Music Administrative Resources

    • 100% Ownership – The First Key to Leadership
      this class delves into the first foundation of Leadership – taking responsibility for your outcomes – all of them. Blaming others, or even ourselves, for unwanted and undesirable outcomes is a way of life in our society. What you may not realize is the tremendous loss this way of thinking creates – loss of ...
    • 2 Lessons from American Idol – Top 11
      In last week’s episodes, I felt there were 2 themes worth exploring. The first has to do with the choices the Contestants were making – and you’re making as an artist whenever you create.
    • 2 Lessons from American Idol – Top 12
      The format of American Idol requires artists to create cover versions of other people’s music. This is only slightly artificial as many independent artists perform songs written by someone else. And so, the ability to take a song written by someone else and make it your own is a critical skill for your success in ...
    • 2 Lessons from American Idol – Top 7
      Got behind in my blogging again – here are the two lessons from American Idol – Top 7. In Idol 7 – Alicia Keys was the Mentor and she talked about how she intended to help the contestants find out what they’re made of. And that “Idol Gives Back” will help them ...
    • 2 Lessons From American Idol – Top 8 Male Semifinalists
      In Wednesday’s American Idol episode there two lessons that can help you be successful as a performing musician or artist.
    • 2 More Reasons You Fail to Achieve Your Goals
      I came across a great blog post at dumblittleman.com, entitled – 4 Reasons You Fail to Achieve Your Goals. And I’d like to add two more:
    • 3 Lessons from American Idol – Top 10
      This was a very juicy week for Lessons from American Idol! The first 2 lessons were pretty clearly expressed by Usher in his role as mentor. I have to say, I think Usher is my favorite American Idol Mentor so far! He wasn’t just interested in the arrangement, he really gave the Contestants constructive and immediately ...
    • 3 Lessons from American Idol – Top 24
      For Season 9, I will be commenting on AI every week, so I’ll catch up shortly. I’m sure many blogs will be talking about this – but I will be looking at what lessons a music business professional can learn about how to create success promoting your career and your music.
    • 3 Lessons from American Idol – Top 8 Female Semifinalists
      In last night’s episode of American Idol, I saw a few themes that you can apply to your musical performance.
    • 3×5 Contact Management System
      Back in the good old days, before such things as computerized contact management systems, salesmen created a physical contact management system.  I learned this system many years ago, while working in the Network Marketing world.  For those of you who prefer the tactile sensation of a physical contact management system, but are finding that just ...
    • 5-Year Plan: Got Goals? Get a Plan
      Why would you go on this journey – your life’s journey – without a plan? In this hands-on session, we’ll work through the 5 steps to a 5-Year Plan. You’ll find that creating your life’s Plan isn’t so hard or complicated after all! And you will walk away with a real-world plan for your ...
    • 7 Lessons from American Idol – Top 16 Results
      In the writing of this blog series – I will not be commenting on who stays and who is voted off, no matter how tempted I may be. My purpose in writing this blog is to help you in your serious pursuit of success doing what you love.
    • 7 Secrets to Get Booked on Corporate Stages with Tiamo De Vettori
      At the Artists Marketing & Business Academy, we’re all about making a prosperous and sustainable living doing what you love. Are you sick and tired of playing small gigs that pay you next to nothing for your musical talent? What if you could play on huge stages in front of hundreds, if not thousands of ...
    • A Call to Responsibility; A Call to Action
      The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
    • Alternative Marketing for Visual Artists Presented by Art Business Consultant and Coach, Martha Zlatar
      Mainstream art galleries are not the only way to sell your artwork. Actually most successful visual artists do not make the majority of their sales from galleries. Designed specifically for visual and spatial artists, this workshop will get you thinking outside of the gallery so you can find alternative spaces for your artwork.
    • An Act of Willpower – the Process of Perseverance
      The skill of applying your will to your choices consistently is critical to making your systems work (including, time management, organization, marketing) and creating consistent and sustainable success. Start developing your will power today!
    • An Idea is Only as Good as the Implementation
      What is implementation? im·ple·men·ta·tion /impləmənˈtāSH(ə)n/ (noun) the process of putting a decision or plan into effect; execution. As a creative business owner who loves what you do, you are probably inundated with great ideas every day. You probably get them in the shower, as you’re driving, while you’re sweating on the treadmill. But how many of those great ...
    • An Open Letter to LunarPages
      or Why I Recommend Against Using LunarPages to Host Your Website The last 2 months have been a virtual hell for me (pun completely intended).  Sometime in the middle of May, I started noticing real problems with my website.  I was in the midst of doing a lot of content creation and tweeking to the big ...
    • Are Goals Really Necessary?
      I was having a conversation with a client the other day.  He’s an engineer and is always working on cutting edge, invention type stuff.  He said that setting goals doesn’t work in this type of  design.  Because when you are inventing something for the first time, you don’t really know what you’re going to end ...
    • Ask for Help – the 3rd Key to Maintaining Focus
      In the 1st Key, we looked at the big list, and in the 2nd Key, took everything off the plate that we could using the first 3 of the 4 D’s from Julie Morgenstern’s Time Management from the Inside Out: Delete Delay Diminish Delegate The 3rd Key is all about delegating.  It’s about taking the things that you’ve got left ...
    • Ask the Organizer
      During the course of a given day, think about how many different ways you might be distracted from the tasks you have in front of you – a notification pops up in the corner of your screen letting you know you have a new email, your phone vibrates to let you know you received a ...
    • Ask The Organizer – An Interview with Joshua Zerkel, Certified Professional Organizer
      Do you ever have trouble getting – or staying – organized? If so, you’re not alone – organizing your space, managing your time, and keeping track of your information can get pretty overwhelming. In this open forum Q&A call, members got answers to their most challenging organizing questions, problems and conundrums from Joshua Zerkel of ...
    • Attitude of Gratitude Or How to Handle Rejection and the Other Hard Stuff!
      Hard stuff happens – rejection, loss, having to learn new stuff, overwhelm – you know, hard stuff. We know from the Law of Attraction that what you focus on expands and what you expect you get. So how do you put the hard stuff into a context that creates and expands the good ...
