Bob Baker's The Buzz Factor
Music marketing tips and self-promotion ideas for independent songwriters, musicians and bands.
Bob Baker's Indie Music Promotion Blog
News, notes and ideas on music marketing, self-promotion, artist empowerment and more
August 25, 2008
My Best Music Success Advice
The week before last, my girlfriend Pooki and I attended a 7-day "Breakthrough to Success" workshop in Scottsdale, Arizona. It was presented by Jack Canfield, best known for the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series and the book "The Success Principles."
It was an awesome event with about 400 attendees. We learned and grew so much and met fantastic people from all over the world.
But now that we've experienced it, I am so thankful we took the leap of faith.
You see, I've been studying self-help and personal empowerment material off and on since I was 17 years old. And even though my life took many unexpected twists and turns, I've reached a stage that many people view as successful.
I feel blessed. And through my work, I enjoy passing on the "secrets" to success I've learned along the way. I do that through my many books, audio programs, live workshops, and resources such as www.MusicMarketingInsiders.com.
So here's my best advice for reaching your music goals:
1) Get out of your own way
The biggest obstacles humans face don't come from "out there" in the cold, cruel world. They reside within. We all carry negative beliefs and memories of previous experiences. We pick them up from our parents, friends, teachers, you name it. And these beliefs color our expectations and how we show up in the world.
So job #1 is to uncover these internal obstacles. To discover what's bubbling under the surface and holding you back -- often without you even being aware that these negative beliefs are there.
2) Upgrade your mental software
Install Empowerment Pro 2.0, if you will. This involves monitoring your internal dialogue -- your "self talk." Recognizing when you put yourself down or tell yourself you're not qualified or worthy to want something better for yourself.
At first, you'll be shocked by how often you limit your own potential. But that's great, because now you have the awareness to replace the old dialogue reruns with fresh, new content that brings out the true greatness that resides within you.
3) Get on the PE Diet
In this case, PE doesn't stand for Physical Education. It means Personal Empowerment. To improve your health, you wouldn't eat one healthy meal or have one good workout and then say, "There, I did it once. I'm set for life." Of course not. That would be silly.
Then why do people do that with their mental health and personal development? "I know that positive thinking stuff. It doesn't work," they say. Really? You tried it once and your life didn't change?
You know where I'm going with this. To be successful, you need to incorporate new healthy habits into your ongoing lifestyle. Not because you're a slow learner or there's anything "wrong" with you. But because constant focus on your personal growth is what brings about lasting results.
And that's why I've been feeding my mind with positive reinforcement for more than 30 years now. It keeps me on track. I've tried living life on autopilot too -- like the majority of people do. And I gotta tell you, it doesn't work for me.
That's why I encourage you to regularly exposure yourself to positive books, audio, movies, people, images, sounds, ideas, and more. That's also why I've dedicated my life to inspiring and empowering musicians (and other creative people) to express themselves and share their talents with the world.
I do that through books, reports, audio programs and live workshops. But last year I launched a new resource that really excites me, because -- unlike my other titles -- it provides regular ongoing exposure to new music career ideas, effective tactics, tips, tools, and more.
You can see what I'm talking about at ...
www.MusicMarketingInsiders.com
You've probably heard me talk about it before. But I just relaunched the site with a new intensity and commitment to providing valuable ongoing support for proactive artists, managers, promoters, and more.
Again, check it out at
www.MusicMarketingInsiders.com
You'll also find other sources of rich ideas and inspiration at
www.MusicMarketingBooks.com
To your success!
-Bob
P.S. I promise you, if you can get out of your own way, upgrade your mental software, and regularly feed your mind with empowering ideas and strategies ... you'll amaze your friends with the sudden burst of energy and accomplishments you produce.
Now wouldn't that be cool?
For more details, visit
www.MusicMarketingInsiders.com
Don't forget these sites too:
www.TheBuzzFactor.com
www.MusicPromotionBlog.com
www.Bob-Baker.com/podcast/
It was an awesome event with about 400 attendees. We learned and grew so much and met fantastic people from all over the world.
But now that we've experienced it, I am so thankful we took the leap of faith.
You see, I've been studying self-help and personal empowerment material off and on since I was 17 years old. And even though my life took many unexpected twists and turns, I've reached a stage that many people view as successful.
I feel blessed. And through my work, I enjoy passing on the "secrets" to success I've learned along the way. I do that through my many books, audio programs, live workshops, and resources such as www.MusicMarketingInsiders.com.
So here's my best advice for reaching your music goals:
1) Get out of your own way
The biggest obstacles humans face don't come from "out there" in the cold, cruel world. They reside within. We all carry negative beliefs and memories of previous experiences. We pick them up from our parents, friends, teachers, you name it. And these beliefs color our expectations and how we show up in the world.
So job #1 is to uncover these internal obstacles. To discover what's bubbling under the surface and holding you back -- often without you even being aware that these negative beliefs are there.
2) Upgrade your mental software
Install Empowerment Pro 2.0, if you will. This involves monitoring your internal dialogue -- your "self talk." Recognizing when you put yourself down or tell yourself you're not qualified or worthy to want something better for yourself.
At first, you'll be shocked by how often you limit your own potential. But that's great, because now you have the awareness to replace the old dialogue reruns with fresh, new content that brings out the true greatness that resides within you.
3) Get on the PE Diet
In this case, PE doesn't stand for Physical Education. It means Personal Empowerment. To improve your health, you wouldn't eat one healthy meal or have one good workout and then say, "There, I did it once. I'm set for life." Of course not. That would be silly.
