Madalyn's Blog

Last week the news stories grew more and more intense. A major hurricane was heading towards the Texas gulf coast and expected to hit Houston, where I live. As scary as it was, it made me realize I had some major planning to do. To leave or not leave. What to buy. How to prepare. My mind was racing for days. Then the long wait. All my planning, all my efforts were over. I was now in patience mode, waiting to see what would happen next.

Throughout this I had a lot of time to think. Did I make the right choices? In the end I did.

What did I learn from this?

That our music career takes a lot of planning and a lot of patience. We have to map out a strategic plan. We have to think it through. And most importantly, have patience through it all. Too many artists want it all and they want it now. You have to relax and let things fall into place. You may not like it, it may not feel good. But you must stay positive. Keep your head up. Chill out. Smile.

Rock on,
Madalyn Sklar
IndieMusicCoach.com
~providing one-on-one indie music consulting & coaching~

"There is a difference between interest and commitment. When you're interested in doing something, you do it only when it's convenient. When you're committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results." -- Ken Blanchard

Wow, that is one powerful statement! And it makes perfect sense. When we are interested in moving forward in our music career, we want things to happen but many times we don't get the results we were hoping for. When we are truly committed to it, we set goals and work to achieve them which ultimately leads to greater success.

Think about it. Are you merely interested or truly committed in achieving greater success with your music?

If you feel you need help in getting committed, let me know. I provide one-on-one consulting & coaching at affordable rates. You can get more info at www.indiemusiccoach.com or by emailing me at madalyn@indiemusiccoach.com.

Here is what fellow GoGirls Elite member Trisha O'Keefe has to say about Madalyn’s consulting & coaching services:

"I want to thank you SO much for taking the time to speak with me. You DEFINITELY hit all of the points I wanted to go over, and after a few weeks of feeling really scattered about my career, I feel like I have a renewed sense of focus."

Rock on,
Madalyn Sklar
IndieMusicCoach.com
~providing one-on-one indie music consulting & coaching~

MusicPro Insurance
Affordable and convenient insurance for the music professional.
http://www.musicproinsurance.com

Berklee Music Online School
Now you can learn online from anywhere in the world, with a schedule that fits your life.
http://www.berkleemusic.com

Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
Believe it or not, there are dozens of legal organizations which have as their sole goal to provide free legal services to nonprofit arts organizations, as well as to artists who can't afford legal services.
http://www.starvingartistslaw.com/help/volunteer%20lawyers.htm

Just Plain Folks
A growing community of Songwriters, Recording Artists, Music Publishers, Record Labels, Performing Arts Societies, Educational Institutions, Recording Studios and Engineers, Producers, Legal Professionals, Publicists and Journalists, Publications, Music Manufacturers and Retailers and about every other type of member of the Music Industry.
http://www.justplainfolks.org

Rock on,
Madalyn Sklar
IndieMusicCoach.com
~providing one-on-one indie music consulting & coaching~

We have a great time at the South Park Music Festival last weekend, Sept 8-10. It was our second year to go and it's always a nice change to see live music up in the mountains. Can't beat it! And this year they added a music conference to it with a day of panels at a really cool lodge.

Here are some pictures from the festival. I'll have more available soon on the GoGirls Scrapbook page.

On Friday, I spoke on the panel CURRENT AND FUTURE STATE OF INDIE MUSIC along with Laura Hamlett, Editor Playback STL; Abby White, Music Editor,Performing Songwriter Magazine; Billy Zero, Program Director,XM Radio Unsigned Channel; Jeff Price, President & Co-founder, spinART Records.

On Saturday, GoGirls hosted a Musicians Roundtable Discussion at the Hand Hotel which I moderated. This is a view from their deck where we conducted the first half of the discussion before breaking off to see two GoGirls Elite members perform, Courtney Kaiser and Wendy DeRosa. It was great getting valuable feedback from musicians about issues that affect them.

