Not long ago, my life fell apart. In a matter of weeks I found myself with no relationship, no office, no apartment, and no real plan of what I was going to do next. I moved back in with my parents, who were thrilled to see their son for more than two days in a row for the first time in years, and setup a desk in the back of their living room. I’m sitting in that same place now as I write this post.
I could not have anticipated most of the changes that came my way, and I certainly could not have guessed how many would seemingly happen all at once. Depression came knocking, but I refused to answer the door. It never has anything productive to offer anyways.
Deep down I knew if there were a way to keep my life and career in tact it would have to come from within, even if I did not know where to find it.
To focus, I stopped…..
-Talking to people who didn’t help me create value.
-Opening Facebook/Twitter.
-Paying attention to politics 24/7.
-Watching T.V. and Netflix.
-Going out to eat.
-Making excuses to spend money just so I had something to do
-Writing about things I knew I did not care about
The first few days were the hardest. Instead of thinking about my situation or the work in front of me I wanted to check in with the rest of the world. The news makes things seem so terrible right now, and to some extent they legitimately are, but I found a sense of escape in occupying my time with the woes of the planet. I escaped further by engaging in conversations about these things, all of which would inevitably amount to nothing more than me agreeing with people who agree with me on things we’ve likely always agreed on. I wasn’t helping them or the planet, and I certainly wasn’t helping myself.
Then I heard a song. I would share it now, but the truth is that the particular track doesn’t matter nearly as much as the spark it ignited within me. I couldn’t shake the song. I couldn’t shake the band. I wanted to know everything about the music and I wanted to tell people everything I was able to learn. Passion had found me while I was busy trying to run from it and here I was, back where I always wanted to be.
When I wrote about that song I felt the freedom that only comes from doing the thing you love for no reason other than your love of doing it. That is what really matters, after all. Money, fame, popularity, even jobs will eventually disappear. The only real reason anyone has to pursue something is because it makes them feel alive. It gives them purpose.
As this realization sat in I began to evaluate how I came to such a conclusion. I thought about my fight with myself to avoid work and the mounting personal problems that needed addressing, as well as why I fought so hard to ignore them. That inner monologue then turned into a post about that subject, which gave way to another, and another, and now to this post.
I had made a classic mistake that many of us encounter when things go awry in our lives: I lost focus of what made me feel alive. Instead of running from that fact I chose to write about it, which in turn helped me find my way back to the thing that first ignited my passion for music and writing in the first place. All the chaos that had kept me up at night stressing over what the future might hold had transformed - through no one’s doing other than my own - into material that would serve as the path I followed back to finding my center in life once more.
There is a great country song that features the hook, “If you’re going through hell, keep on goin’”. That may sound simple to many of you reading this now, but in reality it is not. Keeping on, or in other words moving forward when life gets tough is one of the hardest things we as people must learn to do. If we fail to do so life has a way of consuming us and making us feel small, insignificant, and even stupid, but believe me when I tell you that is not the case with you or I. We are better than that. YOU are better than that. Believe in yourself and stay true to what you know. The rest will still need to be sorted, but as long as you maintain personal your course in life things will inevitably work out. Choose to move forward and wake up every day with the goal of doing just that. After all, what is the alternative?
Repost from @metalbladerecords • • "Their cover of The Cure transforms a classic rock song into something far more sinister without sacrificing the core elements that make the track great." • The team over at #Haulix shine the spotlight on the new @behemothofficial EP, #AForest - out now! Check out the full review (and companion playlist) at the link in our bio! #behemoth #deathmetal #blackmetal #metalcover #thecure #evoe #metal #metalbladerecords #metalblade #review #albumreview #newep #nergal https://www.instagram.com/p/CBOiBcsDUJP/?igshid=pu0fqfafnfc
Haulix now allows users to schedule their promotional campaigns up to two weeks in advance, and there are many reasons to celebrate.
Haulix now allows users to schedule their promotional campaigns up to two weeks in advance, and there are many reasons to celebrate.
Promotional campaigns are the heart and soul of album rollouts. Everything, from the first single, to the final review, relies on good emailsreaching the right tastemakers at the right moment in time. A poorly planned campaign can result in coverage opportunities…
On this episode of INSIDE MUSIC, host James Shotwell chats with Basement guitarist Alex Henery about his band's recent work opening for The Pixies and Weezer in arenas nationwide.
The UK rock favorites are currently playing arenas nationwide with Weezer and The Pixies.
It has never been easier for an artist to share their music with the world, but sharing music is not enough to build a career. A great song may get you far, and a good song will take you a long ways from nowhere, but anyone who gets ahead in entertainment often does so because they have more to offer the…
A decade after the streaming revolution promised change; music piracy continues to worsen.