Then why do people do that with their mental health and personal development? "I know that positive thinking stuff. It doesn't work," they say. Really? You tried it once and your life didn't change?
You know where I'm going with this. To be successful, you need to incorporate new healthy habits into your ongoing lifestyle. Not because you're a slow learner or there's anything "wrong" with you. But because constant focus on your personal growth is what brings about lasting results.And that's why I've been feeding my mind with positive reinforcement for more than 30 years now. It keeps me on track. I've tried living life on autopilot too -- like the majority of people do. And I gotta tell you, it doesn't work for me.
That's why I encourage you to regularly exposure yourself to positive books, audio, movies, people, images, sounds, ideas, and more. That's also why I've dedicated my life to inspiring and empowering musicians (and other creative people) to express themselves and share their talents with the world.
I do that through books, reports, audio programs and live workshops. But last year I launched a new resource that really excites me, because -- unlike my other titles -- it provides regular ongoing exposure to new music career ideas, effective tactics, tips, tools, and more.
You can see what I'm talking about at ...
www.MusicMarketingInsiders.com
You've probably heard me talk about it before. But I just relaunched the site with a new intensity and commitment to providing valuable ongoing support for proactive artists, managers, promoters, and more.
Again, check it out at
www.MusicMarketingInsiders.com
You'll also find other sources of rich ideas and inspiration at
www.MusicMarketingBooks.com
To your success!
-Bob
P.S. I promise you, if you can get out of your own way, upgrade your mental software, and regularly feed your mind with empowering ideas and strategies ... you'll amaze your friends with the sudden burst of energy and accomplishments you produce.
Now wouldn't that be cool?
For more details, visit
www.MusicMarketingInsiders.com
Don't forget these sites too:
www.TheBuzzFactor.com
www.MusicPromotionBlog.com
www.Bob-Baker.com/podcast/
posted by Bob Baker @ 12:49 PM
7 comments
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What About Bob?
Bob Baker is an author, indie musician and former music magazine editor dedicated to showing musicians of all kinds how to get exposure, connect with fans, sell more CDs, and increase their incomes.
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Enough Said. You're Right Bob. Of the Three, the tactic that hit the closest to home in my mind was #1, get out of your own way. Bad influence DOES seep in from numerous angles and though we often feel sorry about the negative actions outside of our control; perhaps even more detremental are the internal arguments. I personally feel that Indecision is the WORST decision.
Hi Bob,
Thanks for sharing this... I have consciously been on a path of self-growth for a couple of years now and I can see it is no coincidence that I discovered your site a few weeks ago and purchased some of your material.
I put this kind of message in my music, seeing as it is my goal to inspire other people to believe that they can create the life they want by following their passions.
Thanks for the great course material and the insights. It makes a difference!
Thanks for sharing this great post.
Definitely, 'I am my own worst enemy.' I have been working on myself ever since I realized I had to. And that was when I was 10 years old, extremely shy, dangerously depressed, and dramatically overweight. But I did it. Now, with 30, I have a great job, the best ever fiance, am weighing 40 pounds less then 20 years ago, and love life.
All of us can achieve great things if we only try. It is actually easier achieving something great than just something that everyone can achieve. The competition for reaching out to do amazing things is less dense. So, go for that. Don't stop at 'normal'. That is what I do and what I suggest to my friends who are not happy with their lives.
Sure that's fine. But most of these "Empowerment" people seem to use the guise of Principles and Positive Messages to pull people in and then "sell" them something. Kinda like you just did with this blog.
Hey..
Just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your books. I just bought two of your marketing books (Guerilla Music Marketing Encore Edi.)thru Amazon.
A little background - I am the Street Team gal for the Zach Hillyard Band. The guys are Berklee College of Music students
and were recently named the Best College Band in New England through OurStage. A couple years ago Zach Hillyard (the band's
vocalist and keyboard player) placed well in the John Lennon songwrting contest with his song "Rain Like This".
The guys are just now preparing to move to southern California from Boston. The change is going to be dramatic. While the band
is well known in Boston and the surrounding areas - tackling southern Cali (where I live) is going to be a challenge.
I have been looking for new ideas and your books were just the ticket to get my creativity flowing. While I have used many of
your ideas in the past - your books are helping me to focus once again on the task at hand and goals for the future.
So, thank you very much!
Sue
www.myspace.com/zachhillyardband
http://www.ourstage.com/fanclub/zachhillyardband
http://www.stereofame.com/zach_hillyard_band
http://www.zachhillyardband.blogspot.com/
Anonymous, you're right. I did weave in a sales message with this blog post. But here's the thing: The vast majority of people who read it will not buy anything from me. But that doesn't dilute the impact that the message is having on a lot of people.
My goal is to inspire and empower creative people -- whether they buy something from me or not. It just so happens that a modest number do invest money in my titles, which allows me to make a living and focus on getting even more of my messages out there -- many of which I charge nothing for.
Question: What inner belief causes you to notice my sales message and react to it in this manner? Is it "Selling is bad"? Or "Promoting a for-sale product or service lacks integrity"?
Whatever the belief, how is it affecting your own pursuit of music and art and making a living?
-Bob
I think it's fine to "empower" people and get your message out there even if they don't buy anything. I just think there is something wrong with the idea that people need someone else to empower them. To tell them they can "do it". And then to sell them, if they so decide to buy - motivation to succeed and feel good about themselves. I always dreamed that people could think for themselves but that doesn't seem to be the case. Or else diet books wouldn't sell very well. But they do.