Are we connected on LinkedIn?

TEM82: "The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing" (Book Report)

A brief overview of The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing, a book that changed how I view marketing and even informed the art I make.

(If you have a book you would like for me to read and feature in a future Book Report segement, please email me through the email link in the upper righthand corner. Thanks!)

Topics Covered:

2:20 - Arts marketing is the exact same thing as marketing anything else
4:30 - Law #1: The Law of Leadership
- It's better to be first than to be better
- Everyone knows Charles Lindbergh and no one knows poor Bert HinklerTime for Three is the first classical string trio with two violins and a bass to cross genres
9:15 - Law #2: The Law of the Category
- If you can't be first in a category, set up a new category you can be first in
- Amelia Earhart is not known as the third person to fly solo across the Atlantic but rather as the first woman (a new category)
- Cirque du Soleil blended the circus, opera and ballet to create their own category
11:50 - Law #3: The Law of the Mind
- It is better to be first in the mind than it is to be first in the marketplace
- This doesn't contradict the Law of Leadership - The Law of Leadership just makes it easier to be first in the mind
- Canadian Brass is synonymous with brass quintet in spite of coming many years after the Chicago Brass Quintet and New York Brass Quintet
13:45 - Law #4: The Law of Perception
- Marketing is not a battle of products but a battle of perception
- Amanda Palmer is probably not the best singer in the world and yet she became the first artist to raise over a million dollars on Kickstarter
- Hands on a Hardbody was an award winning Broadway musical that closed after just 56 performances so was not perceived as a great show in spite of the accolades
17:00 - Law #5: The Law of Focus
- The most powerful concept in marketing is owning a word in the prospect's mind
- David Cutler of The Savvy Musician owns the word "savvy" in the musical world
18:40 - Law #6: The Law of Exclusivity
- Two companies can not own the same word in the prospect's mind
- Canadian Brass are known for wearing full tails and white sneakers. Many years later Dallas Brass tried to tap into that by wearing cowboy boots as their trademark but it never stuck because Canadian Brass already owned unique footwear in the brass quintet world
- Like a political campaign, as soon as you are on your opponent's message you are almost certainly going to lose that election
20:35 - Law #17: The Law of Unpredictability
- Unless you write your competitor's plans you can't predict the future
- Boston Brass made some very unpredictable changes to their show about 20 years ago (like singing barbershop quartet tunes) which differentiated their show from that of other brass quintets
25:00 - Law #19: The Law of Failure
- Failure is to be expected and encouraged
- Sam Walton of Walmart fame used to say "Ready, Fire, Aim"
- Cirque du Soleil had a show in 2009 called "Banana Shpeel" that lasted less than a year which cost them millions but they have gone on to premiere numerous hit shows since then
- The only failures that are bad are failures you don't learn from

Links:

The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout
Parker Mouthpieces
Ranaan Meyer: Episode 1
The Savvy Musician's 10 Tips for 2017 with David Cutler: Part 1 and Part 2
The Brass Junkies: JD Shaw

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:

Produced by Joey Santillo

TEM81: Make yourself famous

February 09, 2017 by Andrew Hitz in TEM Podcast, Show Notes

Listen via:

An episode about the different ways to make yourself famous (and why it's important!)

Topics Covered:

4:00 - The two ways to get famous (and which one is a lot easier!)
6:20 - The definition of branding (that's actually useful)
8:30 - Identifying exactly who your audience is and what do they value (and where you can best reach them)
15:10 - Why content marketing is a good strategy for making yourself famous
17:30 - How I became well-known in the tuba community (Spoiler: It had to do with circumstances and not being great)
19:20 - Why making yourself "famous" has nothing to do with ego

Links:

The Savvy Musician's 10 Tips for 2017 with David Cutler: Part 1 and Part 2
Ariel Hyatt: Episode 49
The Savvy Arts Venture Challenge
21CM
Parker Mouthpieces
The Brass Junkies Episode 3: Michael Parker

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:

Produced by Joey Santillo

TEM80: If it's not a $#%& yes, it's a no (TEM Short)

February 09, 2017 by Andrew Hitz in TEM Podcast, Show Notes

Listen via:

TEM80: If it's not a $#%& yes, it's a no (TEM Short)

This TEM Short is in response to my interview with Emilio Guarino in Episode 79.

