Today I had this fleeting wish that I were younger. You see, the music industry is going through this amazing revolution and reset right now... as in, today. The old guard is weakening and the dinosaur, corporate structure mentality is collapsing right before our very eyes. The ways that we now create our music, how we build an audience and how that is forming into successful business is all so exciting that I just wish I were 21 again, had no grownup responsibilities (lol) and I could just follow my own brave and crazy artistic path. There is so much technology (which can now equal massive power) available to the individual that I never had when I was younger. Today I have a 250 track, fully automated, digital recording studio in my freaking basement and completely run all my world wide access business (this website as an example) right out of my home office! When I was starting out recording in 1980 the secrets of the business and the workings of the machinery existed in huge buildings and were obscured from view by tight fisted, sometimes duplicitous but always charming men and women who had little or no intention of letting you in on their secrets unless you showed up with a good lawyer. We were also too foolish and impatient to try to look deeper into that machine to understand the workings of it all. If we did, we would have seen that it was flawed and perversely unfair. Some did, to their benefit. I, unfortunately, did not. I am somewhat ashamed of this admission but let's put it down to youthful naivety and impatience and not dwell too harshly on the past. Yes, I paid a high price for this oversight in time, lost love and wasted talent. However, I have been lucky enough and strong enough to have achieved a good measure of success in my career for which I am grateful for but I was just reading and researching on the net, as I am now wont to do on a daily basis and was flush with this knowledge and I just had this out of character moment of wishfullness which as we all know is a waste of time because genies do not exist. What does truthfully exist is our drive, determination and the opportunities, now more than ever, to take control of our own individual destiny. No promises of success, just the chance to do it on our own terms. Trust your instincts, get your music out there, take care of your business and keep the ones you like and love close to you and in the loop. Assume nothing. There is strength in that that is unbreakable. Read contracts, ask questions and never doubt your right to get what you want. Do it with grace, honesty and self power. Learn this now. The truth is it's never too late (I can attest to that because I know that the best years of my career are just beginning) but more importantly my young and talented friend, it's never too early to get wise. Oh yeah, there is no easy button either...
Rock on bro',
J.