    • Attitude of Gratitude or How to Handle the Hard Stuff
      Everywhere you look, there’s bad news. Bad news in the world, bad news on the job front, bad news. And to make it worse it’s cold out, and gets dark early. Could actually get a girl down.
    • Attract Success
      Why does Visioning work? Why do some people just seem to magically get what they want? Why is it that sometimes things just seem to flow into your life with ease, and other times, it’s like you’re slogging through mud? It’s all about the Law of Attraction! The fundamental principles of the Law of Attraction are ...
    • Booking Strategies, An Interview with Jeri Goldstein
      This month we interview Jeri Goldstein, author of How to Be Your Own Booking Agent: The Musician’s & Performing Artist’s Guide to Successful Touring. In the call, Jeri will help to make the dreaded task of promoting yourself easier, less stressful, and more productive, for musicians and non-musicians alike.
    • Boundaries – The Key to Time Management Sanity
      Do you know what your boundaries are?  Most of us have some vague notion of what a boundary is and how it feels when someone has crossed our boundaries. But what are they really? Boundary – Something that indicates bounds or limits; a limiting or bounding line. Dictionary.com In the context of time management, your boundaries can have ...
    • Branding 101
      What is branding? Branding is a fundamental marketing concept that is often misunderstood by business owners. According to Wikipedia: “A brand is a “Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s good or service as distinct from those of other sellers.” Branding began as a way to tell one person’s cattle from another by ...
    • Business Management for the Creative Mind
      How many times have you thought to yourself, “I’m creative! I’m just no good at business!” In this dynamic, interactive workshop, I’ll dispel this myth and help you identify and apply your unique talents to create a successful business without sacrificing your creativity or your integrity. Whether you’re freelance, self-employed or working ...
    • Business Management for the Creative Mind Or How to Run Your Art/Music Business
      How many times have you thought to yourself — I’m an Artist. I’m just no good at business! In this dynamic, interactive workshop, I’ll dispel this myth and help you identify and apply your unique talents to create a successful business without sacrificing your art or your integrity.
    • Choose a Theme for the New Year
      This time of year you hear a lot of talk about New Year’s Resolutions. Do they work? Don’t they? Everyone has a theory. I’ve written about methods I recommend for creating a successful New Year’s Resolution in the past. And, of course, I’ve written a ton about setting goals and creating plans. But this year, I’m ...
    • Clear the Plate – the 2nd Key to Maintaining Focus
      In the first installment of this series we created a big brainstorm list of all the stuff that makes up the chaos.  Just to remind you of the overview: 5 Keys to Manage Chaos Acknowledge the reality of your current circumstances Take everything off the plate that you can Ask for help Manage your emotions and thoughts through the experience Get ...
    • Clearing the Space – A Focusing Tool
      During extremely busy times, times of emotional turmoil and major change, you may also find it difficult to focus on what you’re doing because your mind is cluttered with all the other stuff that’s going on. This is a process that I use with my private clients to create focus. I learned this in Coaching ...
    • Confidence
      Confidence, as an issue, comes up for my clients, in one form or another, on an almost daily basis.  Over the years, I’ve worked with them to build their confidence and spent a lot of time reading, thinking and studying the issue. I’ve observed that those who struggle with confidence can get a boost when something ...
    • Confidence
      Believing that confidence is something that you have, something you can get, something someone else can give you – that is a misunderstanding. Confidence is defined as: a feeling or consciousness of one’s powers. If you believe in your own power and ability, you will FEEL confident. Confidence is an emotion. It is an emotion that is ...
    • Copyright and Trademark Basics an Interview with Jeff Fabian
      Trademark and copyright protection are fundamental components of a sound business strategy for all artists and professionals in the Music Business, Visual Arts or Film and Television Industry. But do we have to be lawyers to understand the basics? Jeff Fabian says “NO!” and he is going to going to prove it to us in ...
    • Create and Maintain Your Team
      Are you sick of doing it all alone, but the idea of delegating to someone else overwhelms or confuses you? Do you have people working for/with you – agents, managers, assistants, web designers, etc. – but you’re unsure how to work with them? Or even worse, you feel like you’re working for them, not ...
    • Create Your Reality
      Every morning, I like to start the day by creating a context for the day. Some people think of these as affirmations, but that’s not quite what I mean. I mean that I decide what my perspective is for the day. What’s my paradigm? How am I going to perceive my ...
    • Creating Your Niche – A Conversation with Nancy Moran
      Everybody says you have to have a niche. But how do you create a unique and profitable niche that suits you? In this month’s Interview with an Expert, we’ll be interviewing successful performer Nancy Moran. We are talking with Nancy about niche marketing – one of her favorite topics. We’ll examine some real-life case studies of musicians ...
    • Creation of a Successful Year
      At the end of every year, usually between Christmas and New Years, I take a few hours to powerfully envision and create my new year with confidence and intention. In this class I will walk you through my process. I’ve found this process clears the slate and allows me to step powerfully into the ...
    • Creator’s Block
      Whether you are writing words, writing songs, painting, taking photographs, sculpting, designing jewelry or in any way creating on a regular basis, creator’s block can happen. So, in this month’s newsletter, I’m going to look at creator’s block, give you an overview of possible causes (which I’ll be writing more about in my ...
    • Debra Recommends 1ShoppingCart
      But if you’re like me and you want something that requires very little programming to customize the look and feel. And a system that offers all the bells and whistles you want and need from your shopping cart – this is a great solution!
    • Debra Recommends A Cure for the Common Life
      The Cardinal Rules of Self-Esteem by Catherine Cardinal, PhD This book, originally titled the Ten Commandments of Self-Esteem was written by my dear friend, Catherine.   Going beyond what we already know about self-esteem, she offers simple, clear steps that will lead you into the life you deserve. From Amazon.com: A CURE FOR THE COMMON LIFE: THE CARDINAL RULES OF ...
    • Debra Recommends AFM: American Federation of Musicians
      Everyday the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada helps thousands of musicians just like you.
    • Debra Recommends All You Need To Know About the Music Business
      An entertainment lawyer whose clients include many from the top of the music charts, Passman has written a book that sets out to give musicians, performers, and songwriters the tools to hire advisers, market their careers, protect their creative works, and generally cope with a complex industry in a state of flux.
