TEM94: The only true key to success (and yes there is one)

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TEM94: The only true key to success (and yes there is one)

There actually is one true key to success and this is it.

Topics Covered:

1:20 - 95% of the music business makes it incredibly easy to get along with them all of the time but your reputation is based almost entirely on how you deal with the other 5%

3:57 - Why it's so important to hold your tongue (and why that is incredibly true with any kind of written communication which has no tone and usually lacks context)

6:35 - The Gary Vaynerchuck 51/49 Rule

7:50 - The tale of a chamber group who ignored the 51/49 Rule, went for short-term gains above everything else and how it ended (Spoiler Alert: It didn't end well)

11:34 - The best advice I ever received from anyone about getting along with other people

16:21 - The importance of remembering that whatever gig you are playing is always important to the person who hired you, no matter the circumstances of the gig

Links:

TEM 92: Steve Dillon of Dillon Music on Passion, Becoming an Authority and Always Thinking
TEM 1: Ranaan Meyer of Time for Three
The Gary Vee Audio Experience

You can help me reach two specific goals I've set for TEM:

1. Help me get to $50 per episode on Patreon by pledging as little as $1 per episode to support the show:  https://www.patreon.com/tempodcast

2. Help me get to my goal of 50 ratings at iTunes by leaving a rating and review.

And finally, a huge thank you to Parker Mouthpieces for providing the hosting for TEM.

Produced by Joey Santillo

TEM93: How passion leads to becoming an authority (TEM Short)

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TEM93: How passion leads to becoming an authority (TEM Short)

This TEM Short is in response to my interview with Steve Dillon in Episode 92.

How passion can lead to you becoming (and staying) an authority on a subject.

"I think my passion has made me an expert at certain things, thus made me an authority."
—Steve Dillon

Topics Covered:

2:13 - Brian Clark's quote on a simple way to make yourself an authority to most people on anything and how I did that exact same thing a few years ago

5:20 - It turned out that after I did a brief deep dive on marketing that I had a passion for it which has made my continuous research over the last five years happen organically

7:49 - Being an authority on something means you constantly must be consuming new information as the world is always changing

10:06 - One of my passions that I am absolutely an authority on because of years worth of research

Links:

TEM 92: Steve Dillon of Dillon Music on Passion, Becoming an Authority and Always Thinking Long-Term
TEM 82: The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing (Book Report)
Selling More Books Show
Email me at andrew.hitz@gmail.com

You can help me reach two specific goals I've set for TEM:

1. Help me get to $50 per episode on Patreon by pledging as little as $1 per episode to support the show:  https://www.patreon.com/tempodcast

2. Help me get to my goal of 50 ratings at iTunes by leaving a rating and review.

And finally, a huge thank you to Parker Mouthpieces for providing the hosting for TEM.

Produced by Joey Santillo

TEM92: Steve Dillon of Dillon Music on passion, becoming an authority and always thinking long-term

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TEM92: Steve Dillon of Dillon Music on passion, becoming an authority and always thinking long-term

Steve Dillon of Dillon Music talking about his 30+ years in the music business. He touches on passion, becoming an authority and the importance of always thinking long-term.

Topics Covered:

5:30 - A summary of Steve's store, Dillon Music

7:23 - The story of how Steve painted a room for his grandmother and when he was in middle school and took that money and bought his first instrument which he immediately traded for two others

11:03 - Steve's lifelong passion for instruments and selling them and how that passion is contagious to anyone he comes into contact with

15:21 - How his passion has helped him become an authority on certain subjects which in turn has helped him to solve problems for people

18:40 - Why trying to monetize the research he's doing to become an expert or the time he spends building relationships with customers is the incorrect way to frame it

23:30 - The keys to why he has done such a great job of hiring people over the years (and why finding a partner to start a small business is the same thing as hiring your 30th employee)

30:45 - What direction he sees things moving on the manufacturing side of the music business

36:08 - How he thought long-term even when he first opened a retail store and was forced to think about short-term things like cash flow (and how that relates to a performer just getting their career off the ground)

47:57 - He talks about the Survey of Music Business course he teaches at New Jersey City University (and why he doesn't spend much time teaching stuff that the students can easily google on their own)

54:30 - Why networking is so vital to success in business (and how so few people are any good at following up with someone they meet in a class or some other professional situation)

57:42 - How Steve was the kid (way before email) that was always calling people asking them questions and how almost all people are looking to help others

Links:

Dillon Music
The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber
Scott Hartman: Episode 48 of The Brass Junkies
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie 
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
Dillon Music Facebook Page

Favorite Quotes:

"My business is my life and my life is my business."

