeed as an entrepreneur.

 

For any musician wondering what it's going to take to make a living with their music in the modern world, this book is a tremendous all-in-one resource to answer that question for you.

You can go to davidandrewwiebe.com/Essential to get your copy. Make things happen.

Episode Summary, Make Things Happen

So, here’s your episode summary:

Perhaps, instead of trying to study and learn more, just go and do exactly what you know you need to do instead. You probably have a pretty good handle on that already.

Don’t wait for a savior. When it comes to your music career, you’re on your own. Be your own ambassador, strike up your own relationships, and intentionally go looking for opportunities where your music will be appreciated.

Just think of it like an experiment. Stop taking life so seriously. Have fun. We are talking about your passion after all.

Pick up a copy of The Essential Guide to Music Entrepreneurship. If there’s some aspect of mindset that confuses you, or you’re in a hopeless rut, pick up a copy of the book and devour it as fast as you can. You can find it at davidandrewwiebe.com/Essential

This has been episode 208 of The New Music Industry Podcast and I look forward to seeing you on the stages of the world.

What if there were no limits on where you could take your music? What if you could work with some high-profile brands and build a six-figure business in the music industry in your early 20s?

That’s what we’re going to be looking at in this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast with Shut Down Media CEO Ty Frankel.

Podcast Highlights:

00:32 – How did Ty discover his passion for music?

02:29 – How did Ty get so good at project management?

03:16 – Tips for hiring or building a team

05:14 – What’s the main way Ty generates leads?

07:27 – Outreach faux pas

08:11 – What has Ty’s experience been with the music industry?

09:06 – Believing in yourself

09:41 – What is Ty looking to achieve next?

11:47 – What is Ty’s top tip for someone looking to create the life they want through music

16:54 – What’s the latest YouTube video Ty watched?

17:14 – Ty’s daily routine

18:03 – Checking your phone in the morning?

21:12 – What’s the greatest challenge Ty has overcome?

22:14 – What is Ty’s greatest victory?

23:21 – Ty’s recommended reads

25:02 – Final thoughts

Transcription:

David Andrew Wiebe: Today I'm chatting with founder and CEO of Shut Down PM, Ty Frankel. How are you today, Ty?

Ty Frankel: Hey, Andrew. I’m great. How are you? Thanks for having me on.

David Andrew Wiebe: I'm great. It's great to have you on the show. So, Shut Down PM is an LA-based music agency. You've created music for the likes of The Alvin Show, Hulu, Fortnight, Red Bull, NBA, NFL and others. You're only 22 years old. And you've already built a business that makes three quarters of a million annually. I've got lots of questions, my friend, but I'd love for you to share how did you discover your passion for music, and how did that lead to the work you do today?

Ty Frankel: Yeah, Andrew. So, when I was five, I got into hip-hop music. I remember my dad bought me a CD player. I bought all these albums like Outkast, Stankonia, Lil’ Bow Wow, Eminem: Curtain Call. I might have been five or six. And ever since then, I just loved hip-hop. When I was 14, I was on these underground hip-hop forums on Yahoo Answers. I was on there for about a year. I was obsessed with underground hip-hop when I was 14 that lasted about a year. But someone started producing on there. Maybe one or two people started producing. They said they downloaded FL Studio, uploaded some of their beats. So, I was very interested and intrigued. And then, I downloaded it myself. And then since then it's just, you know, I discovered that it was my passion day one, right, when I opened the program up. Every day since then, up until when I started my company, I was just producing for most of the day.

David Andrew Wiebe: Well, I have a similar story in that when I was 14, I guess, I started making websites. And that's what I ended up spending all day doing and all night, except for sitting in chat rooms, which I think I must have done for three hours a night and driven everyone crazy because we used modems back then not cable modems, dial up. Dial up internet. Those are fun days.

Ty Frankel: Oh, that's cool.

David Andrew Wiebe: So, I see you got some glowing reviews from clients on LinkedIn. They say one of your strong suits is project management. I got to tell you right now, that wasn't one of my strengths as a 22-year-old. And to this day, I've got a bit of an artistic brain so I can be somewhat scattered. Is this a natural ability of yours or something you've picked up along the way?

Ty Frankel: You know, I've always been good at it. The past three, four years, I think I've gotten really, really great at it. Just reading books and just gaining experience. I mean, last year, my company did 900 songs, which is around 80 albums. So, just going through those 80 albums, each one is something different, developing systems and processes as well as knowing how team members need to be managed, you know, what they need from my end, what I need from their end. Just gaining that experience is, of course, helped me as a project manager. Absolutely.