    • Debra Recommends Ann Evanston – Social Networking Coaching Club
      Debra Russell, of Artist’s EDGE, recommends Ann and her Social Networking Coaching Club! She is committed to teaching the strategies and tactics to successful social networking to grow your business, increase traffic, and generate revenue!
    • Debra Recommends Ariel Publicity and Cyber PR
      Since meeting Ariel Hyatt from Cyber PR in 2009, we have become good friends.  I was honored to participate on a Panel at the TAXI Road Rally that she moderated.  (Pictured left to right, Dean Krippaehne, Vikki Flawith, Ariel Hyatt, Derek Sivers, and me, Debra Russell) I was very impressed by her knowledge and presence and ...
    • Debra Recommends Ask and It is Given – How to Use the Law of Attraction
      I often use exercises in this book for both my own work and in session with clients. Here is the review from Amazon:
    • Debra Recommends Audio Acrobat – Easy Audio!
      Create Audio for your website, record teleclasses, testimonials, podcasts – quickly, easily, and inexpensively. No equipment to buy. No special skills necessary. I’ve built my entire membership site based on this tool!
    • Debra Recommends Audition
      I studied with Michael Shurtleff for 2 years when I was acting in NYC, in the 80’s. In my opinion, this book solidifies in very simple terms the choices an actor must make in order to create a believable character. What’s so beautiful about this, is it enables you to make those choices ...
    • Debra Recommends AWeber – Email Marketing at it’s Best
      AWeber is a supercharged email marketing tool. Priced competitively, it allows for more targeted marketing than some of the other tools I’ve recommended.
    • Debra Recommends BackStage Magazine
      For 48 years, Back Stage has been the most trusted place for actors to find performing arts and casting information.
    • Debra Recommends Blogwild! – Key to a Successful Business Blog
      The world seems to have gone blogwild. More and more personal blogs appear every day, and businesses large and small are realizing that blogging can be a dynamite sales, marketing, and communications tool. Blogs are cheap to set up and operate, and they can humanize a company’s image, start the buzz on a new product, ...
    • Debra Recommends Blue Ocean Strategy
      Kim and Mauborgne’s blue ocean metaphor elegantly summarizes their vision of the kind of expanding, competitor-free markets that innovative companies can navigate. Unlike “red oceans,” which are well explored and crowded with competitors, “blue oceans” represent “untapped market space” and the “opportunity for highly profitable growth.”
    • Debra Recommends Bob Baker – The Buzz Factor
      Bob Baker is an author, musician, and workshop leader who is dedicated to helping musicians, authors, and creative people of all kinds get exposure, connect with fans, and increase their incomes through their artistic passions. Bob’s books include “Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook,” “Unleash the Artist Within,” “Branding Yourself Online,” “Self-Publishing Success Secrets,” and more. I was ...
    • Debra Recommends Book Yourself Solid
      I use many of Michael’s stratagies in my own coaching business.
    • Debra Recommends CardScan
      I have been using a CardScan scanner for 5 years, and it’s saved me literally hundreds of hours. I gather business cards where ever I go. And these cards used to sit in piles on my desk. Now, in a jif, I scan them into a database, add them to my newsletter ...
    • Debra Recommends Cashflow Quadrant
      This brilliant look at the four kinds of business people had a significant impact in how I think about myself and my business as well as what I teach in Business Management for the Creative Mind
    • Debra Recommends Concerts in Your Home
      Fran Snyder has created a great resource for musicians who are looking to perform in house concert venues as well as home-owners who are interested in creating wonderful events in their homes.
    • Debra Recommends Constant Contact – Email Marketing
      Constant Contact’s leading email marketing and online survey tools—supported by its expert personal coaching and support—help all types of small businesses and organizations create professional-looking email newsletters and insightful online surveys and begin a dialogue with their customers.
    • Debra Recommends Daylite – More than CRM for Mac
      So, first let me say – I am not a Mac user.  However, I have a lot of clients who are, and so I have been looking for a CRM solution for my Mac clients.  One of my clients brought me this product and he is thrilled with it.  So, I wanted to pass it ...
    • Debra Recommends Directors Guild of America
      Today, through the collective voice of more than 14,000 members that the DGA represents, the Guild seeks to protect directorial teams’ legal and artistic rights, contend for their creative freedom, and strengthen their ability to develop meaningful and credible careers.
    • Debra Recommends Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ
      Much of my work with private clients and in my Success Skills classes for the Membership are based on the concepts explained in this seminal work.
    • Debra Recommends Feng Shui for Dummies
      What I love about this book is it takes a system shrouded in mystery and woo-woo and gives the reader a pragmatic and usable understanding so you can apply this to your own space.
    • Debra Recommends Folk Alliance International
      Since 1989, the North American Folk Alliance has served as the headquarters for Folk Music and Dance. With over 2000 members worldwide and an annual conference that is one of the five largest music conferences in North America, Folk Alliance continues to grow and mature while providing a unique range of member services to the ...
    • Debra Recommends Folk Venue List Serve
      A list serve for folk venue promoters – primarily a place for them to discuss amongst themselves the issues that they face as venues. This is NOT a good place to promote your act – but is useful for market research.
    • Debra Recommends FOLKDJ List Serve
      FOLKDJ-L is an electronic discussion group for DJs and other people interested in all folk-based music (bluegrass, old-time, traditional balladry, traditional international music, singer-songwriters, etc.) on the radio. It is primarily a place where DJ’s post their play lists.
    • Debra Recommends Google Apps for Business
      Google Applications is a web 2.o solution for email, calendar and more. I’ve been using it for my business for about 9 months now and I’ve been very happy so far. I was using Microsoft Outlook, but when I would search for an email it would literally take 5-10 minutes. And with ...
    • Debra Recommends Guide to Releasing Independent Records
      Ask any major label A&R rep and they’ll tell you: the best way to develop your music career is to release your own record. What they won’t tell you is how to make your release a success
    • Debra Recommends How to Be Your Own Booking Agent
      This book will get you on the road, making more money, booking better gigs, with more press while playing to larger audiences.