"I think (my passion) has made me become an expert at certain things, thus made me become an authority."

"You have to get out there. You have to be personable and connect with everyone you can."

"When I hire a person I understand that there's gonna be good qualities and bad qualities. My job is to take them both and go to work with it."

"You always have to look long-term unless you're in it for the short-term."

"If you can get along with people, you can succeed."

There are two ways you can support TEM!

You can help me reach two specific goals I've set for TEM:

1. Help me get to $50 per episode on Patreon by pledging as little as $1 per episode to support the show:  https://www.patreon.com/tempodcast

2. Help me get to my goal of 50 ratings at iTunes by leaving a rating and review.

And finally, a huge thank you to Parker Mouthpieces for providing the hosting for TEM.

Produced by Joey Santillo

TEM65: Impact people around you and your phone will ring a lot (TEM Short)

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TEM65: Impact people around you and your phone will ring a lot (TEM Short)

This TEM Short features thoughts about being interviewed by my Pedal Note Media colleague, Lance LaDuke, in TEM64.

Links:

Lance LaDuke: Episode 17
A Conversation with Lance LaDuke on Marketing: Episode 34
Andrew Hitz of Pedal Note Media: Episode 64

It would mean the world to me if you felt like making a small donation to support what I'm doing with TEM. You can find out more at:

https://www.patreon.com/tempodcast

Produced by Joey Santillo

Article: Gary Numan thinks the music industry's collapse is a beautiful thing

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"There are a lot of people who are really frightened about what’s going on at the moment. I’m the opposite. I think it’s an amazing time. It’s a golden era for bands. You’ve just got to be aware. You’ve got to be savvy with the technology that’s coming and adapt it to you, or you to it, whatever it might be. I’m optimistic, because I’m sure there are other things coming that are going to be really useful. But most of it involves direct access to fans."

The above quote is from a great interview in Fast Company with electronic music pioneer Gary Numan. I love his attitude towards the changing music industry.

And I really love this coming from someone who had a bunch of success in the old model.

Fast Company: Gary Numan Thinks The Music Industry's Collapse Is A Beautiful Thing

TEM44: Don't try to change someone's world view

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TEM44: Don't try to change someone's world view

This episode features my thoughts about Seth Godin's opinion that you shouldn't try to change someone's world view.

Show notes for all episodes of TEM including links to all books and websites referenced can be found at:

http://www.andrewhitz.com/shownotes

Links:

You can help offset the ongoing costs of producing the show by making a small donation at http://www.pedalnotemedia.com/support-the-entrepreneurial-musician. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Produced by Austin Boyer of FredBrass

TEM31: What's In store for TEM in 2016

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This is a quick run down of what's in store for the podcast in 2016 including a few changes to the format. As you'll hear, I will still be doing interviews with industry leading entrepreneurs. But I'll also be discussing various aspects of entrepreneurship with different guests in a more in depth basis.

I will also be discussing my latest venture which will soon be found at banddirectorsguide.com. I'll be sharing the entrepreneurial lessons I learn (hopefully not all the hard way!) as I launch this brand new business.

I'm excited for what the year ahead has in store!

Links:

Books Referenced:

You can help offset the ongoing costs of producing the show by making a small donation at http://www.pedalnotemedia.com/support-the-entrepreneurial-musician. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Produced by Austin Boyer and Buddy Deshler of FredBrass

TEM29: Peter Seymour of PROJECT Trio on energy in your presentation, taking action and the need to be brutally honest with yourself about what you can and can not do

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Peter Seymour is one of my heroes in the business. From traditional success (postions with the New World Symphony and Cleveland Orchestra) to founding one of the most creative and successful chamber groups of the last decade (PROJECT Trio), Peter has taken the music industry by storm and his energy is completely contagious. This will fire you up!

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TEM20: Are you fungible? Hopefully not! (TEM Short)

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TEM20: Are you fungible? Hopefully not! (TEM Short)

This is in reaction to my interview from TEM19 with Canadian jazz pianist, composer and entrepreneur Ron Davis. Ron mentioned the dangers of being fungible in today's music business. If you are simply selling skills that many people can do at or nearly at your level, prepare for the race to the bottom in terms of compensation.