A decade after the streaming revolution promised change; music piracy continues to worsen.
Ten years ago, music executives began promoting the future of streaming as a solution to the industry’s problems. Access to legal streaming, they claimed, would lower the rate of piracy and increase the return artists saw from their creations.
Any artist reading this now can tell you the latter-half…
Inside Music Podcast #141: Nü Echo Media PR (Cait McMahon)
Inside Music Podcast #141: Nü Echo Media PR (Cait McMahon)
On this episode of INSIDE MUSIC, host James Shotwell calls Nü Echo Media PR and Nü Sound Online founder Cait McMahonto discuss her journey through the music industry. Cait’s began her life in the Florida Keys, but a move to North Carolina at sixteen set her on a path her earlier self could have never imagined. From writing about the band’s poised for success, to becoming one of the leading…
On this episode of INSIDE MUSIC, host James Shotwell chats with FiXT Records co-founder James Rhodes about his label's big plans for 2019. Rhodes talks about the FiXT approach to finding and recruiting talent, as well as the role FiXT plays in developing talent during an age when many argue record labels are no longer necessary. The discussion continues with talk of social media tactics, the benefits of multi-album deals versus single releases, and what trends we expect to see in the business as the year carries on.
In other news, Inside Music is now available on YouTube! Click here to stream the latest episode on our official channel. You can also subscribe to the show on iTunes, as well as any other podcast streaming service.
2019 is upon us. As the music business slowly returns to normal, we wanted to take a few moments to reflect. The past year has been a busy one for us. From traveling the country to appear at conferences and colleges, to creating a wide array of content covering our changing industry and the best ways to navigate it, we did our best to bring you a little bit of everything.
Everyone knows music professionals are busy so we wouldn’t blame you for being unable to keep up with our every post or activity. Instead, we decided to compile our favorite posts from the past twelve months and present it here for easy access.
Use the links below to catch up and prepare for the year ahead.
Inside Music Podcast:
#138: Palisades (Lou Miceli)
#137: Going DIY with Connor Skelly
#136: Running A Label with Save Your Generation Records
#132: Hot Mulligan (Chris Freeman)
#128: Local H (Scott Lucas)
#126: A Perfect Circle
#121: Freelance Life (Landon Defever)
#117 I Love You(Tube) with Brad LaPlante
Industry Advice and Insight:
Job Hunting Tips For The Music Business
How To Set Better, More Attainable Goals in 2019
The Best Reason To Not Care About The Opinions Of Others
A Beginner’s Guide To Better Networking
The Near-Mythical Power of Cutting Yourself Some Slack
You Need A ‘When-Then’ Plan
Why Brand Consistency Matters
How To Land The Music Internship of Your Dreams
You Need A Back-Up Plan In Music. Always.
A Global Directory of Women In Music Exists. Here’s How You Can Join It.
Learn To Control Your High
Smart Speakers Are Responsible for a Boom in Music Consumption
Meet The Companies Revolutionizing The Industry With Blockchain
How Anyone Can ‘Make It’ In The Music Business
Writing Advice:
Advice All Music Writers Should Follow in 2019
18 Problems Music Blogs Face Today (And How To Solve Them)
How Plagiarism is Treated In Music Writing Today
Who Reads Your Music Blog?
How To Write Better Concert Reviews
How To Create Quality Music Festival Coverage
How To Conduct Great, Quality Music Interviews
A Cure For Writer’s Block
A Simple Trick For Improving Your Relationships with Publicists
Coverage Confirmations 101
Make More Memes
10 Lessons From 10 Years in Music Writing
Be Your Own Archivist
Advice For Musicians:
What Artists Can Learn From The Marketing Genius of Heart Attack Man
How to keep shirt costs low without risking the quality of your merch
Spotify Officially Releases its Playlist Submission Feature
YouTube Has A Plan To Increase View Counts
Getting The Most Out Of A Song Premiere
How To Change Your Apple Music Profile Picture
Your Music Won’t Be For Everyone, And That’s Okay
The Truth About Success In Music
Five Questions To Ask Before Hiring A Publicist
Four Ways To Increase Your Chances Of Being Heard
The Dos And Don’ts of Proper Email Etiquette
Piracy Reports And Stories:
Music Piracy Is More Popular Than Ever
Young Music Consumers Boost Legal Consumption and Downloads
In Mexico, 97% Of The Population Admits To Illegally Downloading Music
BitTorrent Is Still One of The World’s Most Popular Websites
Editorials:
Dear Spotify: Please Create A ‘Followed Artists’ Feed
