The Buzz Factor (Your New To-Do List) Bob Baker's "The Buzz Factor" Delivering music marketing tips, self-promotion ideas and more since 1995 - http://TheBuzzFactor.com/ September 30, 2003 - Vol. 9, Issue 28 In This Issue: 1. To Do or To Be or Not To Do or To Be? 2. News You Need to Know About MusicMatch and More 3. Living from the Sweet Spot 4. Guerrilla Music Marketing Workshop - Live __________________________________________________ See the end of this message for details on how to get on and off the Buzz Factor mailing list. __________________________________________________ Welcome! => 1. To Do or To Be or Not To Do or To Be? A couple of months ago I talked about the Be-Do-Have concept. It's often been referred to as the best three-step process for reaching success with any worthy endeavor. Sadly, most music people pursue the three steps in reverse. Many musicians mistakenly think "If I could only HAVE a record deal (or a hit song or some other material symbol of achievement), then I could DO the things I really want to do, which would then allow me to BE the successful person I want to be. Again, this line of thinking is backwards. First, you must BE a successful music person. From this inner sense of knowing and confidence, you begin DOing the things a successful music person does. If you BE and DO long enough, eventually you will HAVE the material success that naturally comes from this three-step process. It's best to work from the inside out, not the other way around. Doing things in reverse is like signing up for a class and saying, "Give me a good grade and then I'll become a smart student." That's not how life works. So I got to thinking about other success tools, such as the almighty To-Do List. Making a list of things to do is great. Giving yourself action steps allows you to focus your energy on the most important tasks -- the activities that will move you closer to your goals quicker. But there's a danger in becoming too obsessed with daily tasks. When you only focus on the tactics of your plans, it's easy to lose sight of the Big Picture. You must constantly ask yourself, "What is my ultimate goal? My primary outcome?" Turning once again to the Be-Do-Have model above, we know that one of the most important things you can do is BE the successful person you want to be. The real payoff of BEing successful (and of reaching goals in general) is the feeling you get. Therefore, in addition to a daily To-Do List, you should also use a To-Be List. Make a list of words you'd use to finish the sentence "I want to be ..." Some possibilities are Happy. Creatively Satisfied. Confident. Prolific. A People Person. Passionate. Too Sexy for My Shirt. You get the idea. Who do you have to BE (and how do you have to feel) in order to DO and HAVE the things you want in the music business? Use your answers to make certain your daily To-Do List tasks are moving you closer to BEing who you want to be. __________________________________________________ => SPREAD IT AROUND Forward this issue to your friends and fellow musicians. Encourage them to subscribe. It's easy ... and it's fr-ee! __________________________________________________ => 2. News You Need to Know About MusicMatch and More MusicMatch, the maker of the widely used MusicMatch Jukebox MP3 player, has entered the online music sales battle by offering a 99-cents-a-song service similar to Apple's iTunes Music Store. PC maker Dell will be one of the first companies to promote the new service to consumers. Check out these news stories on the topic: USA Today - http://makeashorterlink.com/?V29112D06 TechTV - http://makeashorterlink.com/?P36222D06 MSNBC - http://www.msnbc.com/news/973383.asp?0cv=TB10 Google News - http://makeashorterlink.com/?U27241D06 Or visit the official MusicMatch Downloads site at http://www.musicmatch.com/download/music_intro.htm Also, starting in October, Universal Music will suggest that most of its CDs cost no more than $12.98. Great news for music consumers, but there's a catch. Some indie music retailers and newer artists aren't thrilled about it. Read these news stories for more info: NY Times - http://makeashorterlink.com/?R11354D06 Rolling Stone - http://makeashorterlink.com/?T44321D06 Yahoo News - http://makeashorterlink.com/?P35312D06 __________________________________________________ => 3. Living from the Sweet Spot I really enjoyed these three paragraphs from a recent issue of Molly Gordon's "New Leaf" e-zine (www.mollygordon.com). Perhaps you'll be inspired by them as well: The sweet spot is that way of being in the world where we draw from our strengths, where you are keenly aware of opportunities, where it seems you can do no wrong. It's a nice place to visit, and it's worth learning to live from the sweet spot more often. Paradoxically, the sweet spot is not necessarily about effortlessness. It is not necessarily about absence of struggle. While living from the sweet spot you may opt to make great efforts and struggle mightily in the service of some purposeful or meaningful value or goal. Yet there is an absence of the effort or struggle that fights reality or that insists something inside or outside yourself should be different. In the sweet spot you commit wholeheartedly, humbly, even ecstatically, to the fullest possible expression and donation of what you are to the universe within and around you. Living from the sweet spot requires continual suspension of judgment without going unconscious. In the sweet spot you understand that everything is perfect and that there is room for improvement. By Molly Gordon, MCC. Copyright (c) Shaboom Inc. (r) 2003. __________________________________________________ => 4. Guerrilla Music Marketing Workshop - Live Wanna catch Bob's highly acclaimed Guerrilla Music Marketing Workshop in person? Here's where and when you can: Saturday, November 1 Musicians Expo 2003 Thunderbird Hotel & Convention Center Bloomington, Minnesota http://www.musiciansexpo.com/home_page_001.htm Monday, November 3 Part of the Music Business Keys to Success Series, sponsored by the St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers & Accountants for the Arts St. Louis, MO More details to come soon Here's a description of the workshop: Bob Baker, author of "Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook," walks you through 9 steps to widespread exposure, sales and success as an independent artist. Learn how to stay motivated, get clear about your identity and pinpoint the best ways to build a following and boost your music career to a higher level. I'd love to see you at one of them! Until next time ... get out there and promote yourself! -Bob __________________________________________________ => Most Popular Books and Reports at TheBuzzFactor.com Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook: 201 Self-Promotion Ideas for Songwriters, Musicians & Bands http://bob-baker.com/buzz/music_marketing.htm Unleash the Artist Within: Four Weeks to Transforming Your Creative Talents into More Recognition, More Profit & More Fun http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/unleash.html Branding Yourself Online: How to Use the Internet to Become a Celebrity or Expert in Your Field http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/byo.html Online Music PR Hot List http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/music_pr.htm Killer Press Kits: The 29 Most Important Elements in Creating Sizzling Music Publicity Materials http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/presskits.html E-zine Music Marketing: Powerful Ways to Promote Your Music with a Fan E-mail Newsletter http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/quiz.html __________________________________________________ REPRINT PERMISSION Would you like to run some of the content from this issue on your web site or in your e-zine? You may do so for free as long as you add the following credit: "Reprinted from Bob Baker's The Buzz Factor, featuring free marketing and self-promotion ideas for songwriters, musicians and bands on a budget. Visit www.TheBuzzFactor.com for details." __________________________________________________ To START getting The Buzz Factor, send an e-mail to addme@thebuzzfactor.com with the words "Send Me the Buzz" in the Subject line. Or visit http://TheBuzzFactor.com/ __________________________________________________ The Buzz Factor is published by Bob Baker PO Box 43058 - St. Louis, MO 63143 Phone: (314) 963-5296 - E-mail: bob@thebuzzfactor.com http://www.TheBuzzFactor.com/ (c) 2003 by Bob Baker - All Rights Reserved |