NHT Blog

This is three weeks in a row now that – coupled with others I’ve done in the last, what, I don’t know, six months maybe – an argument could be made, “Is this turning into a music review blog” instead of what we’ve become accustomed to all these years?

The answer is, when you get a track like “Problems” by CeCe submitted to you, there has to be a post about it regardless of whether it makes three consecutive ‘good song’ review-type posts or not.

Say what you will about all the streaming platforms and what it means for artist earnings, but, you have to admit that today’s technology has made music discovery so, so (SO) much easier.  In fact, note to self – that’s a blog for another time, although I’m sure that I’ve likely talked about it with a few guests on my weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast.

In sales, one of the things you want to accomplish is to get your potential customer to say, "Tell me more." In the case of the song, “Teeth,” by Ergo, Bria, as I listened, I kept wondering, "What's next?" That's a "sale." It's successful in making me stick around for the whole track.

Old habits die hard.  I know.  But even if the new year angle is slipping away from you, try new month instead or just flat out hit the reset button regardless of the calendar and make a commitment.

I once heard it said that it takes two weeks for something to become a habit.  If you’re struggling with the same challenges from January and from 2022, make this be the day you decide that you’re just not going to tolerate the same results (or the lack thereof) anymore.

Easier said than done?  Not really.

I know that I make pretty regular references to my weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast in this blog.  After all, there’s a lot of synergy between that show and what you read here each week, so those links that I provide are because they’re relevant.  It also behooves me to add that both listening to that and reading here can provide valuable teaching moments for you, so each is a good resource for your career as a music maker, podcaster, filmmaker, author, or whatever facet of the arts and entertainment world you’re in.

We’ve all heard the stories.  Someone we know gets a phone call or an email or some other contact, offering them a simply fantastic opportunity.  It’s totally on the up and up.  We’re happy for them.  And then we wonder why it doesn’t happen to us.  Ever.

To be successful in the music industry today you need to be open to professional development, especially if you are an indie artist starting out. As our post ‘Indie Musicians: Admit and Then Get the Help You Need’ discussed, it is crucial to ask for help when you encounter challenges or setbacks in your career. It is also likewise important to adapt to the changing demands of the industry.

It was nice to see such a good response to last week’s “Top Ten Most Read Blogs of 2022,” although I’m not surprised that there was that much interest.  That post enabled readers to catch up on what they might’ve missed last year – and which blogs were the most popular over that twelve-month period.

But to be clear, that list was derived solely from the blogs that were authored by yours truly.  So, this week it’s time for the annual look back at the past year’s guest posts.

Ya’ know that old expression about how you just can’t look away from car crashes?  I feel as though Top 10 lists are the same way, don’t you?  There are so many wrecks out on the road that there are lots (and lots) of YouTube videos (and channels) devoted to footage of car crashes.  And there are – especially at this time of year – endless blogs and articles listing the top ten of something.  Yet we keep coming back for them.

Just seeing that headline you are well within your rights to already have a chip on your shoulder going into reading this.  I would be too if I saw it being written by someone other than me.  And I want to make clear that despite what you’re about to read, I am still very much opposed to the concept of pay-for-play, regardless of the form or function that it takes on.  Let me re-state that so that I’m not besieged with emails or Instagram DMs or private messages through Facebook.