MusicRow Wake-up Call........

Karen sent me her daily subscription of MusicRow this morning and something really hit home. In the May 31 column, the writer described an artist who was so frustrated with delays in the release of her album—among other issues—that she publicly took her label to task via her MySpace blog and really let the fur fly.

I thought it was pretty ridiculous for the artist to be lashing out like that. However, I didn't find it as ridiculous as some record execs did. Here is a quote from a label rep with some advice that changed my thinking a bit.

“There are a few things an artist could do that may make it easier: • Decide who you are as an artist BEFORE you pitch yourself to a label. Don’t change your mind, your hair, your body, your songs, your musical style or your goals halfway through the project and expect everyone to conform to the ‘new you.’ • Don’t complain about a busy schedule, early bus calls, midnight phoners, meet and greets, free shows, small audiences, low spins, no adds, or other things that we have little control to change but must all deal with together. • Don’t bring your dogs, cats, family, boyfriends, girlfriends, parents, grandparents, kids, neighbors, personal problems, etc. to every meeting, radio visit, studio or event. Most label folks show up to work alone. • Don’t arrive consistently late, forget to call, get drunk, and be moody, unprofessional and lazy.”

Therefore:

I am grateful that a message was sent to me today to keep me “in check” as I pursue my career.