Seems this may be another vent blog. Please indulge me. Why is it that people can go else where to get things done and pay for it and then come back to a place and expect and I repeat expect it for FREE! Am I not worth it? Are the things I do not to the caliber that you expect and MORE? I had to sit and ponder this question for a long time. We are studio owners spend money on equipment to compete with what's out in the industry and unless we are getting checks from labels for the work we do, we usually eat those costs associated with new gear or even just the up keep of the gear in general.
I know most of you have probably already learned what I'm learning now that I have to be more assertive and get my money UPFRONT!!!! It's not being mean or ruthless but it's called HANDLING BUSINESS FIRST! I always try to be the bigger guy and give, give, give and it seems that when I NEED it the most the return isn't there or the support that I thought should be there is not there, but God always helps me through and actually shows me the true friends that have stepped up to answer the call, get this, WITH OUT ME HAVING TO EVEN ASK!!! Wow what a concept! Not wanting anything in return and respecting what I do as "dude here is your pay for what you did for"...
I wish the world could be more like what we are supposed to be like but it's not and even your friend WILL take advantage of that and I've learned NOT to get angry cause I've allowed it to happen for so long, but to reevaluate how I respond. The changes have to start from within and work it's way outward. F.Y.P.M. (F You Pay Me) is a simple thing, crude and may be insulting to some but I am learning to stand behind it and it keeps me focused now!
Thanks for the opportunity to vent my thoughts!
Reply
So, what do you do when the people who say to you all the time "Trust me, I know what you've been through and I won't do it you" end up DOING IT TO YOU??!!!!??? Do you beat the living $#it out of them? Do you try to make their lives a living hell? Or do you forgive for they seriously don't know that you could kill them where they stand and keep it moving without a single thought, or do you get them back by Succeeding? Hmmmm, trick question you say? Well I would opt for all of the above if I didn't know better now! But the correct answer is the last one! You have to use it as a lesson Learned and keep it MOVING FORWARD!!!
I've been through so many of the above scenario with people in and out of the music industry. They use you to get what THEY want only and not even offer the decency of a reach around. I guess I should know better by now, but you always give people the benefit of the doubt and give everyone a clean slate. They always not to bring old baggage into a new situation. Well they are correct in that but, now I see that you have to treat things like it should be from the jump, BUSINESS NOT PERSONAL!!!!
Thought I would vent out a little....I would put some people on blast in this BLOG, but you know what, they will get what they have coming to them when the time is right and I'm just gonna KEEP IT MOVING!!!!!
Thanks for listening!!!!
Reply
This is an interesting topic for me. While I was driving on my way to work, I started to think about all the things that needed to be done before I could get on the road with my music. Some of these things seemed so overwhelming that I was like "wow I can't get this done!" It made me feel a little unsure. Can I do this? Am I really ready? Does anyone even like what I do? These are very valid and scary questions to have to deal with!
I popped in my CD again and listened carefully one by one to all the songs, again and again critiquing and scrutinizing anything I could. If I kept this up, I would never release anything! I decided that this was it, any fine tuning that I could do easily I would and then I'm letting it go. It's hard for people like us to do that because we are harder on ourselves than anyone else would be. We strive for perfection. And I think it's even worse for us singer/songwriter/producers...... :-)
I decided that I needed to stay focused on my mission and that is to make FEEL GOOD MUSIC! I wanted people to just groove with me and feel what I'm doing and have a good time! Maybe one or two people can relate to what I'm saying and it would let them know "they are truly not alone".
My words of encouragement to anyone in this thing we call MUSIC as an artist or producer is to STAY FOCUSED! Write down your goals and what you want to accomplish and be realist about them and then like Nike....JUST DO IT!!!! Don't let it be said "well I could have been, or what it would have been like if..." or whatever it is you want to do. There should be NO REGRETS!!!!! We are in the age of total independence and there is no reason why YOU CAN'T DO IT!!!!!
Stay Blessed!
Reply
Hey everyone!
Where do I begin...I received a visit from a close friend who took me back to when I was performing and doing shows and having a wonderful time with this thing we call the Music Business. A lot of things have changed since then. The business remains the same but the players are all different and they are changing some of the rules of play.
This electronic age has allowed many artists the ability to be heard and seen now in many venues, putting the music back in the hands of the ones where it needs to be. Having true Fans, that keep encouraging you to make the music that makes you feel good, thus making them feel good! Let the music speak for itself!
I've decided to let my music speak for itself! It's all about feeling good, about you, life and love and all the wonderful struggles and plights in between. It's about the smile you infectiously share with others and the passion you have in your song! This is "Where I'm Going!
