After writing and self-publishing my first book, The New Music Industry, a lot has changed.

I’ve been invited to speak at various events, such as Creative Conversations: From Idea to Impact and WordCamp. I’ve been asked to be a part of several new creative projects. I’ve connected with some amazing industry people. I’ve had a lot more interaction with creative people. Plus, I’ve had nothing but positive reviews on my book from musicians and colleagues alike.

But one of the best parts about running The Music Entrepreneur and creating resources like this is that I get to connect with people just like you. People that are out there putting everything on the line in an effort to create art that matters.

Writing a book was no small matter. You often hear that it will be more work than you think it will be, and I found out firsthand that this could not be more true.

Ultimately, what matters is that my resources are helping you in some way. That’s what I care about.

And on that note, I am far from done. There is still so much more to explore together, so much ground to cover. And that’s one of the reasons why I am working on a new book, a resource that’s packed with ideas to help you in your career.

I’ll be honest – writing and publishing additional books has always been a part of my plan, but this one came about in a rather unique and spontaneous way. It was inspired.

One day, I sat down to write my weekly eBook. That’s something I was in the habit of doing at the time. I don’t think I wrote more than 1,000 words, and I immediately knew that what I was writing was more than just another eBook. So I decided that it needed to be turned into a full-length book.

The working title of the new book is Flashes of Elation: Navigating the World as a Sensitive, Creative Soul...

Pre-Order My Upcoming Book, Flashes of Elation

Making great music takes a lot of effort. It also costs a lot of money.

But you’re passionate about what you do. You love making music. You can’t imagine doing anything else.

So you push ahead in spite of any difficulties that have come up – issues with band members, financial difficulties, stolen or broken instruments, and so on.

So when you put your music out into the world, you expect people to take notice. You imagine your fans listening to your music and liking it so much that they begin to share it with their friends.

You dream about your music spreading like wildfire. You see yourself getting reviews and write-ups in prominent magazines. You envision getting offers to perform at major festivals. You dream of fans lining up to buy your merch at every show you play.

But this isn’t an accurate depiction of reality, is it? If you’re reading this, what I just described probably isn’t what’s happening any time you put out a new release.

It’s important to have a great product – there’s no doubt about that. But as strange as it might sound, great music just isn’t enough.

In the world we’re now in, attention is the new currency. There’s a lot of noise out there, and unless you can rise above it, nobody is going to give you their attention.

Why is Nobody Listening to My Music?

For the last week or so, I’ve been working remotely, because I’ve been house-sitting (and poodle-sitting) for my mom and my stepdad.

Since I’m now working almost entirely from home except for when I’m helping out with The Question, The Listening Room, or when I’m gigging, this is something I’ve been wanting to test out to see how well it would work (in case I end up wanting to leave town and work while I’m on the road).

This turned out to be the perfect opportunity to give it a try, in part because I’m a mere 45 minutes away from home. If I really need anything, or if anything goes wrong, I can always run back and sort it out. This wouldn’t be the case if I was traveling longer distances, or if I was overseas. So I’m effectively in the process of learning what I need to know for future trips...

Planning on Working Remotely? 5 Things You Need to Account for Before Leaving Town

Earlier this year, I reviewed the book, Blockchain Revolution.

This was a long and difficult read, though certainly compelling.

You may know the blockchain as the technology undergirding cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.

What you may not know is that the blockchain could change the way transactions – not just financial, not just crypto, but all manner of transactions – will be completed in the future.

And some of my colleagues believe that the blockchain could bring positive change to the music industry...

I was Interviewed on Music2020

http://www.musicentrepreneurhq.com/2017-2/

Last year, I talked about how and why I put together a 2016 page at DavidAndrewWiebe.com.

This is where I kept track of my goals, theme words, and books I was reading for the year.

I already reviewed most of these items in a recent podcast episode, so I won’t belabor the point here.

The long of the short of it is that the system worked out for a while, but I kept growing and learning new things throughout the year. As result, I ended up making some adjustments to my trajectory.

I still accomplished two major goals that were on my list, but some were left untended, and others were abandoned completely (probably for the better).

Nevertheless, I see tremendous value in tracking my efforts in this way, and I think you will too if you take the initiative.

So, just like last year, I made a page on my website where I’ll be tracking what I accomplish in 2017.

