Hardk Nock Tigers

If you are involved in the entertainment business then you’ve probably heard a few tall tales. The following is a list of some of the top myths about the music business.

1. People in the music business will help you out of the kindness of their hearts.

Facts:

The music business is called the music business for a reason. It is a business that just so happens to sell music. Businesses are in business to make money. They are not in business to make ART, however they will sell it. You may find a handful of good Samaritans willing to help for free but generally speaking if helping does not benefit the other party, they won’t help.

“People (not counting loved ones) will help you if they think your art will make them money. They will not help you if they think your art will not make them money.” -David Naggar, Esq. from  The Music Business Explained In Plain English-

2. Since the economic decline people aren’t buying music anymore

Facts:

People are buying music, but they aren’t buying it in the same way they used to. Sales of CDs may be down but the sale of single tracks is up! If you are still an unbeliever just check iTunes sales records. Reportedly, Apple has sold 10 billion and counting!

3. Music superstars have and are making tons of money.

This is one of the biggest myths in the entertainment business. When you see a Sean Kingston or Lady Gaga on television you may think that they are living the good life, but really the amount of money he/she brings home is really dependent on the terms of their contractual obligations as well as their money management skills. Simply put, if you spend more than you make you are bound to go broke sooner or later.

Need examples:

MC Hammer

Marvin Gaye

Michael Jackson

Willie Nelson

Toni Braxton

Billy Joel

George Clinton

Isaac Hayes

Jerry Lee Lewis

Ron Isley

Need anymore? The list goes on.

The fact of the matter is that all of these artists have seen the highs and lows of the music business. Micheal Jackson, the “King of Pop”, even had his money woes. No “superstar” is exempt. Good money management skills are needed in order to maintain a “superstar” lifestyle.

No matter how old or young you are you can look back and remember the special books you read as a young person. Whether you became an adult yesterday, a long time ago or absolutely refuse to make that transition in your life you can look back and think about the books that you loved in the past. They were special to you for many reasons maybe they helped you through a tough time or broaden your imagination or even gave you the courage to believe in your dreams, I would encourage you to revisit these old friends and remember what made so special to you then and maybe you can even uncover something new about them as well. By doing this you not only reconnect with these special books you enjoyed as a young reader but this will help you to be able to excite your young reader about the book as well.

If you skipped making friends with some wonderful book as a young reader yourself or if you haven’t read any children’s literature recently I would encourage you to get involved with some of the newish books that have come out in recent years. Children do sometimes follow the example they see so if we read the books we want them to read it could help encourage them to read… if it doesn’t help it won’t hurt and you might even enjoy it.

Some of my favorite “then” books are:

• The Box Car Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
• Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne
• Peter Rabbit by Beatrice Potter
• Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
• The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
• Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne
• The Hobbit by J. R. R Tolkien
• The Narnia series by C. S. Lewis

Yes my tastes were and still are all over the place. I love reading a good story and the best stories have been written in my opinion by those who wrote and write children’s literature. I have continued to read these good stories written by the incredibly talented children’s writers of today and below are some really good ones in my “now” or newish books favorites:

Internet Marketing – it’s a business where most who dare go, fail.

Someone asked me today if when I first became involved in Internet Marketing I knew then what I know now, would I still have joined the industry – the answer was a quick NO!!

However, before you click away thinking to yourself “see I knew this was no good” I have to say that I am glad in a way that I didn’t know. Because that’s exactly right – I would never have dived right in like I did, I would have been overwhelmed by the failure rate, overwhelmed by the learning curve, overwhelmed by the hard work it would take to become successful.

I would never have believed that I could be that person, that person who could succeed in this business. I would never have become the person that I am today. I would never have achieved the growth that I have achieved.

So do I have any regrets about joining the Internet Marketing Industry?
No way. I am a bit like that – I jump into things with blind faith. I’m not one for reading the small print, let alone a bit of research. So I couldn’t wait to get started, let me in, what is it all about, I want to know it all!!

And I have learned slowly – no trailblazing here that’s for sure. I did it the hard way. But I have found my way, challenged myself to learn things that I never thought I would be capable of doing. It took me a long while to realize what it actually took to succeed and for me to accept the amount of work that was required. Once I had that realisation, I was on a completely different path – the right path.

Would I change anything? Yes, of course. Even though I wouldn’t have wanted all the facts, I do wish that I had been given a bit more direction, more structure when I first started – guidance I guess. I remember how this was, so I can make sure that my new team members are not left floundering! I have an entire system and community of people to support me now.

I also wish that I had been given more information than I was given when I first joined Internet Marketing. As I said I am not a facts and figures person, but I could have handled a little bit more of the truth!!

You’re chomping at the bit to serve powerfully. You know you need a website because EVERYONE including your mother uses the Internet to research before taking action (and she’s on Facebook too so watch out). However, you’re a bit overwhelmed on how to get started building a site that is going to drive clients or members to you. Here are some basic’s that every coaching, counseling, consulting or non-profit site should have if you are just starting to get your name out there. Andy Stanley and Joyce Meyers could put pictures of crickets on their front page and people would show up by the hundreds for the concert but all the rest of us need to actually communicate clearly.

1. I suggest word-press to start out with and the reason is, you have control and can update it at no cost. I went with Go-daddy to start with and was irritated at the core with their hoochie momma advertising so I switched to a faith based company and have received the same excellent customer service. Contrary to what you have heard, you do not need to spend thousands of dollars on creating a website. A simple, white visually clean site with no more than two accent colors is what profitable and profitable site’s create. No music, no flash graphics or anything that would delay them from reading further. Your website needs to ATTRACT not distract your customer as you only have 5 seconds to clearly communicate how you serve. A consistent brand, logo and oh, and no more than 2 sizes of font’s for headline’s and then content.

2. Oh my gosh, this is an area that people really sabotage with. Your front page is about your potential client/member. Not your accreditation’s or networks. Secondly, Experts grow, jack of all trades don’t. Think heart surgeon. If your dying, do you go to a doc in the box? Nope. You will invest deeply in someone who get’s you and can take you EXACTLY where you want to go. Tips for Success? IF you put your picture on front page, it should be small, professionally taken (no face-book pic’s) and in the header. Many people don’t even put their pic on the front page but rather pictures to draw the reader into the copy. I did both and got better results with replacing my picture with a woman who looked like she was going to go postal if she didn’t get better results. And I enjoyed looking at my front page because it made me laugh.