David Andrew Wiebe: I think hiring or building a team is one of those things that a lot of artists struggle with. It's like, what are my first steps? What if I make a mistake? Do you have any mindset tips to get over that?

Ty Frankel: Oh, man, hiring is so awkward. It's unbelievably hard.

David Andrew Wiebe: Yeah.

Ty Frankel: Mindset tips? Of course, get hiring tests. The best tip I actually learned is make them do the actual job they're going to do as you are hiring. Like for example, if you're hiring someone to do lead generation for you, give them a little 30–45-minute test. That is basically exactly what they're going to do in the role and see how well they would do it. Just having that test. And then as well as like typing tests, you know, maybe critical thinking, personality. Making sure you have good intuition into like, okay, seeing how they communicate. If they have all these spelling and grammar errors, you don't want to hire them.

In the job application. You could say, “Please title your job application this way.” or “Please reach out to me by name.” If applications come in, you know right away you're not going to spend your time thinking, is this person a good fit or not? If they don't follow the directions, you know, right away. Just having all these different barriers and testing criteria to actually finally hiring someone. But it's very hard. It's very lengthy. I sure learned a lot in the past couple years of hiring people. I had a lot of bad people.

David Andrew Wiebe: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, being detail oriented. That's a big one, I think. If people can't follow instructions right off the bat, that can be a sign. My coach always told me, “I do. We do. You do.” So, that's kind of the training process. You show them how it's done. You do it together. And then, you confirm that they can do it themselves. And then, almost on virtual autopilot, they can do it. But what's the main way you're generating leads for your business?

Ty Frankel: I would say it is 100% cold email.

David Andrew Wiebe: So, do you find yourself sending thousands of emails every single day? Is that how that works? Or are you actually kind of targeting people that you have an existing relationship with? Well, I mean, you said cold, so I guess not.

Ty Frankel: Well, cold email also means emailing our existing clients and trying to get more work done with them. That kind of goes in there. So, email. Email, I would say. Shut Down PM is actually one division of Shut Down Media. We actually expanded in the past like five or six months, really since corona. We do graphic design for the music industry. Right now, we're opening a new label called Uncivilized Music. So, we at Shut Down PM, we sell the music to these production music libraries. They're the ones that actually go place it with 2K and Fortnight and TV shows and all that. But with Uncivilized, for the first time, we're going to go out and sell the music ourselves. With Shut Down PM, we might have an email list of a hundred people. Or we might have an email list of 400 or 500. But with Uncivilized, we're going to get an email list of 20,000 people because we're going to sell the music ourselves.

The type of emailing we do is very genuine. Now, obviously, people do that, but we don't send email blasts out. We send emails out. We have templates. And for the first email, we do research on the prospect to make sure we know exactly who they are, and if our service would help them. If not, we don't email them. But if it does, we make sure to make that known in the first sentence, compliment them whatever, okay, then we're in with them. They know that we're not playing around. We actually researched on them.

And then after that, all the emails after that are templates but we change their variables in there. So, like their name, company name, and all that. In that way, you're being the most efficient you can be with as well on there, and they think it's a genuine email that you're just sending to them. So that's how we do it. It's worked really well to this point.

David Andrew Wiebe: Yeah, I have seen that you guys are up to some other things right now. Kind of in the digital marketing realm. Like you say, graphic design. What you said about reach, I think that's spot on. I think that's what a lot of people don't do very well. Like, I get tons of emails. I can't speak for anybody else, but they're not addressed to me, they're not clear on the benefit. They just want me to cover their story. And they're not interested in in any kind of mutual win-win. So, it sounds like you're doing it the right way.

Ty Frankel: Oh, thank you. I actually love seeing those emails because it just tells you how there's like no competition out there for real well-crafted cold emails. So, I love getting those emails. I just delete them right away. I just smile. There's always a smile on my face.

David Andrew Wiebe: It's a really good point. Yeah, absolutely. So, many people say the music industry is a tough one to succeed in. What has your experience been like? What's your mindset going in?

