You Can’t Steer a Parked Car… Is Your Music Career Vehicle in Motion?

I’ve offered my coaching and consulting services to a variety of people over the years, from artists and executives to professionals and entrepreneurs, but coaching really works best when we’re not talking about the conceptual.

Now, I’m a big believer in speculating on possibilities or brainstorming. There’s a lot of great stuff that can come out of that. I do this all the time with my team. But that’s not the same as having something out there that everyone can see.

When you put yourself out there, whether it’s a song, a website, or a marketing initiative, there’s always feedback. And that feedback is often missed, or it goes unnoticed and untracked by the artist. And sadly, that doesn’t lead to accurate thinking. If you’re trying to pinpoint what works, and you’re not tracking, you’re not going to get anywhere fast.

That’s a situation where a coach can make a big difference. They can look at what you have and go, “let’s steer that car in this direction,” “or let’s pick up the speed a bit,” or “watch out for that congestion ahead.” They can improve upon your marketing campaign. Or maybe they can see that based on what happened with your last one, you need to start an entirely new campaign.

A lot of artists don’t have anything in motion and try to cause or force an outcome, and that’s not much different than sitting around at home, meditating, feeling great, waiting for your dream date to fall into your lap. It might happen, but it seems quite unlikely. You’d have a much better chance meeting people in the park than at home.

And from there, you can keep adjusting. You can start having conversations in the park. Or you can give people a reason to have conversations with you. Or you can try another location.

Then you can improve your conversation. Maybe make a direct ask of the person you’re talking to. Get a few dates. Bit by bit, you’re getting closer to what you want.

If you don’t have an outside vantage point on your career, you’re almost certainly leaving opportunity on the table. They’re passing you by, and you’re not even noticing. And there are so many things that are hard to see when you’re so entrenched in your own ecosystem.

A coach can help you identify what’s missing in your approach and help you course correct.

And it’s the same thing with getting a record deal too. Record labels don’t jump-start engines anymore. They just add momentum to a moving car – like a rocket fuel booster or something like that. If you don’t have that car moving in the right direction at the right speed already, no one’s going to be knocking on your door.

For a proven, step-by-step framework in cracking the code to independent music career success, and additional in-depth insights into making your passion sustainable and profitable, be sure to pick up my best-selling guide, The Music Entrepreneur Code.