Persistence.....can I get an Amen?

People, persistence is key!

         It is in most cases, the main ingredient in success of any kind. In business, creation and love. The word Luck is typically associated with circumstances that came to fruition due to persistence. Follow through with your phone calls, meetings and to do lists. Particularly in music and film if you are not following through and being persistent, you will not see your goal as quickly as you would like.

         I don't want to put myself out there but I've personally dealt with more rejection then most. When I met Wyclef(all respect due), the first thing he told me was every label in the industry turned down the Fugees. Jay-z couldn't get touched with a ten foot pole at one point and WILL.I.AM was on his 2nd or 3rd record deal by the time we ever heard of The black Eyed Peas.

         You can quit and come back. You can procrastinate at times. You can even spite your passion or love out of anger, frustration or insecurity at times, but if you truly want something, you must be persistent. Be persistent, be persistent and be persistent.

Convenience....the end.

Make doing what you love convenient.

They say necessity is the mother of invention. I say convenience is the key to success. The most convenient choice may not always be the one with the most attributes or amenities. My gym is terrible, but it's right down the street so I go. What needs to become convenient in your life?

BD

Artist tools....ONE STOP SHOPPING NOW AVAILABLE

      I found a great online resource for artists the other day. It's called Music Industry Online. They have everything you will need to market yourself and do business like a professional.

     Every artist needs to master their craft. This takes a life time. Once your ability and finished materials are ready to be displayed to the public(if you choose to be a commercial artist), you need the right tools to get you where you want to be.

     I've struggled at times with the proper tools. I used to call secretary's at labels, front desk people, anyone I could get on the phone and lie through my teeth to get A&R directories and who's looking lists. That's a whole different skill set lol.

     Todays artists are fortunate enough to have all the tools they will need to succeed at their finger tips. The site I find most helpful is, http://www.musicindustryonline.com/ . I do not normally plug sites but I believe this can help and save a ton of time. They have lists for everything. Contracts. Licensing info. All in one place. Def check it out. You'll find everything you need. They'll even help you get a record deal through their online submission form.

BD

View the 13 Sears commercial here....  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1hXecN471A

Starve Artist, Starve.

The term starving artist has followed me through out my life. Not unlike most Talented artists of any medium. When you have a passion for something, I believe you must follow that passion. Most wealthy people love what they do. I'm not talking about the rich guy who works on wall street. I'm talking about Donald Trump, Swizz Beatz, Eminem and most importantly my mentor, LL Cool J. These are all people who were able to follow their passions unrelentlesly and for the most part, without loss of focus. In other words their eyes were on the prize the whole time.

When we think of an artist, we tend to think of Vincent Van Gogh, Monet...maybe even Basquiat. Humans so passionate about their art that money and society's version of success meant very little. For all we know Van Gogh felt like a failure his entire life. He was after all in and out of asylums..where some of his best work was created by the way.

Current music, rap, pop, and r&b for the most part, are the first forms of music and art that require the artist to look and act successful, before achieving any real success. This is a problem. It also may be a factor in the deterioration of REAL and Classic music. When I play people a track from my group 13, the refreshing feeling of hearing something real and hopefully classic is shared by most.

I'll get to the point. Parents, teachers, society and particularly family will influence you to have a plan b. What are you going to fall back on they will say. Having a source of income legal or illegal will only take away from your time and dedication to your art. Having a job eats away 40-50 hours a week that should be focused on your craft. If you truly have the passion, the desire and the inner thought that tells you what you were put on earth to do, you are lucky and you'd better listen.

Next time someone asks you what you have to fall back on, tell them you fall back on knowing that each day is dedicated to the pursuit of your passion and becoming your dreams.

Become your dream.

BD

2nd Chances....

I'm a big believer in 2nd chances. I've personally had the opportunity of a second chance at things I may not have done well the first time. I also believe that history repeats itself more then not. That said, during those few times where a wrong is made right, a failure turns to a success, and life is beautiful. More often then not, second chances that come our way have to do with relationships. The beauty of second chances in relationships is that you get to confirm the what if's, the what could have been if certain things never happened. Chances are your relationship with that person, and most importantly yourself has changed since the first encounter. You have had time to reflect on the relationship as a whole and how that relationship fits into your life. You may now know what the relationship needs to look and feel like in order to work for you. How that new take on something old works for the other person is what will matter most.

I found this on e-how: "The great majority of relationships end in breakup before marriage, and about 50 percent of marriages in the United States end in divorce. Despite these daunting figures, many people feel that second chances in relationships should be examined and can result in success. With another chance to right wrongs and to deliver on promises broken, maybe these numbers would greatly diminish. Unfortunately, in second-chance situations both sides often fail to execute in a manner that favors the progression of the relationship"


If after a break up, weeks or months later, you still feel like it could have worked, I recommend giving it a second chance. Write down the things that worked, the things that didn't and work on it. Work is the key word here. All good things are worth fighting for. Actually all good things will have to be worked hard (fought) for, at some point, somehow. 


I hope love finds us all, I truly believe it's the reason we are here. 
BD

NYC marathon performance

Today my group 13 (13musiconline.com) took the main stage at the NYC marathon. It was an important show for a number of reasons. The performance was incredible. We got a great taste of being professionals and we had a front row view of the finish line as we performed.
my path like most successful artists has been long and painful at times. It has hurt to continue more then not but the choice has never been my own. This is what I was put here to do and I've known it since I was 13, so I push on, through good, bad and indifferent. As we performed the front runners of the marathon started to cross the finish line. As I watched them run the last tenth of a mile of a grueling 27 and a half mile run it hit me how similar following your dreams can be to running a marathon. The difference between the marathon and the pursuit of your dreams is that you never know where the finish line really is and what mile of the race your in. I ran a long race trying to get signed, and just when I thought the running was over it became apparent that I'd have to start running harder and faster then ever if I am going to get to that finish line with glory.
Just as I feel too exhausted to go on, I get that compliment about my art and keep running. I imagine the runners today felt that way at some point and when they looked up, there were people cheering them along.
Towards the end of our performance I saw secret service escorting a convertible throught the runners path ant colombus circle. As the convertible passed I realized mayor bloomberg was in back. He was about ten feet in front of me. As he looked up at the stage I threw him a peace sign. He looked me right in the eye, held his hand high and greeted us with a warm smile. I looked over at my writing partner and guitar player M1 and smiled. It was one of those brief moments that let you know, there is a finish line and you just have to keep running. Keep running, keep running. No matter how much it hurts, keep running and have your eyes open for those brief moments of appreciation that keep it fulfilling. To any of our supporters, we love you guys and thank you for all your warm comments and dedication. That was an early show and we still saw a bunch of familiar faces, thank you.
BD