Ty Frankel: I think it's tough to break in to any industry. I think if you do all the right things, you know, whether that's working hard at first, working smart, of course. And then just creating relationships, being nice, easy to work with, providing value, and being able to market that value with a good ROI, making it worthwhile to actually go out there and market a service or product that you have, then I think you can succeed in any industry. So, I don't think the music industry is particularly harder to succeed in than any other industry. But I don't know. I've been in the music industry my whole life. So, I haven't really experienced anything else.

David Andrew Wiebe: Yeah, I like your answer. I thought you might answer that way....

Selling your music? Are you doing the right things to sell your music in 2020? Or is your strategy leaving you broke? Does it seem like nothing’s working?

That’s what we’re going to be looking at in this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast.

Podcast Highlights:

00:28 – You CAN sell music even in 2020

00:57 – Tip #1: Create more value

01:49 – Tip #2: Who do you know that’s selling lots of music?

02:39 – Tip #3: Make more offers

03:51 – Tip #4: Increase the number of asks you make this year

05:12 – Selling your music in 2020

05:58 – The Music Entrepreneur Code bundle

Transcription:

Hey, it’s David Andrew Wiebe.

So, I wanted to dispel the notion upfront that you can’t sell your music even in 2020, because that’s just not the case.

And I admit, this was an eye opener for me too when I talked to John Oszajca in episode 147 of the podcast a little over a year ago.

But I started looking around, and sure enough, I quickly found out that there are plenty of artists selling their music, and some are even making a killing. You wouldn’t believe it.

So, here are some tips to help you sell more music this year and beyond.

Tip #1 – Create More Value

If your sales are down, it could be that your offer just isn’t compelling enough.

If your sales are down, it could be that your offer just isn’t compelling enough.Share on X

Maybe you should experiment bundling up your products and offering merch items with your music.

Or maybe there are other bonuses you could include your fans would love – you know your fans better than I do, and you’ve also got access to them through email and social media. So, if you don’t know, ASK.

If the same old thing isn’t working, and it’s starting to grow stale, then maybe freshen up your funnel and double check to make sure it’s insane value. Because that’s what people are going to buy.

Get your friends and family to look at it and get direct feedback from them. And by direct feedback, I mean go and meet them and person, log them into your website, and observe them as they look at your offer.

I know that’s a little harder to do with the lockdown and everything. But think outside the box, you can still make this happen.

Tip #2 – Find Someone Who’s Already Selling a Lot of Music & Ask for Their Advice

Ask yourself who you know that’s already selling lots of music and find out what they’re doing.

Is there someone in your social circle making a killing from their music?

Set aside your pride and go and ask them what they’re doing.

And don’t just go, “oh, that sounds like so much work, I would never do that” once they tell you what they’re up to – that’s just a cop out. Start modeling what they’re doing and track the results intentionally.

If you can’t think of anyone in your scene that’s killing it, don’t let that be an excuse – start looking online and see who’s out there. Reach out and ask questions.

If the first 10 people you email don’t reply, then ask 100 – you’re bound to get an answer or two.

And If that still doesn’t work then tell them you’ll feature their answers on your blog, or podcast, or YouTube channel and link back to them. Really, you can do this.

Tip #3 – Make More Offers

The temptation is to promote the same offers over and over, in hopes that this will somehow lead to more sales. But if it’s not working, just stop the insanity cycle and start over!

Like I said earlier, you should consider refreshing your offers too. But the other thing you might want to consider is making more offers.

Stop trying to boost the same, tired offers you’ve been hawking for months and years and start creating new ones. Go back into the studio and make new music. Put together new T-shirt designs.

And in some cases, you won’t even need to do that. You can even put together a compilation of your best songs and release it, you could put out some instrumental versions, do remixes or acoustic versions or whatever.

If you’ve got good product then you don’t necessarily need to reinvent the wheel. You can take what you’ve got and make something out of it.

But it makes sense that if you just went up to bat more times, you’d have more opportunities to hit that ball, and maybe even get a homerun.

Baseball legend Babe Ruth may have had the most home runs in his time, but he also had the most strikeouts. You’ve got to keep getting back up to bat and keep swinging!

Tip #4 – Be More Intentional About Your Call to Actions

It seems so obvious, but to be honest, artists miss this all the time. Because they don’t naturally think about the purpose of their communication like ever, even when they’re emailing people.

So, when posting to Instagram, it’s for “engagement.”

When posting to Facebook, it’s for “engagement.”

When publishing a new blog post, it’s for “engagement.”

No wonder you’re not getting anywhere with your sales! You’re not communicating in a way that’s engaging anybody let alone selling them on something.