The surefire way to decide whether you should take on a project or anything else.

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:

Produced by Joey Santillo

TEM79: Emilio Guarino on action steps, the constant of change and the challenges of self-publication

January 28, 2017 by Andrew Hitz in TEM Podcast, Show Notes

Listen via:

TEM79: Emilio Guarino on action steps, the constant of change and the challenges of self-publication

Topics Covered:

What inspired him to write his first book, "Make It: A Guide For Recent Music Graduates"
How 90% of the book is based on personal experiences beginning with graduate school (when he was first on his own financially)
The in my opinion awesome fact that every chapter of his book ends with "Action Steps" for the reader to take (I wish more books like this did that!)
How your body is going to make a routine for yourself whether you set one or not
The incredible percentage of any given day which is just comprised of habit
How he keeps a daily journal of all of his thoughts throughout the day and when he goes back and reads them he tries to translate them into actions he can take
The importance of blocking out time for something important each and every day where he tells the world to go away and just focuses on that task
Change is the only constant
The Gig Triangle (the metric I use to decide whether I am going to say yes to something today)
Why if you have no entrepreneurial experience, designing and selling a sticker for a project (like a band you're in) will teach you a lot about business
The many things (like a book mockup) you have to do when you self-publish
What he would do differently if he publishes a second book
The importance of customers finding your product in the channels they're already hanging out in

Links:

Favorite Quotes:

"Use routine to your advantage. Set small, daily goals that are realistically achievable for you that inch you toward your desired outcome."
"I think the master habit that you need to get in place is the habit of reviewing your habits."
"I wouldn't recommend writing a book for money. There are better ways to go about that."

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

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:

Produced by Joey Santillo

TEM78: The Savvy Musician's 10 Tips for 2017 with David Cutler (Part 2)

January 21, 2017 by Andrew Hitz in TEM Podcast, Show Notes

Listen via:

Savvy Arts Venture Challenge
Parker Mouthpieces
Lauren Pierce: Episode 57
Susan de Weger: Episode 71

TEM78: The Savvy Musician's 10 Tips for 2017 with David Cutler (Part 2)

David Cutler offers up 10 unusual and incredibly thought-provoking tips for 2017. Part 1 is the first five. Guaranteed to make you think and give you some actionable ideas to move your art forward in 2017!

6. Success isn't what it used to be
7. Whatever you do, don't earn as much as possible
8. Build your portfolio (career)
9. Hang out with the wrong crowd
10. Avoid working your way up

(Check out Episode 77 for Tips 1-5)

And don't forget to click on the link below for the 2017 Savvy Arts Venture Challenge. It is a phenomenal, career-changing event and scholarships are available.

Links:

Favorite Quotes:

"I am a big advocate of having specific concrete numbers that you write down so you know what constitutes success and then you can see how you did. So you actually know whether you were successful."

"Make yourself famous."

TEM77: The Savvy Musician's 10 Tips for 2017 with David Cutler (Part 1)

January 14, 2017 by Andrew Hitz in TEM Podcast, Show Notes

Dr. David Cutler is one of the most brilliant people I have ever had the privilege of working with in my career. He is the author of The Savvy Musician and is filled with ideas for how to be remarkable in today's music business. This and TEM 78 are some great ideas to help anyone figure out what their next move should be.

TEM76: Business Model Canvas with Lance LaDuke

January 07, 2017 by Andrew Hitz in TEM Podcast, Show Notes

Listen via:

Business Model Generation*
Business Model You*

TEM76: Business Model Canvas with Lance LaDuke

The Business Model Canvas is a tool that every single person listening to this podcast should use and this talk with Lance LaDuke is a great place to start!

Lance regularly teaches the Business Model Canvas to his Business of Music class at Carnegie Mellon University and does a great job of explaining why it is such a powerful tool. The Business Model Canvas will help get ideas out of your head and organized in an way that makes clear what your next steps need to be. I can't recommend the process any more highly for anyone.

Links:

*FWIW I am a huge fan of ebooks and audio books but would highly recommend the hard copy of each of these books. They are quite visual.

