I’ve been AWOL now for almost two months, so I thought it was high time I caught you up to speed.
What Happened?
As early as June / July, I knew I needed to take a break / holiday / vacation, whatever you want to call it. A getaway, sure, but more than that, time to lay in bed and do nothing.
I had plans to visit Seattle with friends in mid-August, so I dovetailed that little getaway into a two-and-a-half-week break upon returning to Vancouver.
But I have officially been back at “work” now for a couple of weeks.
In the last six days, I travelled from Vancouver to Calgary, played a gig, got together with family, had some project-related conversations with collaborators and stakeholders, and travelled back to Vancouver. And as you can imagine, I haven’t had time for a heck of a lot more than that in the preceding week.
How I’m Doing
The two and a half weeks on holiday were much needed, but I did not feel fully recharged afterwards.
There could be any number of reasons for that. For the time being, I’m planning to do a cleanse, but if my energy levels remain low, I will see a doctor also.
I’ve also got floaters in my eye from God knows what, but I’m not too worried about that.
Where Things Are At
I haven’t published anything anywhere for about four weeks (aside from tweets or guest posts). Now that’s an oddity for yours truly. Usually, you can’t shut me up!
Partly it has been a matter of pig-headed discipline. I’m more focused on getting Productivity, Performance & Profits Blackbook done than just about anything else, and honestly, I can’t think of a more “Big Domino” project than that at this time.
Another factor is my workload. Admittedly, there haven’t been many changes to it, but writing the equivalent of a quarter of a book per week (15,000+ words) does keep me very occupied. And while I do foresee a transition coming, for now it’s fair to say my plate is close to full.
Even then, you know that I’m not the type to sit around and wait for things to happen. Quietly in the background, I’ve been working on:
Gradually gathering all the clips, I want to share in episode 300 of The New Music Industry Podcast (this has taken far longer than I ever expected it to, even though I knew it was going to be a big project).
Making massive progress with the Productivity, Performance & Profits Blackbook.
Recording podcast episodes as ideas come to me. I’ve captured 45 episodes since May (yet unpublished).
Planning a live event for January and meeting with my team weekly to discuss the project. I’m actively having conversations about this project outside of our weekly meetings too.
Creating and dreaming up a ton of offers for Content Marketing Musician, which I plan to make my primary brand moving forward, though I have a few things left to do with Music Entrepreneur HQ. You heard it here first!
Figuring out how to leverage YouTube to the maximum extent possible.
Planning my next music release.
What’s Next?
Mostly the above – the book, the event, YouTube, music release.
You should expect to start seeing more content from me as well but understand that the projects I’m now engaging in require more from me than your average 500-word blog post. So, while I’m not ready to set expectations just yet, I will be sure to keep you in the loop as to what’s coming next (hint – maybe a new podcast?).
I recently had the opportunity to be interviewed by the vivacious Sara Troy (she makes me sound smarter than I am). Please support her. She does amazing work! In this episode of the Self-Discovery Wisdom Podcast, you will discover:
The moments that inspired me to get into music
My early influences, including the Carpenters, Chicago, “Weird Al” Yankovic, and 80s glam metal
Why passion (and suffering) is part and parcel of the artistic life
I have not lost interest in publishing daily. But I’ve recognized the importance of producing and publishing strategic content, more than ever. And I admit it is much harder to be strategic about content creation when you’re under the gun to produce daily, even though you squeeze out the occasional search-optimized post.
Ranking in search only becomes harder by the day, though, and while the impact of A.I.-generated content remains to be seen, it does make mediocre writers redundant, and soon, it may make most podcasters redundant as well.
I am busier than ever as a writer, and that’s the opposite of what I thought would happen with the emergence of tools like ChatGPT, but I’m mindful that there are no guarantees that demand will continue to maintain or increase.
To be more strategic, I have:
Done my keyword research.
Created a content calendar with at least a month planned.
Made notes of content opportunities I’ve come across.
Decided to dedicate more energy to finishing the seven or eight some-odd books that are nearing completion.
When all is said and done, you may not notice a huge difference in output on my part. I may still post the occasional life update or spontaneous news. But I have decided to put an end to the insanity cycle I have been in. When something doesn’t work for a long enough period, you’ve got to adapt and try something else. And, I have been pivoting faster than ever.
I can’t imagine too many people will be disappointed by this change. But you’re always welcome to let me know.