    • Debra Recommends I Am A Professional Artist
      My dear friend, Gilli Moon, brings a level of reality to this topic filled with illusions and lies. And she does it with great humor and compassion. A fellow TAXI Road Rally speaker, she created Songsalive! and several other resources for musicians. I’ve also interviewed her for the Artist’s EDGE Membership.
    • Debra Recommends ifanz
      ifanz is a very cool resource originally developed for musicians, but really applicable for creative professionals in all walks of life who are building their career by building their relationship with their fans.  More than just a database and newsletter management tool, it also offers one-stop shopping for many of the needs of the small ...
    • Debra Recommends Independent Film Project
      Currently, IFP represents a network of 10,000 filmmakers in New York City and around the world. Through its workshops, seminars, conferences, mentorships, and Filmmaker Magazine, IFP schools its members in the art, technology, and business of independent filmmaking
    • Debra Recommends International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees
      IATSE is a union of professional stagehands, motion picture technicans, and allied crafts. Different locals of the IATSE have their own web-sites and contact pages. Do a Google search for the Union you’re interested in.
    • Debra Recommends John Braheny
      John Braheny is in demand as a top consultant for songwriters, performers and industry entrepreneurs.
    • Debra Recommends LaTour de Force Productions
      Professional Performance Reel Production Latour de Force Productions will take your footage and help choose your scenes in a fashion that will best represent you, while being consistent with your brand! They custom design your reel, and make it fun to watch – with titles, captions, transitions, and music. They also apply basic color and sound ...
    • Debra Recommends Local 1000 American Federation of Musicians
      Local 1000 was created by and for traveling musicians. No matter where you live in Canada or the U.S., if you tour on the folk, bluegrass and acoustic music circuit, Local 1000 is for you,
    • Debra Recommends MasterWriter – Thesaurus on Steroids!
      Masterwriter is on SALE – Discounted Price – $199 MasterWriter 2.0 is the most powerful suite of songwriting tools ever assembled in one program. This revolutionary new software won Best of Show at MacWorld Expo and has received rave reviews in every major music magazine. MasterWriter is endorsed by ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, NSAI and is ...
    • Debra Recommends Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life
      Karen is a friend of mine – and she’s sure helped me with a few of my Feng Shui challenges!
    • Debra Recommends Music XRay
      I have recently been listed as an expert – under career coaching for Music Xray. Music Xray is a resource for both musicians, composers and the buyers of music to connect in a professional and transparent environment.  Music industry professionals use Music Xray as the preferred, direct and transparent method for interacting with artists. Music Xray is ...
    • Debra Recommends Music, Money and Success
      The Insider’s Guide to Making Money in the Music Industry by Jeffrey Brabec and Todd Brabec My friends, Jeff and Todd, have written a comprehensive and incredibly informative book about the world of music licensing. From Amazon: The music and entertainment business means money for songwriters, composers, recording artists, musicians, music publishers and record companies. Whether it’s videogames, worldwide ...
    • Debra Recommends National Writers Union
      The National Writers Union is the trade union for freelance and contract writers: journalists, book authors, business and technical writers, web content providers, and poets
    • Debra Recommends Ning – Create Your Social Network
      Ning.com is a very cool thing!  Ning lets you create your own social network and/or join others. Based in Palo Alto, Calif., Ning offers an easy-to-use technology platform enabling you to create and join Ning Networks for your interests and passions. With over 1.3 million Ning social networks created and more than 30 million registered members, millions ...
    • Debra Recommends Organizing From the Inside Out
      The Foolproof System For Organizing Your Home, Your Office and Your Life by Julie Morgenstern I loved this book! I became so much better at managing my space which has freed up time and energy for other things. Amazon says: It’s about time! Julie Morgenstern has written an organizing book that covers a new way of looking at the ...
    • Debra Recommends Patrick Schwerdtfeger Internet Marketing Expert
      I met Patrick in 2006 through his San Francisco Bay Area Meetup – The Entrepreneur and Small Business Academy.  I am tremendously impressed with his vast knowledge of marketing on the internet, SEO and social media marketing. Patrick is, frankly, a self-described geek and ridiculously passionate about all things internet marketing.  And he has a way ...
    • Debra Recommends Poets & Writers
      Poets & Writers, Inc. is the primary source of information, support, and guidance for creative writers. Founded in 1970, it is the nation’s largest nonprofit literary organization serving poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers. Their national office is located in New York City and California branch office is based in Los Angeles.
    • Debra Recommends Rich Dad, Poor Dad
      What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money–That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! by Robert Kiyosaki I loved this book. It made me take a good hard look at my relationship with money, but even more so, how I thought about my business. Amazon.com: Rich Dad, Poor Dad chronicles the story of the authors two dads, his ...
    • Debra Recommends Ruthless Self-Promotion in the Music Industry
      by Jeffrey Fisher Product Description from Amazon.com Despite the ever-changing nature of the music industry, one constant remains: you must become a ruthless promotion fanatic to achieve success. There are no quick fixes or shortcuts to fame and fortune in the music business. But if you truly desire success and are dedicated to putting your time, energy, ...
    • Debra Recommends Screen Actors Guild
      Screen Actors Guild is the most distinguished performer’s union in the world. Their members are experienced professionals who require certain standards of working conditions, compensation and benefits. Membership is often a major milestone in an actor’s career; every SAG card issued symbolizes success and solidarity with a community of 120,000 talented and accomplished artists ...
    • Debra Recommends Secrets of the Millionaire Mind
      “You can have all the knowledge and skills in the world, but if your “blueprint” isn’t set for success, you’re financially doomed.” –T. Harv Eker I want to take this opportunity to introduce you to T. Harv Eker. He is a bestselling author and one of the world’s top trainers. His newest book, Secrets of the Millionaire ...
    • Debra Recommends Session Singing In Hollywood
      Kick-start your Music career the right way with Session Singing in Hollywood.The information in this e-book is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars of potential income in the music business! This e-book is a gold mine of information.
    • Debra Recommends Songsalive
      Since 1997, Songsalive! is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to the nurturing, support, promotion and education of songwriters and composers worldwide. Founded in 1997, by Gilli Moon and Roxanne Kiely in Sydney, Australia,  Songsalive! is run by volunteer songwriters for songwriters and has reached the far corners of the globe with over 25 chapters worldwide. ...