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

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:

Produced by Joey Santillo

TEM75: Idea sex

December 17, 2016 by Andrew Hitz in TEM Podcast, Show Notes

Listen via:

Choose Yourself by James Altucher
The James Altucher Show
"How To Have Great Ideas" by James Altucher
Jessica Meyer: Episode 73
andrewhitz.com/tem
facebook.com/hitztuba
instagram.com/hitztuba

TEM75: Idea sex

This episode is about the James Altucher concept Idea Sex which I learned from his book, Choose Yourself, and a very simple exercise you can do on a daily basis to learn how to produce great ideas.

Topics Covered:

How old ideas and new ideas mate to become their own idea
The importance of taking any ideas or inspirations you have and putting them into action
Doing James Altucher's incredibly simple 10 ideas a day challenge for one full year
How at some point you need to stop just watching YouTube clips of great basketball players and actually play some basketball if you want to become a good basketball player
How I answered a student when they asked "How do I get my first income stream?"
One of my ideas from the past that seemed really good and really wasn't
Why you really have to reserve your name .com as a URL if it is available even if you don't do anything with it right away

Links:

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

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:

Produced by Joey Santillo

TEM74: Write it for them, not for you (TEM Short)

December 09, 2016 by Andrew Hitz in TEM Podcast, Show Notes

Listen via:

TEM74: Write it for them, not for you (TEM Short)

This TEM Short is in response to my interview with composer and violist Jessica Meyer in TEM73.

This episode explores how whenever writing anything, from a bio to a grant proposal, we always have to keep the recipient in mind when choosing the channel, wording and messaging and have to avoid writing as if we ourselves are the intended audience.

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

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:

Produced by Joey Santillo

TEM73: Jessica Meyer on not waiting for the phone to ring, becoming a professional composer at age 40 and writing a great grant proposal

December 01, 2016 by Andrew Hitz in TEM Podcast, Show Notes

Listen via:

TEM73: Jessica Meyer on not waiting for the phone to ring, becoming a professional composer at age 40 and writing a great grant proposal

Jessica Meyer is a violist, composer, entrepreneur and music business consultant based in New York City. I absolutely love her approach to the music business and to life. Quite inspiring!

Topics Covered:

Jessica had two degrees from Juilliard, was living in New York and yet her phone wasn't ringing because she was primarily only hanging out with her husband and not intentionally networking
How when missing two notes in the 6th round of the Buffalo Philharmonic audition prevented her from winning an $18,000/year job she realized there was a problem with the traditional orchestral model which inspired her and her husband to start their own ensemble
The incredible number of things like grant writing, budgeting, making a website, branding and many other things which they had to suddenly learn how to do (and which their top-notch Juilliard educations didn't prepare them for)
How running your own ensemble is like owning a house rather than renting (you get to customize anything you want but any repairs or upkeep are your problem)
The very large ensemble they hired (at a large expense) which lead to their first New York Times review which in turn has lead to a review every single year
How Jessica became a professional composer at the age of 40 (Spoiler: She relied on her pre-existing network that she had intentionally developed)
The importance of her being able to stand in front of people and succinctly tell them about her music
The key to writing a great grant proposal (It's easier than you think!)
Why she starts her networking seminars off by having people figuring out exactly what makes them them
Why it's important to practice stating within a conversation what you do in at most two sentences (and why you should have one of these soundbites for each different thing you do)
Why you have to be your own advocate for what you do (and why Jessica prefers the term "advocate for yourself" rather than "selling yourself")
How even if you have management you need to be out there "shaking the trees"
Why it's important that when you find yourself in a serendipitous moment (career-wise) you need to speak up and get the ball rolling
Why solving problems for other people or making random introductions for no reason will serve you well in the long run
Gary Vaynerchuck's 51/49 Rule
How all relationships are feeding your career (which means more than just liking Facebook posts)

Links:

Favorite Quotes:

"You have to spend money to make money. That's how it works."

"(Grant writing) is like networking. It's not about you. It's not about how great your art is. It's not about how great you play. It's not about how great this composer is. How are you making the lives better of the people you are serving."

"How can I advocate for myself and my colleagues?"

"You just keep asking. And there'll be a lot of no's. And you just keep asking anyway."

"The people who are successful...are the ones willing to do the mundane things that other people are not."

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:

Produced by Joey Santillo

We don't have a talent problem. We have a shipping problem.

November 25, 2016 by Andrew Hitz in Quote, Inspiration

"We don't have a talent problem. We have a shipping problem."

