NHT Blog

Just be yourself because everyone else is taken. Isn't that how the expression goes? At a time when there's such a copycat reaction as soon as something starts trending, it's tough to remember that we're all unique and don't have to just be a bunch of sheep.

Navigating the labyrinth of product endorsements has long bewildered most artists, and with good reason. Regardless of whether or not they have a formal artist relations program, every company has their own unique policies, procedures, and outlook on endorsements, and no two relationships will be remotely the same.

Before the next episode of my weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” (NHTE) podcast comes out in less than 48 hours, I want to bask just a little longer in the glow of having released the milestone 400th episode last week.  It’s a rare opportunity for me to give myself a small pat on the back.

Me: “Hi, my name is Bruce”
Support group: “Hi Bruce”
Me: “I have friends on Facebook that I don’t know who they are”
Support group: (sighs)

Admit it.  If you’re on Facebook – and who, other than my brother, isn’t – you too have checked people out, decided ‘sure, I guess’ and added them as a friend on Facebook.  Down the road at some point you’ve looked at that name and admitted, “I have no idea who that is.”

I remember once writing a weekly blog that I posted on this site, talking about not letting it go to your head if you move to a major music mecca like Los Angeles, Nashville, or New York.  And three nights ago, I was thrilled to see an A-lister remember their roots and take a 20,000-seat amphitheater and turn it into a listening room environment – ev

This past Friday night I was in a restaurant/bar (some might say pub) that has an adjoining patio.  I was seated inside but had a stage in my sights out on the patio.  A band was setup there and I knew they’d be playing soon, which, of course, raises a curious eyebrow, given my more than 15 years running Now Hear This.

The NFL season has started, and you’ll often hear announcers talking about players having to have their head on a swivel.  I could make an argument that regardless of the industry you’re in you should always be doing the same as it relates to watching what else is going on around you that you can learn from. 

I’m sitting in my hotel room with the famous HOLLYWOOD sign staring back at me when I look out the window.  Is it cool?  Sure, of course it is, and especially when you live 2,500 miles away.  I imagine that if I lived here and saw it all the time it might lose its luster.

And that’s exactly the point of this week’s blog.

Congratulations, indie recording artist.  Your new song is out in the world and people can now hear what you have created.  All the time you spent writing, recording, maybe re-writing and/or re-recording, and then getting it mixed, mastered, and distributed was worth it.  It’s okay to take a step back and admire your work. 

It’s fitting that I returned home from a songwriters festival yesterday – the very weekend that Pensacola Beach Songwriters Festival (PBSF) co-founder Jim Pasquale passed away.