Giving Thanks
There are many people I need to thank this year. One of the most important people behind the scenes is Leah McHenry. And I've never thanked her. I should be ashamed of myself.
Without her encouragement over the last 6 years, you wouldn't even be reading this blog.
Six years ago, I was defeated. My music was going nowhere. I gained weight. My singing was horrible. My guitar playing was substandard. My writing was mediocre at best.
But Leah encouraged me to think differently about music. She said most musicians don't invest in the right things. She said we invest in gear and other things, but we don't invest in business or entrepreneurial education. And she was right. If we treat our music as a commodity, an asset, we could learn how to solve problems with it. And with those problems solved, a market begins.
Once I got to that point, I began to see my music more critically. Would it be something I would buy six years ago? No! If you ever went back and listened to my tracks even as much as decade ago, you'd see just how much improvement I needed. I needed to learn how to write, play, sing, record, mix, master and produce as much as I could so I understood the entire artistic process. But I also needed to plan my business, learn how to manage my time, and stay focused on developing a relationship with you, my fans.
So, I spent the money on entrepreneurial education and critical listening (hi, Rick Beato), just as I did with my engineering degrees. All of it well worth the money.
Thanks to Leah's advice, folks in the UK are now taking up interest in my music. And I'm very grateful she gave me insight in the music market I would've otherwise missed.
Have you ever heard of Leah McHenry? Probably not, unless you're into Vikings. Leah's music is best described as Heavy Metal Enya. While I'm not a huge fan of her music per se, I greatly appreciate her music business savvy. And I respect the fact that she makes a six figure income off of her sales. For that matter, any one making six figures from music is worth listening to.
So for this Thanksgiving, I thank you, Leah McHenry, for giving me the education I needed to value continuing education in all its forms.
Also thanks to all of the other folks who've helped me improve. And also a very special thanks to you, my fans. Have a wonderful holiday.
Russ
#BeachRock RussMainesMusic.com