—Seth Godin from "Linchpin"

First of all, if you are the skimming type, at the bottom of this post there is a link to a book that Seth Godin has been generous enough to let me offer to my audience for free. Follow the link to get your free copy.

First of all, if you have not read Seth Godin's book "Linchpin" you should immediately stop reading my little blog here and go purchase it immediately. No seriously. Go do it right now. (And for the record that is not an affiliate link. I would of course let you know if it was. You just need to read the book because there is some life changing stuff in it.)

I just finished reading (actually listening since I am an Audible junky) "Linchpin" it for the second time and there will be a third time through it very soon.

The title of this post is a quote from the book and it is a blatant call to action.

Have you been "in the process" of writing a book for the last 18 months? I dare you to look in the mirror and say out loud that the reason you haven't published it (whether that means self-published or with a publisher) is because you are waiting to become a better writer.

Even if you might quietly think to yourself that that is a factor, I bet that if you say it out loud your bs detector is going to go off. In fact I guarantee it will.

(And you can substitute performing a recital, composing a symphony, opening a teaching studio, booking a tour for your band or anything else for writing a book.)

Because what's the way to get better as a writer? IT'S TO PUBLISH MORE DAMN BOOKS.

It's not to think about becoming a better a writer. It's not to read blog posts like this. And at some point (which is a lot earlier than a lot of us like to admit) it is not to read books, listen to podcasts, or watch videos telling us how to be a better writer.

You can accumulate all the information and inspiration in the world and if you don't actually write (and ship!) anything then what the hell are you really doing? Not much is the answer.

The first iteration of my second book is a lot better than the first iteration of my first book (even though they are two volumes from the same series.)

The launch of my second podcast was a lot better than the launch of my first podcast.

That's because the only way to truly learn anything is by shipping.

I used the word "you" in this post over and over again. And obviously I have shipped albums, podcasts, books, websites (all plural) over the years. But I promise you I am writing this post as a reminder to myself.

What the hell am I waiting to acquire more "talent" (whatever the hell that even means) or more knowledge or more financial support before I ship? Avoidance and fear never lead to learning. But shipping does.

So go ship.

Through the incredible generosity of Seth Godin I can offer you a copy an ebook copy of "Seth Godin: Live at Carnegie Hall" for free. You can click on the cover or click here to get your free copy.

TEM72: The who and the what make the how pretty straightforward (TEM Short)

November 25, 2016 by Andrew Hitz in TEM Podcast, Show Notes

Listen via:

TEM72: The who and the what make the how pretty straightforward (TEM Short)

This TEM Short is in response to my interview with Susan de Weger of IgniteLab in Episode 71.

I discuss the two things you need to put into focus in order to figure out how to proceed with your business.

Links:

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:

Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Soundcloud
Stitcher

Produced by Joey Santillo

TEM71: Susan de Weger of IgniteLab on why selling yourself as an artist is not selling out, the danger of the word "should" and her specific advice on applying for a grant

November 17, 2016 by Andrew Hitz in TEM Podcast, Show Notes

Susan de Weger is a thought leader and change agent for 21st century creative careers in Melbourne, Australia who has had tremendous success in both the music business and the IT world. She brings a unique perspective on today's music business that is must hear.

TEM70: It's all about your pitch (TEM Short)

November 10, 2016 by Andrew Hitz in TEM Podcast, Show Notes

Listen via

TEM70: It's all about your pitch (TEM Short)

This TEM Short is in response to my interview with Seth Hanes, author of "Break Into the Scene: A Musicians Guide to Making Connections, Creating Opportunities, and Launching a Career", in Episode 69.

I discuss how Seth gave the perfect pitch to an influencer in the music business which led to a job and helped to launch the most current phase of his career.

Links:

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:

Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Soundcloud
Stitcher

Produced by Joey Santillo

The problem with school

November 07, 2016 by Andrew Hitz in Inspiration

In a couple of hours I am going to talk entrepreneurship with students at my alma mater, Northwestern University (which has me in one hell of a great mood!)

I'm going to start with some bad news for them:

The skills required to excel at school bear very little resemblance to the skills needed to "make it" in today's music business.

