5 Things to think about before going into the music business..

Getting your music career to take off can be a timely process. You have to pay your dues. What are the dues and to whom do you pay them - you ask? The dues that I am referring to are what entertainment professionals consider the blood, sweat and tears of the music business. But as you work your way up through the ranks, you can give yourself an advantage by learning more about your craft and taking a closer look at what your role models are doing to be successful. This approach works for all businesses but is geared towards starting a career in music. In a series of blogs and shows on www.AvALiveRadio.com, I intend to give you a crash coarse with helpful resources you can use to "Kick start your career"!

Most people don’t get signed by a major record label as soon as they post their first video on YouTube. You have to market yourself and that will require a strategy. Tune in every Sunday @ 6pm for my show as I bring you the people, the plan and the resources to achieve your goals. Whether you are pursuing a career as an independent artist, becoming a new online business owner or giving your current business a kick to the next level; our goal is to help you start the business of your dreams.

The following are the 5 things that I consider.
If you have any questions, call into my next show and ask..

1) Search Your Talents
Search your talents for something that your good at and hopefully love to do. Follow your natural instincts and don't play by the rules. Think outside of the box. You will be living your choice and in order to be successful, you have to have a passion for your work. be relaistic about your capabilities. If you don't know how to play piano and you want to become a concert pianist, make sure that you plan well and have the time to perfect your craft. Anything is possible if you love it and work hard. Just keep it real!

2) Time Management
I used to give lectures at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale on time management and the most popular question was; how do you manage school, performing, being a  Miami Dolphins Cheerleader and running your own business? I have always been a business owner and the years that during my NFL days as a Miami Dolphins Cheerleader, I had to learn to balance my life very specifically. I have always kept a calender and I still to this day schedule in Starbuck breaks, me time, dog time, friend time and exercise. It helps to start with 8 hours of sleep and then block out areas that you will be able to dedicate to important tasks. If your going to be practicing music, then be sure to get 1-2 hours in daily or at least every other day. Most of us will be working in one career while fine tuning the other but setting yourself a schedule and sticking with it is important to your success.

3) Team
A support team is very important. I have always been lucky to have an excellent support team of family and friends around me. You need to make sure that the people you have around you are always positive an supportive of what you are doing. Negative energy will bring you down. If you find that a friend is not in a good place and is crushing your ideas, then you need to talk with them about it and back off from that relationship so that it won't distract you. When you evaluate your inner circle, look for people who are happy with themselves and happy for you. Even the smallest back handed compliment can stand in your way of becoming successful. When you do encounter that kind of behavior clear it from your mind and use it to fuel your fire because if their jealous then you must be doing something right.

4) Tools
Spend the time and money on the right training and tools to do the job. Even if you have to save up and do things at your own pace, you will be much more successful if you have what you need when you need it. If you want to become a professional singer, then spend the time and money with an excellent coach who cares about your goals and can help you achieve them. If you want to open an internet company make sure you have a terrific computer, fast internet connection and learn how to build and maintain a web site. Find out the costs of web site development, domain names, trademarks, business licenses, over head. Make a list of everything that will cost you money to get your ball rolling and running for the first year and be sure you can support the business while you are building it.

5)Become an expert
In order to make an educated decision to move forward, you need to become an expert in your field. Read free blog articles, magazines and watch youtube videos on every aspect of your business before you take the plunge. All your free time should be spent on research and gather resources. Gather information for your own notebook of these helpful things that you can reference later. We are lucky today because there is such a wealth of knowledge offered on the internet today. Just be sure to judge the source. You also have us here at www.AmericanVocalAcademy.com to help you find resources for training, collaboration, out-sourcing, staff, building your team, promotion, etc. Become and active member of our free online music community and use the reasources to kick start your career.

Remember to follow your instincts and think globally. Get started today and be sure to join me on my show this Sunday @ 6pm. Ask you questions in our live chat room and call in the program. www.AvALiveRadio.com

Aim high and work hard!

Here's to your future,
Jacqueline Jax
Director of Artist Development www.AmerianVocalAcademy.com

AVA news: The Vocal and Artist development program at www.AmericanVocalAcademy.com works hard to develop the voice and total artist. We also help our students to develop their stage and marketing presence including broadcasting skills. Advanced students get business advise and support building their fan base. You can take lessons online by singing up today. Click here!