I am getting ahead of myself. A little bit. Because v1.0 of the Productivity, Performance & Profits Blackbook isn’t even done yet.
But my most recent customer of the book expressed interest in a physical copy. That’s all I needed to know!
As to when the book will be ready, and what format (paperback, hardcover, or both), I can only speculate. But this is my primary area of focus this year, especially for the next quarter (ending June). So, you can bet it will be top of mind for me.
Don’t forget – by the time you’ve read this, there probably won’t be much time left (or there may not be any time left) to take advantage of the heavily discounted pre-order offer. If you’ve been sitting on the fence, just know that it’s the most painful place to sit. Say yes to standing on my shoulders and seeing further. Or say no.
This quarter, I’ve been focused on the creation of six new merchandise items. As of yesterday, I have added two more to the four already created, fulfilling on that commitment.
I’ve always been excited about the idea of creating my own merchandise, but putting a structure around it and committing to the outcome has made a difference in me pushing forward with this project where I might have otherwise put it off until later.
I love it that the tools are better than ever, and there’s barely any friction to setting up custom merchandise anymore. It’s still not whiz-bang easy, but if you’ve got your designs ready, and you know the process, it takes 20, maybe 30 minutes per item.
Anyway, here’s what’s new:
The Music Entrepreneur Unisex T-Shirt
The Music Entrepreneur formed the foundation of what would ultimately become Music Entrepreneur HQ. But in the early days, I had a logo professionally designed. Even at that point, the potential was obvious to me. I knew the logo would look great on custom merchandise.
It’s taken a long time to get to this point, but for the first time ever, a T-shirt donning this beautiful logo is available.
The shirt is available in S, M, L, XL, and in multiple colors – black heather, heather midnight navy, dark grey heather, and aqua.
The Music Entrepreneur Unisex Fleece Zip Up Hoodie
To round out the selection, I’ve also created a unisex fleece zip up hoodie donning the logo that’s still very much associated with Music Entrepreneur HQ today.
The hoodie is available in S, M, L, XL, and in multiple colors – black, charcoal heather, navy, and alpine green.
So far, this is the only piece of merchandise with an embroidered logo. Neat!
I’ve identified a couple of other items I would love to add The Music Entrepreneur logo to, so stay tuned. I don’t have a deadline for those, but when they’re ready, I’ll be sure to let you know.
Buyers of the Productivity, Performance & Profits Blackbook were treated to an early, near-complete version of the book inside the membership today.
Why v0.7?
I’ve been making huge strides with the book in the last couple of weeks, only to realize:
There’s still so much more content I want to add.
Some of the content deserves an extra coat of polish.
I’d like to spend a little more time developing the design, formatting, and layout of the book.
The resources section needs to be built out in full.
It is supposed to be a premium book, after all.
But I wanted to be a man of my word (I said that the book would be ready as early as February 20), which is why I released v0.7, sneak preview edition!
But… it doesn’t stop there! 🧀
Early adopters of the Blackbook were also treated to 14 bonus videos on productivity, performance, and profits. And there will be more bonus deliverables.
Yep. No waiting. You can access these videos right away if you purchase the book.
Starting to feel like you may have missed out? Yeah, I hear you. 👂
I have good news, though…
You can stillget the book and all the bonuses for just $10 USD (regular $57 USD) if you order between now and February 28, 2023.
After that, the price goes up to $57 USD (it’s worth every penny, mind you…).
Here are a few questions that came through. Let’s tackle them! 💪
So, is v1.0 still coming?
Yes, of course it is!
Will there be a paperback or hardcover edition of the book?
It largely depends on demand. So far, everyone’s been quite happy with the digital edition.
But if you’re interested in a physical version, do let me know!
Will the book and all associated bonuses be rolled into Elite Players: All Access Pass membership?
Yes, it will! And the price of membership will remain the same.
What’s the end game here? This is not just a book, is it?
Okay, you got me. The book is loaded with valuable content, and you’re not obligated to purchase a thing more. But there is more coming. I don’t have an “end game,” per se, but as I continue to climb this mountain, I am seeing further.
And here is what I’m starting to see:
The Productivity, Performance & Profits audiobook
The Productivity, Performance & Profits interviews
The Productivity, Performance & Profits newsletter
The Productivity, Performance & Profits challenge
The Productivity, Performance & Profits course
The Productivity, Performance & Profits coaching
The Productivity, Performance & Profits mastermind
Will I really be creating all that? Well, only time will tell. But the ideas are flowing.