Reply
Michael Stewart / Blog
Your Self Worth
Seems this may be another vent blog. Please indulge me. Why is it that people can go else where to get things done and pay for it and then come back to a place and expect and I repeat expect it for FREE! Am I not worth it? Are the things I do not to the caliber that you expect and MORE? I had to sit and ponder this question for a long time. We are studio owners spend money on equipment to compete with what's out in the industry and unless we are getting checks from labels for the work we do, we usually eat those costs associated with new gear or even just the up keep of the gear in general.
I know most of you have probably already learned what I'm learning now that I have to be more assertive and get my money UPFRONT!!!! It's not being mean or ruthless but it's called HANDLING BUSINESS FIRST! I always try to be the bigger guy and give, give, give and it seems that when I NEED it the most the return isn't there or the support that I thought should be there is not there, but God always helps me through and actually shows me the true friends that have stepped up to answer the call, get this, WITH OUT ME HAVING TO EVEN ASK!!! Wow what a concept! Not wanting anything in return and respecting what I do as "dude here is your pay for what you did for"...
I wish the world could be more like what we are supposed to be like but it's not and even your friend WILL take advantage of that and I've learned NOT to get angry cause I've allowed it to happen for so long, but to reevaluate how I respond. The changes have to start from within and work it's way outward. F.Y.P.M. (F You Pay Me) is a simple thing, crude and may be insulting to some but I am learning to stand behind it and it keeps me focused now!
Thanks for the opportunity to vent my thoughts!
Reply
Trust Issues
So, what do you do when the people who say to you all the time "Trust me, I know what you've been through and I won't do it you" end up DOING IT TO YOU??!!!!??? Do you beat the living $#it out of them? Do you try to make their lives a living hell? Or do you forgive for they seriously don't know that you could kill them where they stand and keep it moving without a single thought, or do you get them back by Succeeding? Hmmmm, trick question you say? Well I would opt for all of the above if I didn't know better now! But the correct answer is the last one! You have to use it as a lesson Learned and keep it MOVING FORWARD!!!
I've been through so many of the above scenario with people in and out of the music industry. They use you to get what THEY want only and not even offer the decency of a reach around. I guess I should know better by now, but you always give people the benefit of the doubt and give everyone a clean slate. They always not to bring old baggage into a new situation. Well they are correct in that but, now I see that you have to treat things like it should be from the jump, BUSINESS NOT PERSONAL!!!!
Thought I would vent out a little....I would put some people on blast in this BLOG, but you know what, they will get what they have coming to them when the time is right and I'm just gonna KEEP IT MOVING!!!!!
Thanks for listening!!!!
Reply
Keeping Focused!
This is an interesting topic for me. While I was driving on my way to work, I started to think about all the things that needed to be done before I could get on the road with my music. Some of these things seemed so overwhelming that I was like "wow I can't get this done!" It made me feel a little unsure. Can I do this? Am I really ready? Does anyone even like what I do? These are very valid and scary questions to have to deal with!
I popped in my CD again and listened carefully one by one to all the songs, again and again critiquing and scrutinizing anything I could. If I kept this up, I would never release anything! I decided that this was it, any fine tuning that I could do easily I would and then I'm letting it go. It's hard for people like us to do that because we are harder on ourselves than anyone else would be. We strive for perfection. And I think it's even worse for us singer/songwriter/producers...... :-)
I decided that I needed to stay focused on my mission and that is to make FEEL GOOD MUSIC! I wanted people to just groove with me and feel what I'm doing and have a good time! Maybe one or two people can relate to what I'm saying and it would let them know "they are truly not alone".
My words of encouragement to anyone in this thing we call MUSIC as an artist or producer is to STAY FOCUSED! Write down your goals and what you want to accomplish and be realist about them and then like Nike....JUST DO IT!!!! Don't let it be said "well I could have been, or what it would have been like if..." or whatever it is you want to do. There should be NO REGRETS!!!!! We are in the age of total independence and there is no reason why YOU CAN'T DO IT!!!!!
Stay Blessed!
Reply
Where I'm Going - The Album
Hey everyone! Where do I begin...I received a visit from a close friend who took me back to when I was performing and doing shows and having a wonderful time with this thing we call the Music Business. A lot of things have changed since then. The business remains the same but the players are all different and they are changing some of the rules of play.
This electronic age has allowed many artists the ability to be heard and seen now in many venues, putting the music back in the hands of the ones where it needs to be. Having true Fans, that keep encouraging you to make the music that makes you feel good, thus making them feel good! Let the music speak for itself!
I've decided to let my music speak for itself! It's all about feeling good, about you, life and love and all the wonderful struggles and plights in between. It's about the smile you infectiously share with others and the passion you have in your song! This is "Where I'm Going!
Reply