The new 2017 page isn’t fully developed yet, because:

    I haven’t fully defined my goals yet (as I write this). They will be written down on a piece of paper, and on one of my whiteboards so I’m able to review them more regularly. But I’m still happy to share them with you once they’re ready.
    I’m not sure I will define theme words for 2017. This is because, after a point, I mostly forgot about the 2016 ones.
    I may be changing my reading habits. I anticipate I will still be reading quite a few books, but I’ll likely be spending more time studying music industry news and updates instead of just reading what seems compelling at the time.

But I promise I will share what I can, and whatever you may find helpful. Feel free to tell me what you’d like me to talk about.

Also, if you do happen to create a 2017 page for yourself, please share it with me in the comments below. I would love to see what you’ve committed to accomplishing this year. Don’t forget to include a URL to your page!

2017

http://www.musicentrepreneurhq.com/like-see-happen-music-career-2017-didnt-2016/

We all have dreams and aspirations.

Let me share with you a few of my own.

In addition to the work I’ve already put into TME, I’d like to:

    Launch a physical magazine. The digital magazine is already available, but I would love to make physical versions too.
    Start a record label. I had an independent record label in the past, but I’d like to take it to the next level. I’m already a producer and a decent engineer, and I’m also developing my business sense, so it’s mostly about timing and resources at this point.
    Build a home studio. I used to have a home studio when I still had my home, but I’m looking to build a much nicer, more fully fleshed out studio.
    Open a music venue. One where there’s no pressure to earn a certain amount of money every day to keep it open. Just an amazing tour stop for musicians in every genre.

These are some of the “big picture” dreams I have for my business.

Am I anywhere near accomplishing these things? I don’t know, but what I do know is that I’m putting in the work to get there.

So, what would you like to see happen in your music career?

Do you have any unfinished business from 2016? Do you feel like you’re grinding your wheels and not getting anywhere? Are you already thriving in your career, thinking about what your next steps are going to be?

Whatever the case, I’d like you to answer these questions:

What would you like to see happen in your music career in 2017? What are you doing to make this your year?

Please leave your answer in the comments section. I look forward to hearing about your big goals and how you’re planning to move forward this year.

What Would You Like To See Happen In Your Music Career In 2017 That You Didn’t In 2016?

http://www.musicentrepreneurhq.com/closing-chapter-2016/

2016, for many reasons, wasn’t the best year for a lot of people.

I’m not the kind of person to get hung up on celebrity deaths or US politics, but I do understand why a lot of people are frustrated, angry, or sad.

And there’s no doubt we did lose a lot of great talent in 2016 – David Bowie, Glenn Frey, Prince, George Michael, and the list goes on.

2016 was a good year for me overall, and that’s what I prefer to focus on as opposed to external events that I have no control over.

Still, I felt it was important to process this last year and close the chapter on it – just like I did last year.

As always, I will be following Michael Hyatt’s process. These are the seven questions he asks himself every year so that he doesn’t drag the previous year into the new one. Here they are:

1. If the last year were a movie of your life, what would the genre be?
2. What were the two or three major themes that kept recurring?
3. What did you accomplish this past year that you are the most proud of?
4. What do you feel you should have been acknowledged for but weren’t?
5. What disappointments or regrets did you experience this past year?
6. What was missing from last year as you look back?
7. What were the major life-lessons you learned this past year?

And now, here are my answers to these questions (I hope you’ll take the time to answer them too)...

Closing the Chapter on 2016

Media highlights:
00:00 – Do you need a hit to be a success?
00:37 – The deeper truth: I don’t need a hit
00:52 – Why I don’t need a hit song
01:11 – I’m very happy where I’m at and why
01:41 – Personal freedom
01:53 – Maximizing your impact
01:56 – Influencing 100 people at a time
02:32 – Do you need a hit?
02:44 – About me and where to find more

The Myth Of One Good Song

Media highlights:
00:00 – How to get more from the books you read
00:07 – James Clear quote
00:17 – What are you going to do with the information you take in?
00:24 – The habit of reading 52 books per year and the purpose it serves
00:58 – My process for reading books and taking notes
01:04 – Using an index card for note-taking and a placeholder
01:13 – Underlining sentences while you’re reading
01:38 – Writing book reviews or reports
01:50 – How to retain and apply what you read
02:08 – Making your notes searchable
02:24 – Connecting what you’re reading to other ideas
02:35 – Summarizing the book
02:54 – Final thoughts
03:01 – About me and where to find more

How To Get More From The Books You Read

Tips, tools, and resources to help you build your music career or your music industry business.

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