If you want to succeed in music, don’t be this guy

Last December, I published this video to the Music Entrepreneur HQ YouTube channel:

Then, I shared it out to my email subscribers like a responsible CEO.

That resulted in this comment:

Apparently, I hit a nerve.

But it’s clear the video went right over his head. Let me explain.

Now, it’s nice to imagine what you might do with a $10,000 advertising budget if you had it. But it basically falls under the category of “wouldn’t it be nice if…” speculation.

I’m not saying visualization doesn’t hold power. You can read all about the benefits of mental rehearsal and visualization here.

But the real power of visualization lies in following it up with concrete action — something tangible and measurable in the real world.

For example, goals. Everyone says they have goals but never write them down. When this comes up in conversation, I urge those people to put it down on paper. That’s what makes it real.

So, don’t talk to me about imagining how nice it would be to have a big advertising budget.

Come to me with $10,000 in pocket, pay for my coaching, and I’ll offer some powerful tips on how to maximize that budget.

I’ve helped a jazz artist crowdfund $15,000 on a budget about a third the size.

I’ve helped a singer-songwriter increase her Facebook following by 200 and run a successful independent radio campaign on a budget about half the size I had for the crowdfunding campaign.

You can complain about the fact that I didn’t reveal my secrets to making those campaigns a success (which is what I would do if I were you)…

But you shouldn’t be complaining about the fact that I told you to get into action and get the funding you want instead of sitting on your fat rear end imagining what that would be like all day.

An armchair philosopher?

Show me your:

• Successful crowdfunding campaign
• Successful indie radio campaign
• Successful social media campaign
• Two albums, two EPs, and six singles
• Four other releases you played guitar on
• One release you mixed, mastered, and co-produced
• 195 stories on Medium
• 329 videos on YouTube
• 201 podcast episodes on your completely self-funded business website
• 398 posts on your completely self-funded business website
• 62 podcast episodes for your side project
• 412 staff written posts for Music Industry How To
• 274 posts on your personal blog
• Five self-published books, with three becoming best-sellers
• Companion course you published based on your book
• Locally established artistic community impacting 1,000+ artists
• Honestly just scratching the surface here…

We all know who the real armchair philosopher is.

Maybe, for once, show some respect and gratitude for the people who are laying the groundwork for you. The people who get up every day thinking about how they can cause breakthrough for the people they’re serving and don’t lay their head to rest until they’ve done something to make this happen.

For all the thanks I get, I should find an industry where my skills, talent, and hard work are appreciated, instead of catering to dumb-asses who bristle at the idea of spending a few bucks to better themselves.

Go ahead, unsubscribe. You weren’t going to support me anyway. You probably can’t rub together $5 to buy The Music Entrepreneur Code or spend the 90 to 120 minutes it takes to read it let alone put together a $10,000 advertising budget (good luck with that).

Want to learn about budgeting? Have a listen to the podcast (I’ve only got over 200 episodes with some incredible experts). Get off your butt and do something with your life. I promise listening to the podcast will be a better use of your time than sitting on YouTube criticizing people who are putting everything on the line every single day.

And the worst part is…

There’s a breakthrough available in the video I made. You know what it is? It’s called getting into action! Maybe watch it again if that didn’t land for you.