There is nothing crueler you can say to a musician. Saying “you have to make your own breaks” is the equivalent of telling someone they have to be struck by lightning more often.
Read MoreI’ll be the first to confess: I’m pretty bad with numbers. Over the last few years my wife has been slowly prodding me toward better financial practices, including writing down all of my business expenses. I wasn’t sure it would be worth it, but after almost a year of tracking nearly every dollar we spend (I still screw up occasionally) it’s been amazing the results. Here are 7 things that tracking expenses helped:
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I was cramming for a gig this last week- a whopper set with over 64 songs and less than 4 days to work it up. Desperate for any edge I could get, I dropped $30 on the practice software AnyTune. AnyTune allows you to organize MP3s into sets, tag specific songs to practice, stair step up and down the tempo and key signature, and much much more.
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This week I'm excited to have my friend and fellow Nashville musician DJ Phillips write about what he looks for when hiring pro musicians for his cover band, The Downtown Band.
DJ is someone I admire not just for his quick wit, crazy guitar chops and robust business sense, but also for his uncanny ability to hire and retain top level music talent in a town where it's difficult to hire top talent. My first gig with the band was subbing in for their keyboardist who was currently on tour with Brett Eldridge, and most of the musicians in the group are playing or have played with major acts during their careers. With over 100+ top level musicians in rotation, I don't know anyone better at identifying and hiring successful musicians.
Read Morefew months ago I played a wedding gig with some great musicians from Nashville. In typical Nashville fashion, every musician was amazing, talented, and fun to hang around with in the green room. Except one guy.
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