Best advice for songwriters

MC's who have bad sounding albums are still heard. (master p)
Those who only have "great ideas" are not.

Be heard and finish your work 

Who would have thunk Master P would be giving us the keys to the kingdom? The spell to pull sword from the stone? The google map to the stars? Well he did, this quote tells you everything you need to know in order to get to the starting gate of the race. 

Finish it, finish it, finish it, and by this I mean not only finish your work in such a way that it exists in it's entirety and can be referenced and assessed by you at any time, I mean finish it to the point where it is ready to hit the market-place and be paid for! One of the best things any artist can do is examine the "Assembly line" necessary to prepare what they do for public consumption. for a song Rapper that may look like. 1. Computer and fruity loops to write beats. 2. Mic and audio interface to record vox, 3. mixing and mastering plug-ins to complete my projects with a pro sound 4. Photos and artwork necessary for associated visuals and record covers (or whatever they call album art these days) 5. Hard copy manufacturer to make some vinyl copies 6. Itunes account to handle digital distribution. 7. Money for a publicist. 8. articles and blogs written about him or herself to give to publicist for copy and one sheets. 

Examining this list the rapper can see where he is lacking in skills or resources and needs to plan on building these or enlisting those who do. For instance he might run into a problem on #3 quite possibly he is not capable of mixing and mastering professionally, so seeing this clearly he knows he must either devote himself to engineering for a year or two OR pay someone else to do it. Perhaps he can't afford it. Then he knows he needs to find another job, or start saving some more money. Or perhaps on looking at this list and knowing he lacks much of what it will take to get the job done, he says instead, "To hell with this" and goes off to spend his time for fruitfully.

But the main point here is that once he set his intention on completion, he had to honestly appraise what it was he needed to do in order to do that. Without having some this would-be rapper could have floated around for years waiting for something to happen. Instead of wasting his time, he will move onto something else in life which he is more interested in doing the work to accomplish.

Conversely, he might have looked at the list and decided he WAS going to dedicate the next year to learning how to engineer music. One year later our man now has an entirely new skill set that throws open a ton of doors for him, to say nothing of acquired confidence. You could do a similar "What if" with every item on the list. The list, and the intention, exterminate the lazy and weak intention folks who have no business trying their hand at something as demanding as a career in music.

There is also the most obvious benefit of having FINISHED what you intended to create. Let's say our rapper friend knows he's a good rapper has some good rhymes and beats but only the most rudimentary of demos, which make him sound worse and less professional that he might actually be.

Someone at a party with friends, he suddenly finds himself taking to someone in the industry who is looking for talent. He could tell them, "I'm a Rapper here are some demos, oh, actually don't listen, they suck but here listen to me rap...." and have the person running for the exits. Or he could say "you got a business email.....Thanks, ok I just sent you something, hit me up if you dig it, the contact info is there" What our friend sent was a link to a web page with his recordings, social media links, tons of great looking photos, live performance video, (That he shot himself in a garage asking his friends and family to act as though they are at a club and paid to see him, all shot on cellphones and edited together with free software) To the industry person (I told this story to make a point, but in real life, do not bug industry people when you meet them, try and get to them through official channels, nothing brands you a "Wanna-be" as much as running up to an A&R guy going "Sign me!") he seems like a businessman not a little kid wanting many to give him a new toy. This only happened because he set his intention on finishing something and then he did.

Music, books, painting whatever it is you create, must be FINISHED, that should be your primary goal, whether it succeeds or not is largely out of your control, but if this is what you do you must do your part and bring the work you've been inspired to create fully into existence this is your responsibility and duty make it HAPPEN.

This is the best advice I can give on making the music industry your career, if you have nothing to sell, then why the hell would anyone want to be in business with you? You have to prove you can produce the product, the days of hand holding record labels and drug addict rock stars being baby sat are long gone. Remember also this is the worst business in the world according to a poll by several big media outlets, that means the chances of success are lottery like. 

The music business is strange in that it really isn't a business anymore. It's actually a bunch of NWO-financial parasitises sucking the blood from the juvinile egos of a generation who is all too willing to bleed. it's about branding and manipulation. When a new "Star" is made in this day and age the end game is not to sell you records or concert tickets (You'll buy the concet tickets and t-shirts anyway) it's to groom a "Pitch man" or woman who becomes a role model for the type of consumer the parisites want you to become, But I am thinking that will be another blog, and if you think this is some "Theory" I have you will learn quickly how wrong you are. I have been inside the industry, signed to major labels twice, to major indies three times, composed for numerous TV shows. Even stood onstage at Madison Square Garden with a mic in my hand and lipstick on my face. I've been there and done that, unless you have as well, I would suggest it is YOU who have no idea what you're talking about.

In further blogs I will expose some of what I have seem in the labyrinthine depths of this meat-grinder industry, some of you might disbelieve what I choose to expose, no matter, the chances of you seeing it yourself are slim to none, but know this, whether you believe in it or not, it believes in YOU, and at this moment is urging you to buy this and not that, it has punched holes in yourself esteem in order to sell you patching for the cracks, that you would never have needed had they never got their hooks into you. You probably believe that you thoughts and attitudes are your own, I am here to tell you they are not. They have been conditioned into you from DECADES of media exposure. You are not your own man, or woman, a lot of work has gone into to making that a fact. And let me tell you this: THEY ARE NOT THROUGH WITH YOU YET.