Being Professional Goes A Long Way

This is not ground-breaking stuff here, but Loren Weisman posted something over at Music Think Tank that I found to be very refreshing. She calls it “Ten Tips That Every Musician Should Apply to Their Career”. I call it “Be Professional or Die”. The reality of making music your career is that you’ll be interacting with a bunch of folks that are relying on YOU to make their own businesses succeed. This means promoters, publicists, venues, etc. They’re all relying on you to bring the goods. You don’t want to let the power go to your head though, because this goes both ways. They are your team, and if you let everyone down, you’ll be locked out of the community. If you make it work for them, they’ll make it work for you.

I’ve seen a lot of people blow big opportunities simply through lack of professionalism. Of course, if you’re whole goal is to be a total rock star god who routinely trashes the green room, none of this applies to you. But you’re probably not going to be able to last for long. If you want to make a career of this noble thing called music, then these simple tips apply to you:

Number 1. – Answer your emails.

Number 2. - Have the guts to address concerns or questions.

Number 3. – If things change, then keep everyone informed and problem solve.

Number 4. - Be on time or give a heads up.

Number 5. Get your gear off the stage when you are done.

Number 6. - Follow up with booking agents, clubs and other bands.

Number 7. - Stop f*%^ng over posting on Facebook and other network sites.

Number 8. - Be confident but not arrogant. Admit when you don’t know something.

Number 9. - Follow the instructions when it comes to sending out packages , calling, emailing distro, etc.

Number 10. - Stop talking shit about other bands, people, etc.

Loren has written short explanations for each of these ten points over at the Music Think Tank blog - which you should go read right now: Ten Tips That Every Musician Should Apply to Their Career