Madalyn's Blog

As the year comes to a close it's time to reflect on where we are and where we want to be for 2006. But first, did you accomplish your goals for 2005? Did you get from point A to point B?

I set goals for myself throughout the year and reached most of them. It's a great feeling! We all live hectic lives and it's so easy to "want" to achieve but it's a different story when you actually write down a plan and "make" it happen.

There is a huge difference between want and will.

"I want to sell more CDs" sounds great but are you doing it?

"I will sell more CDs" is the mindset to get you to do it. "I will" is very powerful.

"I will sell more CDs in 2006".
"I will increase my fanbase in 2006".
"I will play more shows in 2006".
"I will devote more time to marketing my music in 2006".

What are YOUR plans for 2006? And what will you do to achieve them?

If you are interested in one-on-one consulting/coaching with me, be sure to take advantage of our 2005 rates before they go up Jan 1st. And remember, if you treat your music as a business you can write off business expenses. Be sure to check with your tax advisor.

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

Your press kit is very important when it comes to getting gigs, reviews, etc. Is yours polished or sloppy? Impressive or pitiful? Remember, this is a business so treat your press kit as part of your band's business not as a hobby.

Here is a great article on press kits:
http://www.discmakers.com/music/ffwd/press.asp

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

When it comes to our music careers I think one of the hardest things we face is staying focused. There is so much to do... promotions, touring, networking. How do we stay on top of it all?!? Well we first have to strategize. What is important? Jot it down. What do we want to accomplish? Write it out. Make a list of goals. Goal setting is really important to get you from where you are to where you want to be.

I firmly believe success comes when we are focused on what is in front of us. Make a plan. Follow it. Focus. Get results. Success follows.

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

Chicks Rockfest

Cincinnati, OH USA
Apr 7, 2006 - Apr 8, 2006

Do you have what it takes? Have you won nearly every local award there is to win? Have you appeared in every women rocker mag and then some? Does Billboard have your name on a list as the next big thing?

That doesn't matter here!

The past is behind you and the future is straight ahead at the Chicks Rockfest, to be held April 7-8, 2006 in Cincinatti, Ohio at The Southgate House. In its 6th year, Chicks Rock Fest features 30 artists on three stages in front of more than 1,000 attendees over the two-day festival.

The only criteria are that you have at least one female in your band and that you do indeed rock. No fears, there is no discrimination of any sort here at the festival either. We will not discriminate if you have had your share of awards, have a male vocalist or refuse to use a Marshall stack.

We may discriminate for bad tones, poor singing and an uninteresting stage show. We will also re-judge you year after year, submission after submission as you better yourself in the local music industry. Don't let your previous bad drummer hold you back from submitting again this year. We hold no grudges. If your performance, songs, writing, or line up has changed, I want to know! Rock music isn't just a request at this festival, we crave it, we want it, we can't wait to hear it and exploit it all over our stage!

This is not about being a girl, joining organizations, or supporting a cause. While we firmly believe all of those things can be very important things, it's just not what we do here. In a nutshell, our mission here is to rock hard, rock loud and rock well. We do plan shows and events throughout the year as well and we like to use those to our advantage to get your rockin' butts down here and show us what you've got!

Some Food for Thought for Writers:

I can think of nothing more immortal about us, than the music we will leave behind as artists after we are long gone from this life. As I soaked up some recently read reality prose, if the last person that truly knew us in our relatively small personal circle of friends dies...what is left of us? Who will talk about us? When writing your music, a new approach would be to think about what you would want people 100 years from now to know about you as an artist. It is often said that our music is our soul...so in preserving that soul in generations to come....think about what you intend to pass on to future generations.

Peace, Love and Good Writing!
Annette Warner

I'm busy writing a book. Well let's say I just got busy. I've had the book idea for awhile but had a mindset problem. I just couldn't get myself to work on a book while at my desk. When I'm working in my office I'm busy developing web sites, working on GoGirlsMusic.com and consulting musicians. The last thing I think about is writing. So it gets put off.

Good news... I got myself a new laptop this week! My previous one is very old and I got so used to not having one. Now I'm spending time everyday writing my book. It's so easy with the laptop. I can leisure around the house with it. It's so much easier than being tied down to a desk! I feel empowered. I sit on the sofa and type away.

So what is your mindset? And what can you do to either change it or like I did, accommodate it?

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