When Nashville or Anyone Else Calls, You'll Say “Yes”

Last week I wrote about how impressed I was with the drive, the commitment, the pitches, that I witnessed from the attendees of the 20th San Francisco Writers Conference at which I had just spoken.  I left that event and flew directly to Nashville and had some nice takeaways there that serve as teaching moments for all of you as well.

Let me start by being clear that I have been going to Nashville for business trips for more than 13 years now.  I even have pictures of one of my clients on stage for the performances I booked her for there in January 2011.

Nevertheless, the opportunities that I’ve gotten – for myself and/or Now Hear This clients – by not only going to Music City but all the other places that business has taken me to has produced results that you can achieve too if you challenge yourself to get out there.  As recently as last Wednesday on Episode 524 of “Now Hear This Entertainment” I talked about this (among other things) with guest Drew Schroeder.

People know you want to do business with them.  Unlike the people that Schroeder said would hand him CDs, hoping he could get them booked to perform in Las Vegas clubs, you don’t lead with your hand out.  Meet someone and then invest the time to keep up with what they’re up to so you can send them a Congrats or, when you see them, talk about their latest project because you saw it, not because they told you.

There is a strategy that I employ that helps me accomplish exactly that.  I use the Instagram account for the podcast to solely follow people who have been a guest on “Now Hear This Entertainment.”  Since I post on there seven days a week, I’m constantly surfing the feed to keep it up to date, which allows me to see what my guests are posting about.  Thus, I can stay in the know with what they’re up to.

That then translates over to the trips that I make.  “Hi (name), I’m coming to Nashville (dates).  It would be great to meet for (coffee, breakfast, lunch) and visit for a while,” or words to that affect.  Next week Friday (March 15) I head to Las Vegas and have already been in touch with a past guest who I’ll visit with there and another who is connecting me with someone that I’ll interview while I’m in town.  The week after that I’ll be in Los Angeles, and I’ve already started putting feelers out for people I want to see while I’m there – overwhelmingly past podcast guests.



When I was just in Nashville, I got a phone call one morning while I was in my hotel room.  It was a past podcast guest who I’ve stayed in regular contact with.  The ask was if I could come to a venue that afternoon to host a showcase.  If you know anything about showcases, they’re a big deal.  So, to be asked to be a part of one – especially when I don’t even live in Nashville – is huge in and of itself.  (It goes without saying that, as pictured above, I said, “Yes!”)

If you’re reading all of this and saying, “See?  These are exactly the types of things that I always see happening for everybody else but not for me,” then challenge yourself to do a self-audit.  For starters, are you putting yourself out there?  Literally.  Are you physically going places to be seen?  And then secondly, are you staying in touch with people?  Thirdly, or 2a, are you staying in touch with them the way I suggested or are you contacting them and saying, “Hey, you got anything for me?”

The opportunities are out there.  It’s up to you to go seek them out.


This morning I was “live” for three hours on the Owwll app.  But you can call me anytime on there to ask me about the above, about my podcast, about your indie music career, about whatever I can help you with from my 20 years of helping a long list of folks from around the U.S.  Let’s talk for ten minutes and work through the challenges you’re having so you can keep moving forward.