Caffeinated Tastemakers: Starbuck's Music Man

Happy Sunday morning! Did you turn your clocks back? While you're enjoying an extra cup of coffee with the additional hour this morning, check out this New York Times article illustrating yet another offbeat work opportunity in the music biz.

"TIMOTHY JONES would blush at the notion, but he’s one of the quiet shapers of American culture.

Mr. Jones and his team of shrewd ears are responsible for the music heard daily in each of the some 11,100 Starbucks coffee shops in the United States and Canada, and for the CDs the stores sell. Most Starbucks are open 18 hours a day, and about 60 songs are played every four hours, so that means the home of the venti Caramel Frappuccino and Pumpkin Spice Latte is laying nearly three million musical spins on its customers each day."

Hunter S. Thompson Writes a Cover Letter

Hunter S. Thompson, Gonzo journalist and so much more, once sent a cover letter to the Vancouver Sun newspaper, looking for a job. His example is not recommended as a template for yours, but it’s entertaining, nonetheless.

“Music has always been a matter of Energy to me, a question of Fuel. Sentimental people call it Inspiration, but what they really mean is Fuel. I have always needed Fuel. I am a serious consumer. On some nights I still believe that a car with the gas needle on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio.” --Hunter S. Thompson

Selling Out or Time-Honored Patronage?

The The York Times just announced that Converse (now owned by Nike) is building a 5,200 square foot, brand new, state of the art recording studio in Brooklyn called Rubber Tracks. Okay, it's maybe a little odd that a shoe company would take on a project like that, but otherwise sort of so-what news. What makes this newsworthy, as well as provocative, is that recording time in this studio will be free to indie rock bands and Converse will be their patron, much the way artists have had financial supporters throughout history. Or is it just the hijacking of art by rich wannabes? What do you think?

Dessa rocks the stage and the press

This week in CaLM, we're privileged to have Dessa as our guest speaker. With a ton of talent as writer and musician and hard-won skills and savvy in the biz side of things (she's the CEO of the Doomtree collective and a master indie marketer), our conversation was wide-ranging and full of promotion ideas for musicians at any level and in any genre. Here's Dessa in action:

Wisdom from a Bad-Ass Horse

Daniel Pink, author of Johnny Bunko, wrote a recent bestseller called, "Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us." Dan's premise that "autonomy, mastery, and purpose" are much more effective than carrots and sticks is illustrated beautifully in this short video about a bad-ass horse teaching his humans about motivation.

On being a self-employed, entrepreneurial artist...

“It’s a great privilege to report to work every morning in the lobby of my own brain, and punch the elevator button that reads

Invisible Universe of Ideas.”

– Dessa Darling

(reposted from Songtaneous)

The Music Industry's "new" Business Model

Friday's London Financial Times had a fascinating article describing a 'new business model' for the music industry. McNally Smith's own David Lewis (Career Advisor Extraordinaire) had this to say about the article:

"Not a ton new here but tidy look at the biz today. I would argue beyond the article that success need not be measured in $millions, but that we teeter on the edge of a more sustainable, regional and modest notion of "making it. Not a sexy idea, but an achievable one."

Check it out and let us know what you think.

Welcome to Creating a Life in Music!

Creating a Life in Music (CaLM, for short) is the name of course at McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul, Minnesota designed for seniors on the cusp of graduation. But creating a life in music is also what we musicians do every day of our lives.

Life as a 21st century musician requires a high level balance of artistry and business skills and developing an entrepreneurial, DIY attitude about your career is a huge step toward making it happen. This blog will feature resources and ideas to stimulate resourceful and proactive perspectives on the fast moving, rich opportunities and challenges we encounter in building and sustaining a satisfying musical life.

We'll kick things off with a 'back to school' special from my friend David Cutler, author of The Savvy Musician, one of the texts we use in Creating a Life in Music. In this post, David suggests ten terrific new school year resolutions for moving your career forward. Also check out The Savvy Musician blog regularly--and be sure to bookmark this one!