For you to create value, you must be able to see - empathize - with the venue and their patrons. In this post, I share a few strategies that might work.
All in For Musicians
Play the music that may not artistically fulfill you. Don't play the gig for yourself. Serve others who came to receive from you an answer to their problems. Be their answer.
They Don't Try to Suck.
If you are like so many other leaders, consider using the sentence I suggested. Take a step to see a bandmate's problem and invest the time to be an answer. Empathy helps.
A job that you’re passionate about, willing to sacrifice everything for, and helps you build your "something bigger" is a career.
I'm writing a small series. The series is about jobs and careers. The series is for musicians that often mistake their jobs for their careers or even their vocations. Also, it's about the frustrations that follow.
You are selflessly bringing your talents to bear to solve their problems.
If you're doing your job right, you will be changing the lives of people who have come to listen to you.
If you've done your job right, you've served another.
People use agents because they feel agents will get them gigs. But people don't often stop to consider the value of themselves. Perhaps this is a marketing problem?
Lots of people want to start agencies. It's a seemingly effortless way to make money. Especially when people are paying commissions year after year at the same rate as they were when they got hired. But, there's so much more.
When you end an agreement, your non-compete may go into effect. You'll need to know the terms of your contract to be sure. When your non-compete goes into effect, you may have to find employment elsewhere. To be sure, consult a licensed legal professional.
Tortious interference is interference that leads to harm caused by a party outside of an established business relationship. In other words: someone got in the middle. Don’t get in the middle.
Agents need to be first. It's in their DNA. If they do not introduce your talents first, they don't get credit for finding you. Are you thinking about securing one?
The customer's identity isn't always apparent. The ambiguity of not knowing can cause lots of problems for everyone. The only real change agent is the service provider. Any agent with the guts to change the model has an excellent opportunity ahead of them.
Agents are salespeople. If they put in the work, they deserve to eat. Agents have an ethical responsibility to show their work. If they show their work, commissions are fair. Agents are salespeople. Commissions are fair.
Carefully review your contracts. Make sure there's a clear way to let the other party know you're not happy, that what they're doing doesn't work, and that you can end. Know the terms.
This simple post is for musicians. Especially those in the cruise industry. It's a small post that's part of a more extensive series on agents and understanding a representation contract. Today's post is about non-compete clauses.
I hope you'll join me and follow along in the explorations of agents. They are not bad. They serve a purpose to those that need someone to broker contracts of employment. Like most things, use them the way they were intended. If they don't serve your purpose, they're not for you.