How To Turn Your Rock Band Into a Success - Free 12 Day Mini Course
Lesson 2 - Part 2
How much thought have you really given to your goals as a band? Remember, we are not talking about the things you hope for and plan on doing along the way. What we are talking about is where you want to end up in the end. Have you truly defined what you’re aiming for?
If your band could achieve anything, what would it be?
We’ve heard many bands answer that question as, “We want to play live, get signed, quit our day jobs, and never have to work a 9-5 job again.” As you may have noticed while reading over this mini-course, that isn’t exactly how the industry works. And if you look closely, you will notice that the “answer” above is more about plans than it is about goals. Let’s break apart the above statement to use it as an example.
- “We want to play live more shows…” – This is admirable, and very action oriented, but what do you want from playing live? Do you want exposure? The thrill of being on stage? To share your music with the world? Or is there something deeper? Ask yourself why you want exposure or why you want to share your music with the world. What will that get you that you didn’t have before?
- “…get signed…” – This is probably the most stated “goal” of unsigned bands across the world. Often, they don’t even know what a record deal looks like, or what exactly it will do for them. A record deal may help you achieve your goals, but only if you are prepared and informed of how it fits into your overall plans. Remember, a record deal is not an end-goal in and of itself. What are you trying to achieve by “getting signed”?
- “…quit our day jobs, and never have to work a 9-5 job again.” – These two things are much closer to an actual goal than the ones above, but they are still only a means to an end. What will you gain from quitting your “day jobs”?
Now, re-examine the things you have stated as goals for your band in part 1 of this lesson. Don’t stop asking the question, “What will that get us that we didn’t have before?” until you feel like that question can no longer be answered. This question will reveal your true goals, whether it is freedom of time, freedom of money, or something else entirely. Write down your top 3 goals, and post them where your band will see them every time you get together. And when you see those goals, remember that everything you are doing is in order to achieve those 3 goals.
Let’s make your goals even more exciting and attainable. Ask yourselves, “How will we know when we’ve achieved our goals?” What will it look like, sound like, and feel like? Paint a picture of how you’ll know when you’ve “arrived.” Will you have sold 2 Million albums? Will there be 20,000 fans screaming your name? Look at each of your goals, and on that same piece of paper, write down the 3 things that will happen for you to know you have achieved your goals.
Getting absolutely clear about these issues right now (and writing them on paper) will make a big difference when you actually begin implementing the steps to reach these goals.
In the next lesson that you will get in 2 more days we will examine all the specific things that have held you back in the past from reaching your goals.
Learn how to get into the music industry and build your career in music.
If you want to review the rock band mini course lesson 1, you can do so here.