    • Debra Recommends Songwriting with Jason Blume
      Fellow TAXI Drivers Ed Faculty -I often talk about getting feedback from qualified experts – and Jason certainly is that! Songwriting tutor and cross-genre hit maker Jason Blume recently celebrated ten years of BMI-sponsored workshops and seminars. Since the BMI Songwriters’ Workshop inception in 1997, Blume has mentored more than 6,000 aspiring songwriters from at least ...
    • Debra Recommends Songwriting with Steve Seskin
      I’ve known Steve Seskin for several years as we are both speakers on the Music Conference circuit.  Steve is renowned as one of the best songwriting craftsman around and you can learn tons about the art and craft of songwriting from him.  He can teach you how to make your songs good and then how ...
    • Debra Recommends T-Tapp – The Easy Way to Get in Shape!
      I started using the T-Tapp rehab program after I had been bedridden for several years with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It was the first form of exercise that did not cause me to relapse. I found myself with more energy and better balance. And I began to see my stomach muscles again!
    • Debra Recommends Taming Your Gremlin
      A Surprisingly Simple Method for Getting Out of Your Own Way by Rick Carson From Amazon.com: This is a completely updated edition of the 1983 classic that introduced a powerful method for gaining freedom from self-defeating behaviors and beliefs. Rick Carson, creator of the renowned Gremlin-Taming Method, has revised the book to include fresh interactive activities, real-life vignettes ...
    • Debra Recommends TAXI
      I’ve been working with TAXI as a speaker for the yearly conference, the Road Rally, since 2005.  I’ve come to know many TAXI Members, as well as Michael Laskow and the other staff who tirelessly work to help their members create a prosperous living doing what they love. I can without hesitation recommend TAXI Membership to ...
    • Debra Recommends The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom
      Practical and Spiritual Steps So You Can Stop Worrying by Suze Orman When Suze Orman was 13 she watched her father dive into the flames of his burning take-out chicken shack in order to rescue his cash register. In that moment Orman learned that money was more important than life itself. And so it became her quest ...
    • Debra Recommends The ABC’s of Building a Business Team That Wins
      Great champions in sports, business and even families have one thing in common. It’s a legitimate secret weapon. It is something that lies deep in the genetic code of winning organizations. It appears when pressure is high, when the stakes are critical and when everything is on the line. They know how to work as ...
    • Debra Recommends The Artist’s Way – How to Recover Your Creativity
      Working through the Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron got me through one of the most challenging times of my life – dealing with a 10 year bout of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. And later, leading Artist’s Way groups led me to coaching – the most satisfying career of my dreams!
    • Debra Recommends The E-Myth Revisited
      The brilliance of Gerber’s approach to systematizing your business has made a significant difference in my success and the success of my clients.
    • Debra Recommends The Law of Attraction
      This book has had a profound affect on my experience of my world. Ironically enough, much of my growth around this area started with Seth Speaks which I read around the same time that Esther Hicks discovered it. Having lived in Sedona I have a healthy mistrust of things woo-woo – but I’ve personally ...
    • Debra Recommends The Magic of Thinking Big
      I recommend this book with one caveat. I’ve seen clients mistake fantasy for goals. Setting goals to make $10,000/month from their music in 3 months when they’re currently barely pulling in $50 a week from their music. Yes – it is key to think big. And it’s also important to make ...
    • Debra Recommends The One Minute Manager
      by Kenneth H. Blanchard and Spencer Johnson For more than twenty years, millions of managers in Fortune 500 companies and small businesses nationwide have followed The One Minute Manager’s techniques, thus increasing their productivity, job satisfaction, and personal prosperity. These very real results were achieved through learning the management techniques that spell profitability for the organization ...
    • Debra Recommends The One Page Business Plan
      for the Creative Entrepreneur by James T. Horan, Jr. I met Jim Horan when he came to speak to the Entrepreneur and Small Business Academy Meetup.  I very much enjoyed his whole approach to this most daunting of subjects. I often recommend this book to my clients. The product description on Amazon.com was perfect for this book – ...
    • Debra Recommends The Power of Focusing
      A Practical Guide to Emotional Self-Healing by Ann Weiser Cornell, Ph.D. I’ve been personally using these techniques for my own inner work for about 8 years.  And I use these techniques on a regular basis with my private coaching clients.  I find that “focusing” increases emotional intelligence, access to your intuition and a deeper understanding of what ...
    • Debra Recommends The Success Principles
      How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be by Jack Canfield and Janet Switzer From Jack’s Website: Jack Canfield, co-creator of the phenomenal bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul® series, turns to the principles he’s studied, taught and lived for more than 30 years in this practical and inspiring guide that will help ...
    • Debra Recommends Time Management From the Inside Out
      The Foolproof System for Taking Control of Your Schedule–and Your Life by Julie Morgenstern I use this book as my “text” when working with private clients on time management issues. I’ve also used this book and Julie’s methods extensively creating my own time management structures. It’s absolutely brilliant! From Amazon.com: Those who fear “time management” because they worry about ...
    • Debra Recommends Turning Passions Into Profits
      Turning Passions Into Profits – 3 Steps to Wealth & Power by Christopher Howard This is a book by my NLP and Hypnosis teacher.  What surprised me about this book was what it wasn’t.  It wasn’t another “follow your bliss” woo-woo book.  And it wasn’t a “Business” book.  It is a concrete instruction manual to use other people’s ...
    • Debra Recommends USPS Media Mail
      Send your printed or recorded material using this service. Media Mail® service is a cost efficient way to mail books, sound recordings, recorded video tapes, printed music, and recorded computer-readable media (such as CDs, DVDs, and diskettes).
    • Debra Recommends Women in Film
      WIF recognizes the importance of developing pathways and opportunities to encourage current and future generations of women to explore and pursue careers in all fields of the entertainment industry. WIF actively supports women in the entertainment industry in four key ways:
    • Debra Recommends Writers Guild of America
      The Writers Guild of America is a labor union wga-logo-east composed of the thousands of writers who write the television shows, movies, news programs, documentaries, animation, CD-ROMs, and content for new-media technologies that keep audiences constantly entertained and informed.
