the word “fanatic.” That’s what you want to develop. A [large] group of fanatics for your
music who tell everybody they meet about you, your shows, CDs, downloads and mer-
chandise.
Hone Your Business Skills
Your fans are responsible for making you successful. You are responsible for maintaining
and managing that success now and into the future. That takes business savvy. Your team
of advisors, your manager, agent, and p.r. folks will help you out, but at the end of the
day, the ultimate responsibility falls into your lap. It’s your choice to meet it head on and
grab it by the horns or to let your career simply happen to you. Like Mick Jagger, know
where the money’s coming in and going out. Maximize on the things that sell and dump
the ones that don’t and are probably costing money.
Attend some of the numerous conferences, workshops and similar events to learn bet-
ter business skills, what’s working and what’s not. Plus, you meet many like-minded
souls with whom you can share war stories and experiences. Much of the music business
is about connections and these are the places to make some.
In the U.S. alone there are more than one hundred conferences to choose from for
artists and music industry folks. Some are ridiculously expensive, while others are more
within the, shall we say, limited budget of the typical band or solo performer. Here are a
few to check out. You can also find a listing of music conferences at: http://www.musicnomad.-
com/Support_Your_Music/Music_Industry_Conferences_Trade_Shows.
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- CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival–www.cmj.com/marathon/conference