Trust me – I’ve made every mistake in the book, and I’ve made this one too.

Instead, why not increase the number of asks you make this year?

Artists tend to go about this in a very lopsided way anyway. We naturally do that because we’re sensitive.  it’s just the way we are.

We give, give, give, give, give, give, give, give, give, give, and give some more until we’re bleeding gifts. And then when it’s finally time to ask, we hesitate and think people will think less of us because we’re asking.

Do you want to sell more music in 2020? I challenge you to make more asks of your fans. After all, Gary Vee’s formula is Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook, or “give, give, give, ask.” Not give to the power of 80 and then sheepishly, “do you want this?”

You reap what you sow, but don’t forget there’s a harvest waiting to be reaped.

You reap what you sow, but don’t forget there’s a harvest waiting to be reaped.Share on X

Selling Your Music in 2020 Summary

So, here’s the summary:

Create more value. Refresh your offers, and make sure the first thing your fans and especially your prospects see are irresistible, insane value offers.

Ask yourself who you know that’s killing it with sales. Listen to their answers. Model and implement what they tell you to do no matter how hard it is.

Make more offers. Don’t sit on yesterday’s laurels. Begin doing more with your music and merch, and experiment with different bundling strategies.

Be more intentional about asking for the sale. Ask more than you’ve ever asked in the past, and your “give to ask ratio” will probably finally been in proper balance.

Hey, don’t forget – right now, you can get The Music Entrepreneur Code and two bonuses for just $5. It’s ridiculous. It’s insane value. But this offer expires September 30. So, go to davidandrewwiebe.com/Code now to get your copy.

Not making any money with your music? Not selling as much as you think you should? Is it possible you aren’t attracting the right kind of buyers (audience)? Do you suspect your “fans” might be mooching off you?

That’s what we’re going to be looking at in this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast.

Podcast Highlights:

00:33 – Repairing the foundation of your business

01:10 – Tip #1: Say “no” to pro bono work

03:29 – Tip #2: Get your fans acclimated to spending money with you

04:57 – Tip #3: Add a price tag to more of your work

06:31 – Don’t steal from the people you want to impact with your music

07:01 – The Music Entrepreneur Code with two bonuses

Transcription:

Hey, it’s David Andrew Wiebe.

So, this is something I’ve been giving more and more thought to as of late. Even with Music Entrepreneur HQ, I’ve had that experience of building a lot of traffic and growing my list, only to discover that most of the people I was connecting with just came for the free stuff, did a hit and run, and quickly ran the other way.

And, as painful as it was, I had to go and repair the foundation of the business. Because that’s where the problem lived. And I’m telling you that’s really the hardest thing to do once your business is up and running.

So, here are a few tips to help you begin appealing to buyers rather than just sponges.

Tip #1 – Stop Doing Pro Bono Work

I used to do a lot of pro bono work for people.

We used to accept guest posts from anyone on Music Entrepreneur HQ. Until I realized just how much work it was to edit, format, and schedule their content to reflect the standards and quality of the brand I was looking for.

Then we started charging because it was just taking up too much time. Then, I had to effectively double the rate because we kept getting low quality submissions that required a lot of work on our part to edit.

Some people complained our rates were too high, but that’s how I knew I had hit the sweet spot. It repelled the tire kickers and link buyers and started bringing in clients who were serious.

By the way, we’re not accepting guest posts on the site anymore. But the point is, I’m a sensitive, creative soul. And I’ve done all kinds of free, volunteer, pro bono work to help people. Whether it was answering questions in my inbox, agreeing to meet with people who wanted to pick my brain, or giving away my products for free.

There was a rather awkward situation only two years ago where I was asked to promote someone’s new release in exchange for performance. Which meant I was not going to paid for any of the work until I started delivering on the results. Good for him. Horrible for me.

I know it can be hard when you care about others, but I would suggest just giving up pro bono work.

These days, I’m quick to ask people if they want me to be involved as a consultant or coach. Because let’s face it, I can reach far more people with a podcast episode like this, and it’s a better use of my time than jumping on a Skype call with another random person I don’t even know.

This doesn’t mean I’m not conscious about adding some value upfront. I always try to do that. But I want to move the relationship as quickly as possible from like a pro bono, “I’ll ask you whatever I want, whenever I want” relationship to a paid relationship where my time is valued.

Otherwise, people could do whatever they want with my advice and it makes no difference in their lives. So, it’s not the greatest value for me, and it’s not the greatest value for them either.