    • Debra Russell Recommends Indie Band Manager
      My friend, Charlie Cheney, designed this system based on filemaker Pro for his own career in music.  But when he saw how many musicians, agents and other professionals in the music industry needed this product, he made it available to the public. This program is a comprehensive contact management, booking and tour management system. And I have ...
    • Debra Russell Recommends ReverbNation
      I’ve been hearing nothing but great buzz about ReverbNation as a one stop shop for contact management and social networking for your music business. Here’s what they say on their website: ReverbNation.com is a Music 2.0 company that is responding to the changing music business paradigm. We provide innovative marketing solutions that musicians need to compete, cooperate, ...
    • Debra Russell Recommends Selfgrowth.com
      SelfGrowth.com is the most complete guide to information about Self -Improvement, Personal Growth and Self Help on the Internet. It is designed to be an organized directory, with articles and references to thousands of other Web Sites on the World Wide Web. Check out: http://www.selfgrowth.com Save Save
    • Debra Russell Recommends The Hollywood Reporter
      The Hollywood Reporter began as the entertainment industry’s first daily trade paper in Hollywood.
    • Debra Russell Recommends The Power of Full Engagement
      Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz These concepts have helped me tremendously in building a real balance between achievement and nourishing myself into my time management structures. With the understanding that nourishing myself is what enables me to reach peak performance – many of ...
    • Don’t be a Needy Artist
      Over the past few years, since I started doing the Ask Coach Debra Calls and being more active on Twitter and Facebook, I’ve had many encounters that go something like this:
    • Embrace Your Unique Voice as an Artist
      This is primarily directed to artists, but really, it applies to all of us.  Being a unique voice in a world that values sameness can be a rough row to hoe.  As children, we’re taught, encouraged, sometimes even bludgeoned and beaten into sameness.  Don’t be too loud.  Don’t show how smart you are.  Don’t blow ...
    • Emotional Intelligence – A Critical Skill for Success
      According to Daniel Goleman, “…people who are emotionally adept … are at an advantage at any domain in life … are more likely to be content and effective in their lives, mastering the habits of mind that foster their own productivity…” The ability to handle your emotions will affect how you respond to adversity and rejection, ...
    • Facebook Promotion Etiquette
      In the last week, 2 people have gone onto my Facebook Pages – Debra Russell and Artists Marketing & Business Academy – and posted that I should check out their Facebook Page or ReverbNation Page. And my first reaction was – wow, that’s rude.
    • Fear of Success or Fear of Failure?
      What’s stopping you?  Do you know? What blocks you from pursuing your dreams with all that you have, all that you are, all of your might? Often when asked this question, the answer is either: Fear of Success or Fear of Failure   And often it’s even expressed as both – “Maybe it’s fear of success or failure.  I don’t know….”  Really, ...
    • FEARING PARIS
      Suppose that what you fear could be trapped and held in Paris. Then you would have the courage to go everywhere in the world. All the directions of the compass open to you, except the degrees east or west of true north that lead to Paris. Still, you wouldn’t dare put your toes smack dab on the city limit line. You’re not really willing to stand on a mountainside, miles away, and ...
    • Get Organized
      lack of organization costs in so many ways. We lose time looking for lost things. We lose energy as clutter sucks away our life force. We lose focus because each stray paper distracts us.
    • Get Organized
      Some of the greatest time management challenges aren’t about time; it’s a lack of organization! Some of the greatest financial challenges have nothing to do with money; it, too, is a lack of organization! And relationship issues? Don’t get me started!
    • Get the Learning – the 5th Key to Maintaining Focus in the Face of Chaos
      As I teach in How to Use Feedback and Criticism Constructively, every experience is fodder for growth and development, if you are willing to get the learning. Assessing and adjusting as you go will make you more successful, because the ability to be flexible and adapt to changing conditions is a key success principle. So, ...
    • Goals – What Are They Good For?
      I’ve been reading Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, by Daniel H. Pink.  I expect I’ll be writing an article about Motivation when I’m done with it.  But while the book does question the value of setting goals, I am still a big fan of them.  In Drive, the studies seem to discount ...
    • Goals and Actions and Strategies – Oh, MY!
      I was on the TAXI Forum and I came upon this thread “Post your Goals after attending the Rally” (the yearly conference for TAXI Members). While reading through people’s responses to the question, I noticed that most posts were a combination of goals, actions and strategies, with the posters conflating their intended actions, strategies and ...
    • Goals and Success
      In my practice I come across a lot of artists with big dreams. Whether it’s a Grammy Award Winning music career, winning an Oscar or getting a show at MOMA, we dream of a level of success, recognition and income for our creative efforts. It’s human nature to dream of success, however you ...
    • Goals That Get Results
      Goal setting is a skill critical to creating success in any area of your life. But expressing what you want in your life in a goal that really works can be a complex and challenging process.
    • How to Build Your List with Elizabeth Edwards
      List Building might not be the sexy topic that Social Media is however “The List” is a key ingredient to the success of your business. Independent artist and small labels alike need a large list of raving fans if they want to be successful.
    • How to Create a Fanbase From Scratch
      Back in February, I interviewed Ariel Hyatt about how to create a successful crowd funding campaign. The first thing you need to build a successful crowdfunding campaign is, well, a CROWD! It seems obvious, I know – and yet you’d be shocked how often I get this question from people who have 150 names on their email ...
    • How to Create a Values-Based Career
      We hear the term battered around, but do you really know what your values are? Values are what you, personally, consider to be really and truly important. And here’s the challenge – this is completely subjective and often completely unconscious.
    • How to Create a Values-Based Career
      What does that mean, really? We talk a lot about values, family values, good values – whatever. But do you really know what your values are – consciously? And how exactly do they affect your career choices and path? Your values are the basis of your self-esteem, self-confidence and how you ...
    • How to Create Buzz and Stimulate Word-of-Mouth Marketing, An Interview with Bob Baker
      On this call, author and speaker Bob Baker dissected and examined buzz and the elusive qualities that create ideas that spread.
    • How to Create Focus
      At any given moment, on any given day, the average person is thinking about 14 different things – Does that sound familiar? Between the Day Job (for many Artists), family, your personal needs (such as exercise), and your ambitions for creating your business as a professional in the Arts & Entertainment Industry, life can be ...
