Blog Archives
#WednesdayWisdom Results or excuses, you can’t have both.
Did you know the word excuse is actually defined as “an attempt to lessen the blame, seeking relief of a duty, seeking to justify or defend”?
Some of the most common excuses I hear all the time are about loosing weight, saving money, not being able to fully be in a relationship again because they were hurt, and not being able to find a good job. An excuse is basically the same thing as a lie and unfortunately these are lies we most often tell ourselves.
Something becomes an excuse instead of a reason when you honestly haven’t tried everything. God gave us all a beautiful mind and if we truly want results and put our mind to it? It can be done. The question then becomes “How bad do you really want results?”
Everyone’s had their heart broken at least once, choosing to move on, heal, get counseling if need be are all a personal decision that requires a personal commitment. The same thing applies to finding a job. Most people never even bother to tap the free resource of their department of labor, which in many states offers free job training to underemployed adults or out of school youth. Saving money requires self control and discipline. There are so many free resources available online to help you budget, invest & save but people spend more time on social media then they do using the internet as an actual resource.
The point is, if you want to see results in any area of your life it’s going to require a committed decision, not excuses. Hold yourself accountable, ask for help, and utilize every resource available to you before you go throwing in the towel.
INDIE ARTISTS – Spend wisely COMMON UNDERGROUND MUSIC SCHEMES
Most of us have said or heard, “if it don’t make dollars, it don’t make sense”. Same is true when you’re spending your money. Most people don’t like to waste money. Most people can’t afford to get robbed.
When you are an independent artist, you get robbed all the time. As much as we try to avoid this, people lose money all the time because there are people who will do or say anything just to make a few dollars. Here’s the SAD TRUTH…. these plots don’t impact the people who could recover from loosing $25 easily (not that ANYONE deserves to get robbed). These blood suckers take it from YOU. The struggling artist with a dream, scraping up your last to put your music out. They are aware of this. That’s why you are their target. You’re more likley to get mad and then just go away.
Some of the most common schemes in the underground music community:
- Mix tape Slots- There’s no MXTP. You pay pal a stranger $10-$25 and they BANK on you not ever suing them. Why would you? It’ll cost you more to track them down and take them to court. (Do this to 4 people X $25 you made $100)
- Promotion- Their followers, views, etc aren’t real. They’re bought. Then you pay $50 for tweets to fake people.
- The “Showcase”- Unless you personally know what the A & R reps at each record label look like (and you should, it’s on the internet most of the time) stop spending your money. You are paying to perform in front of other rappers in the same boat as you. If you don’t bring a crowd, your crowd is other rappers. 9 x out of 10 there is no prize, nobody gets the prize, and the “Showcase” is someone who worked at a radio station, has hook-ups at local clubs, and then charges you to perform in front of other people that paid to perform.
- “Tours”- The state to state tours. You again are paying to perform in front of other artists that paid to be there. Who do you know that was signed from a tour or a showcase? Seriously.
- “Verbal Contract” Anything done verbally is dangerous. Yes you can go to court with it, but you better have good supporting evidence (phone records, emails, receipts). Everything should be in writing. Keep a paper trail.
Don’t be stupid. Do your homework before you pay people to do something.
A real business person values their reputation and will provide you with an invoice detailing what you’re paying for. Nobody can promise you the moon, you can invest $10k into music promotion and if the music is bad, it is what it is and is the luck of the draw just like it is for everyone else. The best that you can hope for & do for yourself on a limited budget is find people who will give you what you pay for.
Be wise.
QTP
QueenTheProphet.com 