I know I look freakishly tall here. Well I can't help it if everyone is short! I'm with Georgia Moncrief, my right arm girl @ GoGirls; Melissa Ivey, a cool hip rocker chick from Denver; Melissa Mullins, our Austin GoGirls coordinator & fabulous singer/songwriter; and Angie DeVore of Dfest, my favorite music conference in Tulsa, OK.

So we were walking and I saw this car parked on the street with a GoGirls sticker. So I guess I'm not the only one with a GoGirls bumper sticker on MY car! Will the owner of this vehicle please contact me... I think you rock!

We had a blast hanging out with our Houston travel mates, Matt & Denise of The Googe. They decided to go even though they didn't get a showcase. They wanted to meet cool industry people and let me tell ya... they did! They sat in on all the panels and learned alot.

I can't tell you enough how important I think music conferences are. It's a great way to meet industry professionals and fellow musicians. What I like about South Park is you can't beat the climate and scenery. Most music conferences are in hotels and it can get quite boring and stuffy. This was a very relaxing setting which made it FUN.

One of the highlights of the trip was the amazing house we shared with friends Sean Agnew of Blue Metallic Entertainment and Tom & Angie of Dfest plus some others we became friends with right away. We had some good times and amazing conversations there. Plus the hot tubs, yes TUBS, rocked!

Hope you enjoy the pics! Coming soon, pics and a report from NEMO in Boston.

Rock on,
Madalyn Sklar
IndieMusicCoach.com
~providing one-on-one indie music consulting & coaching~

"The greatest achievement is to outperform yourself." -- Denis Waitley

I love this quote because we must always strive to do better in all aspects of our life. It feels good to win. It feels good to achieve more than expected. Doesn't it feel great to play an awesome show then sell out your CDs? Of course!

I hate it when people say, "why don't good things happen to me?" Well I say to them, "what you are doing to achieve your success?" You can't achieve it by sitting on your ass watching TV or spending your free time playing online video games. You have to get out there and make your successes happen. Rather than sitting in front of the TV, get out to some shows and meet other musicians. Instead of "playing" on the Internet, work it. Spend some time checking resources, meet new fans at myspace.com, take some online classes at Berklee College of Music. There is a wealth of information out there!

I can say this stuff until I'm blue in the face. It's up to you. What are you going to do today to achieve great success with your music career?

Rock on,
Madalyn Sklar
IndieMusicCoach.com
~providing one-on-one indie music consulting & coaching~

I was at the South Park Music Festival over the weekend and met some really cool people. One of them was Allison Shaw of Hyperactive Magazine. I really dig their music publication. It's fairly new but is quite professional. They are based out of Albuquerque, NM and starting with the next issue (it comes out bi-monthly) it will be distributed nationally at major book retailers including Border's and Barnes & Noble.

Check it out!

Rock on,
Madalyn Sklar
IndieMusicCoach.com
~providing one-on-one indie music consulting & coaching~

"Wherever you are, whatever your circumstances may be, whatever misfortune you may have suffered, the music of your life has not gone. It's inside you -- if you listen to it, you can play it." -- Nido Qubein

That is a great quote! It's so easy to think you are the target of misfortune. We all do that to ourselves. But after witnessing the destruction in New Orleans and surrounding areas on TV, it makes us realize how lucky we are. Sure we have bad days when the boss yells at us or we bounce a check. But remember you are here. Smile. Move your chin up a bit. Enjoy your life.

Rock on,
Madalyn Sklar
IndieMusicCoach.com
~providing one-on-one indie music consulting & coaching~

Ready... Set... Go!
From time to time we think about all the great things we want for our music career. We want to sell a bunch of CDs, get radio airplay, make new fans, play bigger venues, etc. How do we get there? Start by setting realistic goals for your music career. Write it down. Put it where you can see it regularly. Now the tough part. Discipline! Most people lack it. You have to think long term and put in some effort to make things happen.

Action Tips:

* have a well thought out plan in place
* include goals that you will commit to achieving
* set a realistic timeframe

It sounds easy but will take some real work. Can you do it? Yes!

Rock on,
Madalyn Sklar
IndieMusicCoach.com
~providing one-on-one indie music consulting & coaching~