    • How to Create Successful New Year’s Resolutions
      What Makes a Successful Resolution? Every year, people make New Year’s Resolutions – losing weight, exercising more, swearing less – all different kinds of resolutions. And usually, by about 3-4 weeks into the year, those resolutions have fallen by the wayside, to be chalked up as “Oh, well, better luck next year” (if you’re an optimist) ...
    • How to Do What you Fear
      How do you take the day-to-day actions that feal scary or hard? Here are a few tips to make it easier.
    • How to Embrace Your Unique Voice as an Artist
      As children we are taught, by our parents, our teachers, our siblings and our peers, that in order to be loved, we must blend in. We must conform our uniqueness to be “appropriate”. And its an important skill to have – to know society’s rules and be able to act accordingly with volition. But as artists, ...
    • How to Get Started on Twitter
      I’ve done several calls over the last 2 years that refer to Twitter directly or indirectly, and there have been folks on those calls who either JUST started or have not yet started their Twitter account. If this is you, what are you waiting for? Feeling overwhelmed and just don’t ...
    • How to Implement the Learning
      There is a lot to learn about how to succeed in your business – whether it’s Music, Art, Film, Dance. Here at the Artist’s Marketing & Business Academy, we strive to teach you all that you need to know to create the career of your dreams. But it’s not enough to simply learn. Knowledge without implementation ...
    • How to Integrate Social Media into Your Multiple Streams Business
      With Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Reverbnation, My Space, Youtube and on and on), you have an unprecedented opportunity to connect with, interact with and deepen your relationship with your fans, clients and customers – FOR FREE! For every artist who is taking great advantage of these tools, there are hundreds of you who are using ...
    • How to Maintain Consistent Growth and Development
      Have you ever pushed yourself out of your comfort zone?  You know, created something really different, taken a risk that felt scary and hard, pushed through a tough learning curve, talked to someone who totally intimidated you? And after that push – did you feel the almost irresistible urge to pull back to your safety zone ...
    • How to Manage Cash Flow for Your Art Business
      Do you know the number 1 reason businesses fail?  Cash Flow. Or to use business terminology, insufficient capital or operating funds. Knowing how to manage your finances (business and personal), manage your cash flow and plan your cash flow management is critical to your success. In this class Debra will show you how to take your business ...
    • How to Manage Conflicting Priorities
      In our complex, day-to-day lives, we have a multitude of priorities calling for our attention. Some call in a whisper. Others scream from the rooftops. And the soft voice of the things that we most long to accomplish is often drowned out by the fires and clamoring of these conflicting priorities. ...
    • How to Manage Your Marketing – The Contact Management System
      Marketing is creating an environment in which people feel comfortable enough to buy from you,  over and over again. Sounds like a great idea, right? But what exactly does that mean in terms of day to day actions?  And how do you systematize creating that environment? Does this sound familiar? You’ve got a pile of business cards on ...
    • How to Move Past Your Fear of Success or Failure
      Do you feel confronted by the specter of fear or success? When you start to take action to move your career forward, does it feel like you’re pushing against a wall? Or does that wall stop you dead in your tracks? This question comes up often, “How to I move past my fear of success or fear ...
    • How to Prepare for a Successful Crowd Funding Campaign, an Interview with Ariel Hyatt
      In today’s DIY Music Business, many artists are looking to crowd funding to replace the financing that a record deal used to provide. But the success rates of crowd funding efforts in the music industry are not all Amanda F. Palmer stories. It’s not the get rich quick solution to your financial woes. Luckily for us, ...
    • How to Use Feedback and Criticism Constructively
      The most successful artists (and people) have made an art of receiving and implementing feedback. But for the rest of us, feedback can be really hard to hear. It can be painful. It can trigger all of our negative beliefs both about our own worth and about the probability of our success.
    • How to Use Goals, Actions and Strategies to Craft a Plan
      In Part One of this article – Goals and Actions and Strategies – Oh, MY! – I clarified the differences between goals, actions and strategies and talked about why that is a difference that makes a difference. In this article, I’m going to explain how you can design a plan that employs all three aspects. In my ...
    • How to Write the Dreaded Business Plan
      “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” Benjamin Franklin We’ve all heard this quote, and yet, we struggle and resist against writing a business plan. For most artists and creatives, there’s the myth that the plan will cramp your creativity. But what my private clients discover over and over again, is that the plan empowers ...
    • If You Build It, They Will Come
      Or Will They? Many artists in the music industry believe that all they have to do is record a CD and their audience is sure to show up. I believe that this mythology has had a detrimental impact on the DIY musicians’ success promoting their music. So, let’s deconstruct this idea and really take ...
    • Innovate or Perish
      I am sick and tired of reading articles and blogposts that scream out “… doomsday – the sky is falling, the music industry is dead – it was killed by the internet. Blah, blah, frikkin’ blah!” Enough already!  It’s just so much crap!  The music industry isn’t dead.  IT’S CHANGED!  What’s dead are the companies that ...
    • Internet Marketing 101
      SEO! SEM! PPC! Oh My! The internet has paved the way for the Artist Entrepreneur to create your own career without waiting for the record deal, the publishing deal or anybody to “discover” you. But learning what you need to know and figuring out how to apply it to your business can quickly become overwhelming. In this ...
    • Internet Marketing and Social Media –Waste of Time or Key to Success in the New Music Business?
      The internet has paved the way for the Artist Entrepreneur to create your own career without waiting for the record deal, the publishing deal or anybody to “discover” you. But learning what you need for your business can be quickly overwhelming – do you need a website?  What should be on it?  What about Facebook?  Twitter? ...
    • Internet Marketing and the Artist Entrepreneur
      Whether you’re in music, film, dance, the visual arts or writing, the presence of the Internet has significantly changed your industry in the last 20 years. For many of the big corporations who in the past controlled your industry, these changes have been terrifying, threatening their very existence. For the artist entrepreneur, the DIY artist, the ...
    • Is Action Your Missing Piece?
      In my fifteen years as a business coach for the professionally creative and creative entrepreneurs, I’ve seen a lot of incredibly smart, very talented people struggle to bring their dreams to fruition. When I first started – I believed that this was largely due to a lack of knowledge in business fundamentals and business skills. Which ...