At the beginning of every college class, each student is handed a syllabus which contains everything they will possibly be asked to know for a grade. In fact, if a professor ends up lowering a student's grade for something not on the syllabus there is an appeals process that students can undertake to get their grade restored. It involves committees and panels and lots of paperwork.

A syllabus is basically a checklist. Everything you will be tested on. Everything you will need to read. Every deadline. When the class will be completed. They are all neatly contained in one place.

How nice.

But the Real World (which we capitalize to scare you) looks absolutely nothing like this. There isn't a checklist. There isn't a reading list. There aren't deadlines established for you that can't be moved under any circumstances. None of it.

Here's the good news: Just because you aren't required to use these skills (to not only complete a college degree but to actually excel) doesn't mean you aren't allowed to use them. As with playing the drums or composing music, when you first start to utilize some of them you won't be very good at them. At all.

Which is exactly why you need to start before the world requires you to start. As in today.

Anyone who is any good at charting their own path wasn't good at it before they got good at it. (Deep, right?)

So what are you waiting for?

TEM69: Seth Hanes, author Of "Break Into the Scene", on the value of being willing to learn anything, the best time to take risks in your career and turning your skills into leveragable assets

November 04, 2016 by Andrew Hitz in TEM Podcast, Show Notes

Listen via

TEM69: Seth Hanes, author Of "Break Into the Scene", on the value of being willing to learn anything, the best time to take risks in your career and turning your skills into leveragable assets

Seth Hanes is a musician, author and digital marketing consultant.

Topics Covered:

Seth's humble beginnings in music and how he came to become a professional musician
The day he realized the "traditional" path in the music business didn't align with his desires
How the tumultuous environment for professional orchestras in 2010 and 2011 sparked a curiosity in him which led to him learning a lot about why many orchestras were having financial troubles
How Seth leveraged his job at a parking garage to gain access to an influential person in the music business who eventually became his boss
The value of knowing that even if you lack a specific skill that you can always learn it
His battle of knowing he needed to move on from a job that was no longer a good fit yet being afraid of quitting
The great advice he received that led to him going all in on working for himself rather than just seeking a better job than his last one
My opinion on Pat's vs. Gino's
Why the best time to take risks in your career is when you are young
The importance of turning the skills you have into assets you can leverage
The difference between a freelancer and an entrepreneur
The myths of freelancing
Why success in the music business is about a lot more than just being really good at your instrument
Why meeting even one person a month you wouldn't otherwise meet could eventually lead to tens of thousands of dollars
The importance of pitching people the right way (where they are getting at least 51% of the value of the exchange)
Why you have to believe what you're doing is going to make the world a better place
The bonus materials available for free at breakintothescene.com (you don't even have to buy the book!)
Why you should look for how you can be valuable to other people
Examples of non-musical things you can do for someone else to connect with them in an authentic way

Links:

Favorite Quotes:

"Even if I don't know how to do it, I know I can figure it out. That's always my perspective on everything. And to this day I still take on projects like client work and things that I don't necessarily know all the answers to but I know I can figure it out."

"Action expresses priorities."

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:

Produced by Joey Santillo

TEM68: Start small but start now

October 26, 2016 by Andrew Hitz in TEM Podcast, Show Notes

Listen via:

TEM68: Start small but start now

Topics Covered:

You don't need to go to school for four years to learn marketing - you have to market stuff
Don't wait for things to be perfect - you have to start somewhere
Don't talk about things instead of doing them
The importance of networking a lot so you can get good at it
Market for a small charity as practice
How soon can you start

Links:

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:

Produced by Joey Santillo

TEM67: Mistakes I made in my kickstarter campaign (TEM Short)

October 19, 2016 by Andrew Hitz in TEM Podcast, Show Notes

Listen via:

TEM67: Mistakes I made in my kickstarter campaign (TEM Short)

This TEM Short is in response to my interview with Ariel Hyatt, author of "Crowdstart: The Ultimate Guide To A Powerful & Profitable Crowdfunding Campaign",

I discuss the mistakes I made when executing the Kickstarter campaign for Pedal Note Media's Brass Recording Project in 2013.

Links:

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:

Produced by Joey Santillo

TEM66: Ariel Hyatt, author of "Crowdstart: The Ultimate Guide to a Powerful & Profitable Crowdfunding Campaign"

October 13, 2016 by Andrew Hitz in TEM Podcast, Show Notes, Interview

Listen via: