Hello folks, I guess this thread got reinvigerated.

I'd like to ask all of you a question and direct it mostly back to Everette who started this post.

Have ANY OF YOU ever gone to a job intereview and the first thing out of your mouth was talking about how crappy the job you are interviewing for is, how stupid they are for doing what they do, and how things would all be better if YOU RAN THE COMPANY?

How's that approach work out for you?

Yet, there is NO SHORTAGE of writers who write these "The music industry SUCKS!" songs, no shortage of the opinions of "what the business ought to be doing, and how it is "not like in your day!"
And songs ,songwriting, entertaining, etc. is a NEW INTEREVIEW with everyone you come in contact with. If it is co-writers, artists, pubilshers, the general public, you are INTERVIEWING with people for the opportuity to entertain them, educate them, take a little bit of their time. You are ASKING FOR A JOB FROM THEM. Would YOU HIRE YOU?

I can't answer your questions. If I knew the answers of how to do this and be successful and find the "magic formula" I assure you I wouldn't be over here telling anyone how to do it.

The fact is that you have the MOST FICKLE PUBLIC there has ever been in history. This is the AGE OF DISTRACTION, and just look around you when you are in a resturant, a bar, a club, anywhere music is played. There are dozens of televisions with dozens of sporting events. people are on their cell phones every minute of every day, talking and absorbed in their own lives, 24/7, Hundreds of radio stations, television stations, movies, 24 hour cable channels, video and computer games, multiple things going on ALL at the same time.

Could Elvis or the Beatles even exist in this time frame? I'm willing to bet not. They might have their own pod casts, still be playing their own shows, they might even rise above everyone else, but it is doubtful there would be an ED SULLIVAN show that would capture 50-60% of the veiwing audience at any one time. Even the biggest shows now do well to capture under 10% of the viewing time now. American Idol and The Voice, have had hundreds of millions of viewers but how many huge stars have they even really launched? American Idol about a dozen or so, and the Voice, none. You can complain that maybe the "stars" weren't up to the stars of yesterday and I might agree with you, but I think the "Stars of yesterday" would have a difficult time in todays' market.

So, my suggestion to any of you is to concentrate on the things you CAN do instead of what you WISH things could be.
Write the best songs you can.
Get them out there in any method you can as much as you can.
Find your allies in artists, in co-writers, in fans that like and support your music.
Grow expotentially and always give your public your all.
QUIT COMPLAINING. It really doesn't do any good.

Concentrate on WHAT IS.
Don't concentrate on WHAT ISN'T.

Start there. Might be surprised at the results.

MAB