For quite some time, like the Frank Sinatra song, I thought ‘I did it my way’ with my musical achievements. I believed I developed my music hobby into a professional music business all on my own steam. I felt I carved my path and forged my way with no input from anyone else. That I figured it all out, through epiphany.
But, while I was compiling my music business plan on a course I attended 10 years ago, I learnt something quite significant. I learnt that although there were moments of revelation in my journey, I did not achieve half of what I had without someone else’s input.
The people who point the way; those who offer a shoulder to cry on; individuals who pass on opportunities; fans who take it upon themselves to be my ambassadors; colleagues who make the time to explain concepts so I can do my business better; and so on.
By the way, your own connections are not too far away.
Everything...
What do you think about this word, ‘Plan’? What does it conjure in your mind? Hard work that you don’t want to do, or glee because you relish identifying parts and their connections, and seeing if they work?
I’m a planner, but not everybody is. Don’t get me wrong. Some people are more holistic, top-down, see the bigger picture. I’m the opposite. I see the big picture but I get down to the detail of how to make it happen. Actually, it doesn’t really matter too much which approach you prefer, as long as things are achieved.
How does this relate to your music?
Well, when you move forward, you are moving forward to something: your targets. How you move forward has to be decided. This is planning, deciding what, when, why, how, etc.
Most of my music life, pre-42 years old, I just ambled along. I performed when invited. I had dreams of what I wanted to become, but no plans on how to get there. At...
Today’s episode of the podcast is perfect to start the year: from each guest, we are going to hear at least three essential tips that you can do now to make it in the music industry and build a full-time career. It condenses all the other advice and experience we have enjoyed through all the season, which is great and so useful, isn’t it?
Find the perfect platform to listen to the audio version in this link, or watch on YouTube.
As we are close to the end of the year, this episode of the podcast "Success Beyond The Score" is dedicated to reflection, in particular about the critical event that marked 2020 and 2021: the coronavirus pandemic.
How did it affect the music industry? Specifically, how did it impact musicians? Today you will hear true stories from Anna Brooks, Tony Bean, Louise Dengate, Dan Whitehouse, Abigail Kelly and Ruby Turner MBE, in which they will tell us about their hardships, opportunities, the good and the bad.
Find the video of the episode on YouTube and choose your favourite podcast platform to listen to the audio version on this list.
I’ve been thinking about ways to help you with your music development and the thought occurred to me, how do I know if you are standing still, going backwards or moving forwards with your music?
I thought about this because many people look at me and think I have it made, or that I don’t have a clue about what-what’s because I was born that way. But, I can tell you that although I’m moving forward there were times when my music stood still and when it went a way back!
In my 20s, I was gigging a lot, mainly in the Gospel circuit. I was well known in my circuit and then I fell in love, got married and moved to the North of England.
Now, in those days there was no internet or mobile phones, just letters, landlines and call boxes on the streets. Lol! The Gospel music circuit in the North was not as developed as the Midlands or South, so I had to travel back often. I didn’t have role models who commuted, also work...
The Skylark Collective defines itself as a sisterhood for women in podcasting. As part of their efforts to break barriers in the podcast production world, they created the International Women’s Podcast Awards, which had its first edition this year.
The ceremony took place on Thursday, September 23rd, on a London venue. The podcast Success Beyond The Score, which you can find in all podcast platforms and YouTube through our list, was shortlisted for the category of “badass business advice”, so Millicent attended the ceremony.
Unfortunately, Success Beyond The Score did not win in its category, but Millicent was happy to share time with wonderful women who create podcasts for a variety of themes and audiences. The full list of nominees and winners, plus some photos, can be found on the Instagram account of the Skylark Collective.
Check Millicent’s photos and thoughts on her own Instagram account.
Anything can happen on stage and, as performers, we must be prepared! However, sometimes things go wrong no matter how hard you think about every possible inconvenience ahead of time. That was the case of Taiwanese-Australian violinist star Ray Chen during a concert in Brussels some years ago, when one string of his violin broke mid-song: Watch on YouTube.
We feel his pain, but the video is hilarious! Check how everybody reacts super fast, while the director pays no mind whatsoever to the chaos unfolding right next to him. The show must go on and orchestras know this better than anyone!
We hope this brings a smile to your face and some energy for the week that just started. If you want to learn more about how to make your performances a success no matter what, be sure to check the e-learning course "10 Things The Most Successful Artists Always Do, That You Can Do, To Give An Unforgettable Show"