The key is to market yourself rather than simply your skills, just as Ron has.

Links:

Books Referenced:


You can help offset the ongoing costs of producing the show by making a small donation at http://www.pedalnotemedia.com/support-the-entrepreneurial-musician. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Produced by Austin Boyer and Buddy Deshler of FredBrass

TEM19: Ron Davis, Canadian jazz pianist, on the dangers of being fungible,why sales is such a huge part of what musicians do and how he is the prototypical example of a portfolio musician

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TEM19: Ron Davis, Canadian jazz pianist, on the dangers of being fungible,why sales is such a huge part of what musicians do and how he is the prototypical example of a portfolio musician

Ron Davis is one of the preeminent jazz musicians in Canada who is known for his innovative collaborations and forward thinking. He is a performer, writer, arranger and teacher who has taken a fascinating route to get to where he is today.

He began his professional career by becoming a lawyer. He then got his PhD in French and became an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto. Then incredibly, after 10 years of not playing a note, picked music back up and became one of the most successful jazz musicians in all of Canada.

On Today’s Episode of The Entrepreneurial Musician:

  • The courage it took for him to get out of his well-paid and steady "cul-de-sac" of a job to become a full-time musician again

  • How he is the prototypical example of a portfolio musician

  • Why sales is such a huge part of what musicians do

  • What drives the innovative collaborations that comprise his project Symphronica

  • The dangers of being fungible

Links:

 Books Referenced:


You can help offset the ongoing costs of producing the show by making a small donation at http://www.pedalnotemedia.com/support-the-entrepreneurial-musician. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Produced by Austin Boyer and Buddy Deshler of FredBrass

TEM12: Always say yes (TEM Short)

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TEM12: Always say yes (TEM Short)

This TEM Short features thoughts about my conversation with composer Jim Stephenson in Episode 11.

What struck me most about Jim's interview was how many times in his career he has said something to the effect of "Yes, I can do that." And some of those times were when he in fact had no experience at all doing what he was volunteering for.

The word yes is a powerful word.

Show notes for all episodes of TEM including links to all books and websites referenced can be found at:

http://www.andrewhitz.com/shownotes

Links:

Jim Stephenson: Episode 11

You can help offset the ongoing costs of producing the show by making a small donation at http://www.pedalnotemedia.com/support-the-entrepreneurial-musician. Your support is greatly appreciated!"

Produced by Austin Boyer and Buddy Deshler of FredBrass

TEM11: Jim Stephenson, composer and head of Stephenson Music

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TEM11: Jim Stephenson, composer and head of Stephenson Music

Jim Stephenson is a full-time composer and arranger based out of Chicago. His story is a fascinating one.

Jim was a trumpet player in the Naples Philharmonic before he began to arrange and compose. His writing career eventually took off to the point that he quit his steady job with the orchestra to focus on it full-time. Who does that? People as driven as Jim, that's who.

His career path is reminder after reminder that you never quite know which direction you are about to head in in the music business.

Topics Include:

  • How his first ever arrangement was for a professional brass quintet and that he volunteered in spite of having no experience whatsoever

  • How he backed into becoming a composer by trying to write an intentionally bad piece to fulfill a very creative assignment and failed since it ended up being good

  • How excited he was initially about being a published composer

  • The advantages and disadvantages of self-publishing

  • The value of humility in a sustainable career

Website:

You can help offset the ongoing costs of producing the show by making a small donation at http://www.pedalnotemedia.com/support-the-entrepreneurial-musician. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Produced by Austin Boyer and Buddy Deshler of FredBrass

TEM9: David Vining of Mountain Peak Music

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TEM9: David Vining of Mountain Peak Music

David Vining is the founder of publishing company Mountain Peak Music and a highly sought after teacher and performer.

He has faced many obstacles in his career, including overcoming distonia, which gives him a unique perspective on the music business and life in general.

Topics Covered:

  • Finding a core customer base

  • The advantages of "drilling down" to cater to a specific niche

  • Not assuming different customer bases have the same needs

  • How his battle with dystonia taught him to not always approach problems in a linear and traditional manner

  • Creating an environmnet where people can create their own improvement rather than follow step-by-step instructions

  • How critical communication skills are to all entrepreneurs

Links:

Books:

Want to help "keep the lights on" and make future episodes of TEM possible? Please visit our Patreon page to see how you can help! https://www.patreon.com/tempodcast

Produced by Austin Boyer of FredBrass