And guys, just be real with me here. Have you ever had that experience of being put in the “friend zone” by a girl you liked? Yeah. Same thing here. Don’t wait to start charging for your work.

This still comes with the caveat that I still believe in building new relationships in the music business, and evaluating opportunities as they come up. But I try to keep that to a minimal as well.

Tip #2 – Train Your Audience to Buy

So, you’ve probably heard about the importance of sticking to a content schedule, especially on a platform like YouTube.

Well, this is the same idea, only as applied to your product or music launch schedule.

Basically, as much as possible, you want to train your audience to buy from you, not just sponge off you, and preferably, on a set schedule.

Train your audience to buy from you, not just sponge off you, and preferably, on a set schedule.Share on X

Maybe it’s once per month, once every three months, twice per year, or maybe once per year – I don’t think you’d want to go any less than that.

But see if you can launch your music or merch on a schedule and get it in front of your audience at the right time.

Another important consideration is price point. As I’ve discovered, if your audience is trained to buy from you at the $5 to $35 range, it’s going to prove an uphill battle to try to sell them anything that’s priced three or four times the price later on.

And if they’ve been trained to buy at that level for years, they’re not going to change.

So, think about the price point you want to sell your music and merch items at, and try to launch within the range you’ve identified – even if that means bundling more products together to bump up the perceived value.

It’s good to have low-priced products, moderately priced products, high ticket items, and everything in between, but make sure you set this up early and don’t wait until later when your audience is already used to buying from you at a specific price because you’re going to have a hard time increasing the value of your products at that point.

Tip #3 – Charge for Everything

See if you can find a way to charge for everything, including your opt-in offers or free giveaways.

The entire point of a lead magnet is to grow your email list, but it might be worth creating a low-priced order bump so that you can make some money while you’re growing your list. The goal would still be growing your list, but if you could make a little money in the process, that would be sweet, right?

You’ve probably seen those free plus shipping offers out there, and you might even be running some yourself. And that’s great. I just don’t believe in bait in switch because you see so many of these offers out there where they claim to be free, but the moment you go to their sales page, they charge for shipping.

On Instagram, I’ve seen all kinds of complaints from people for these types of offers, like “why are you charging $17.95 for shipping?”, and “this is false advertising.”

Exactly! They’re right. This IS false advertising – I don’t believe in the bait and switch.

Pre-frame it correctly – tell people upfront it’s a “free plus shipping offer”, “help us cover the costs of shipping”, “help us cover the costs of maintaining our website” or something along those lines.

But don’t tell people something is free and then stick a $20 bill up their butts.

Don’t tell people something is free and then stick a $20 bill up their butts.Share on X

Aside from that, maybe make everything clickable on your website lead to something people can pay for or buy – that ought to train your audience.

And if you’re uncomfortable doing that on your main artist website, maybe launch a new one, try it on your new website, test both, and see which outperforms the other. You’re going to find out pretty quickly, and you might even be surprised at the results.

Appealing to Buyers Summary

So, here’s a quick summary of the tips offered here:

Stop doing pro bono work. It steals your time, energy, resources, and ultimately, from the people you want to impact with your music.

Train your audience to buy. Release products on a predictable schedule, or at least make sure your fans aren’t just expecting you to give everything away.

Charge for everything. If you’re going to give stuff away for free, at least get an email address in exchange. And you can even turn this into an opportunity to make money with something like an order bump.

And don’t forget – right now, you can get The Music Entrepreneur Code and two bonuses for just $5. Come on. But this offer expires September 30. So, go to davidandrewwiebe.com/code now to claim your copy.

Excited about becoming a lifestyle musician? Interested in learning how to get there?

Creating your life through music isn’t always easy, and there are certain challenges you’re going to face.

In this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast, I identity and unpack five challenges that held me back.

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Podcast Highlights:

00:38 – This episode is brought to you by The Music Entrepreneur Code

00:58 – Challenge #1: Fear

01:53 – Challenge #2: Revenue creation

02:27 – Challenge #3: Building an audience

03:19 – Challenge #4: Scheduling and productivity

04:05 – Challenge #5: Building your team

04:52 – Final thoughts

Transcription:

Hey, I’m David Andrew Wiebe, and today we’re going to be getting into five challenges lifestyle musicians face.

