No One is Coming

I think it’s important for every person from every background (not only musicians) to consider this thought:

“No one is coming.”

As depressing as this sounds at the outset, I find it empowering because it is the truth. While it would be lovely to have someone come and shower us with money and opportunities, that’s not the way the world works.

If you really take that thought in, and digest it, your response will make the difference in your career.

When we’re NOT expecting someone to take over the reins, only then can we understand that we are the only ones who can make anything happen. It’s up to us to create the energy and the heat for our career, which in turn will create those opportunities that we seek.

Investors and agents are more interested in how you handle your BUSINESS, and they’re mostly interested in how they’re going to get a return on their investment. If you’re not already creating $500,000 worth of excitement for your music, why should they invest $500,000 in you?

It’s easy to assume that you’ll make the big moves AFTER you get the investors, but if you’re not already making $500,000 moves and decisions now (in time and effort), how can you expect to be taken seriously??

“No one is coming.”

So what are you gonna do about that?

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This post originally appeared as a comment response to Derek Sivers’ blog post: Nobody’s going to help you. Does that encourage you or discourage you? Derek got me all fired up, and after rereading what I wrote, it looked like a good rant to me 😉

Image Credit: Colin Dussault’s Blues Project, “The Hardest Working Band in Northeast Ohio!”

2 Responses to “No One is Coming”

1. KleerStreem Entertainment Says:
   December 19th, 2008 at 9:54 am

   Great comments that are very true. If an artist/band cannot support themselves with their music/merchandise, this is a good indicator of their ‘earning’ power if they had ‘major’ support.

2. Michael Johnson Says:
   December 21st, 2008 at 5:37 pm

   I have tried to tell my students this for years, but I don’t think I was ever able to put it into words quite as eloquently as you just did.
   When I first started teaching full-time back in 2000, I worked with a band that had tons of potential. However, they were just waiting for something to fall into their laps. I tried to motivate them as much as I could, but they eventually fell apart, after hanging around Nashville doing nothing for a while.
   Several years later, the nucleus of the band re-formed under a new name. This time, they did it right. They toured endlessly, produced and released their own records, did all their own legwork, and built up a sizeable following. I was happy to hear they recently got signed!

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