Before I get into that, I wanted to let you know that you can get the PDF version of my book, The Music Entrepreneur Code, along with two bonuses – the Affiliate Marketing Quick-Start Guide PDF eBook as well as The 90-Day Goal-Setting Framework PDF printout, for just $5. This offer expires September 30, and will be replaced by new one, so get it while you still can. Find the link below.

#1: Fear

Challenge number one is fears. So, we’re human beings and we have fears connected to all kinds of things, whether it’s traveling, being away from home, cultural or language barriers, having to do your taxes halfway across the world…

If we were to go back a few years, you’d probably find that the number one reason I wasn’t out there living life by the design, is because I was scared. The money and flexibility were there. I had that even five years ago – I had a steady enough revenue stream that would have allowed me to travel while working. But I had no idea what to expect when it came to traveling and doing my work remotely.

The good news is, right around that time, I started doing some experiments looking after my parent’s home, while they were away, and doing my work on a laptop from their home instead of at my desktop at my home.

So, that helped me figure what would work and what wouldn’t work, and eventually I developed a comfort level with working remotely. And that’s a great tip right there – see if you can experiment working away from home and see if you can still get done the things you need to do. It might take a little getting used to.

#2: Revenue Creation

Number two is revenue creation.

My main revenue streams are content writing, video editing, graphic design, and web development (so, I make websites).

I make money from advertising, affiliate marketing, books, eBooks, courses, and music as well. But not at the point of being able to rely 100% on that just yet.

I’m fortunate that the work comes in steadily, and that allows me to live the life I want while engaging in the projects I choose.

But overall, I’ve got to say this is probably the biggest challenge when it comes to becoming a lifestyle musician and designing your life through music.

#3: Building an Audience

Challenge number three is building an audience.

And like me, maybe you’ll be an unconventional lifestyle musician where you take on various types of work to be able to support yourself.

For example, maybe you’re a traveling mixing engineer. I could totally see that working.

But the reality is, you would still need a lead or prospect list to ensure a steady revenue stream, right? So bottom line, building a list is going to prove important for every lifestyle musician. I just can’t see any exceptions.

Building a list is going to prove important for every lifestyle musician.Share on X

It took me a long time for me to figure this stuff out, believe me, and in a way, I’m still figuring out some of the pieces of it.

But what I can say is publishing daily and building your list are essential for anyone who’s just getting started.

And I don’t know how to build your email list without Leadpages. It’s my favorite tool, and while I do know there are similar ones out there, if you aren’t using a tool like this to grow your list, I don’t know how you’re going to do it. I don’t know how you’re getting it done.

#4: Scheduling & Productivity

Challenge number four is scheduling and productivity.

Now, even if you’re getting up when you want, making your own schedule, and choosing which projects you want to work on – just like I am – I have discovered that business is all about non-negotiable daily habits. So, you’re going to have to schedule things in and make them happen.

Business is all about non-negotiable daily habits.Share on X

You can take weekends off if you choose, but there are certain habits I keep even through the weekends, and some of my habits are publishing, connecting with my dream 100, writing an email, optimizing my website, and working on my next product and sales process.

So if you’re always going to be on the road, or traveling, or flying out, realize that you’re going to be in different time zones and you’re going to have to schedule your meetings and calls and everything else around that, so you’ve got to thinking about how to make sure you can schedule everything in so that it gets done on time.

#5: Building Your Team

Number five is building your team.

Now, in the short term, you can do everything yourself, and that could even be a good way of learning all the skills necessary to become a lifestyle musician.

For instance, if you want to continue to release music while you’re traveling the world, you should probably learn how to use DAW software, and be able to track your own parts, right?

I have a team of three right now, and at one point I had a team of four. The toughest part about this is just getting up the courage to delegate tasks.

As artists, we’re used to doing everything ourselves, but the truth is, there are people who are good at, and even enjoy doing the things we don’t enjoy doing.

So, the whole “if you want it done right, do it yourself” mentality just isn’t going to fly. But I’ve got to tell you right now, it’s an awesome feeling when you know work is getting done even as you’re sleeping.

it’s an awesome feeling when you know work is getting done even as you’re sleeping.Share on X

I’ve found you generally need to overcome some mental blocks to get to that point.

Final Thoughts, Lifestyle Musician

What I’ve covered today is what I think are the top challenges lifestyle musicians face, but I want to hear from you if there’s anything you didn’t connect with, anything that’s missing, or anything you think is irrelevant.

Be sure to let me know in the comments.