    • Leadership
      I believe that Leadership, or the lack thereof, underlies many if not all of the challenges that we are experiencing in today’s world. But what is Leadership?
    • Maintaining Focus in the Face of Chaos – 1st Key
      The Holiday Season can be so joyfully chaotic, can’t it?  Parties and travel and family (with all the baggage that goes with that!).  For many performers there are also holiday gigs and holiday gift promotions to promote on top of that.  It can all be so overwhelming.  So many things to do, so many demands ...
    • Maintaining Motivation
      If you want to not only create motivation in yourself, but also be able to maintain it over time, the type of reasons to do something are also critically important. When you are looking at your reasons for doing something – you want your reasons to be forward motivated, not away-from motivated.
    • Manage Your Emotions – the 4th Key to Maintaining Focus in the Face of Chaos
      Just to refresh your memory, in the 1st Key, we looked at the big list, and in the 2nd Key, took everything off the plate that we could.  In the 3rd Key we talked about getting help and delegating.  But one of the biggest problems in maintaining focus during times of chaos and stress are ...
    • Managing Conflicting Priorities
      At any given moment, on any given day, you could be doing a hundred different things, right? And at any given moment on any given day, you probably see half a dozen things that seem to be of equal urgency and priority. But you’re just one person. So how do you choose the right action?
    • Marketing 101
      Marketing is fundamental to your success. If you’re out to make a prosperous living doing what you love, it just won’t happen without marketing. Yet few artists spend much time learning this foundational set of skills.
    • Marketing for Musicians
      This is a post I put up on the FAR-West list-serve (Folk Alliance Region-West).  It got a fair bit of reaction and so I thought I’d share it with you. Warning – a bit of a rant here… And I expect I’ll be flamed, but that’s just fine with me, because one of my jobs as ...
    • Meetup.com Creating Community in Your Community
      Meetup.com was mentioned in response to a question from the March 2009 Ask Coach Debra call.  The question was about finding and/or building community with fellow artists.  I have found meetup to be an incredible tool for finding and creating community centered around common interests. I have been both a Meetup organizer with my Bay Area ...
    • Mining the Gold from Your Contacts
      This class will cover the heart of relationship marketing (pun intended). Making that initial contact with a prospective client, customer or fan is just the beginning of a long and beautiful and hopefully productive relationship. Knowing how to turn an initial contact into a relationship is a key success skill.
    • Money Management: Building Your Financial Foundation
      Many of us think our trouble with money is that we just don’t have enough. If we had more money, our problems would disappear. But the vast majority of lottery winners are broke within 3 years. The problem isn’t the money – it’s how we think about, manage, and use this essential resource. “Money is only a tool. ...
    • Motivation and Momentum – the Missing Ingredients to Effective Time Management
      The Missing Ingredients to Effective Time Management
    • Motivation and Momentum-The Missing Keys to Successful Time Management
      What is motivation, really? It is what drives your behavior. And according to the experts in the sciences of neurology and behavior – 95% of what drives our behavior as human beings is unconscious!
    • Multiple Streams of Art/Music Income
      So how do you break out of the familiar system, and build a successful business as an artist? The key is Multiple Streams of Art/Music Income. Multiple Streams of Art/Music Income is a powerful, comprehensive way to approach your business as a whole and your marketing strategy in specific.
    • Multiple Streams of Income
      I’ve been following this model in building my business and it has made a tremendous impact on my income, on my success with my clients and on how much fun I have working! While these products are primarily focused on Coaching or Service and Consulting businesses, I’ve very successfully coached my clients in the Arts and Entertainment ...
    • Multiple Streams Step 1: Niche Picking
      Designing your marketing around a Niche can enable you to have a major impact on a small budget. Since most Artists are working with a limited to non-existent marketing budget – Niche Marketing can give you a tremendous advantage over your competition.
    • Multiple Streams Step 2: Elicit Their Problems
      you chose your niche. Now that you know who you’re marketing to, the next step is to Elicit Their Problems. What does your ideal customer most NEED? WANT? DESIRE? What drives him or her?
    • Multiple Streams Step 3: Find Solutions
      In steps 1 and 2 of the Multiple Streams business model, you’ve chosen your niche and discovered their problems, needs and desires, as well as the language they particularly use to describe those things. Now that you know their problems, the next step is to explore how you are the perfect and best solution ...
    • Multiple Streams Step 4: Develop Your Product Funnel
      Most people create products haphazardly – this step was about how to use your Vision of your business and career to create products that lead your customers deeper into relationship with you and create lifelong fans.
    • Multiple Streams Step 5: Generate Traffic
      The major purpose of marketing, for any business, is to create awareness and desire for you and your product. You can have the finest quality product. But if no one knows about it – how can you create a prosperous living? This isn’t about forcing people or manipulating people. It’s about giving people ...
    • Multiple Streams Step 6: Convert Prospects
      A lot of marketing and sales programs talk about how to Drive Traffic – and we cover that critical area in Step 5.  But if all you do is get people to “Like” your Fan Page or even sign up on your email list – you will not succeed. The key to success in your business ...
    • Multiple Streams Step 7: Strengthen Relationships
      All the principles you’ve put into practice and hard work that you’ve done in the previous steps come together in this 7th Step of the Multiple Streams of Income business model. Your pink spoon and product funnel draw them deeper into relationship with you. The research you’ve done on your niche, their language and preferences and your ...
    • Multiple Streams Step 8: BOP Positioning
      The final step of the Multiple Streams of Art / Music Income process, establishing your BOP (Bold, Outrageous, Provocative) Positioning, is bigger than your Branding, or your USP (Unique Selling Proposition). Your BOP Position is about who you are and what you stand for as an artist, as a business and as a human being. What is ...
    • MUSIC INDUSTRY SECRETS – Trends in Radio Panel
      I was invited to attend this panel sponsored by ReverbNation and hosted by The Knitting Factory last week. The Panelists were: Moderator: Valerie Gurka, Marketing Director – Knitting Factory Entertainment Lynda McLaughlin Producer – Premiere Radio Networks, Founder/Partner – LYVA Music and Espresso Sounds Publishing. Liz Berg Assistant General Manager – WFMU Radio Seth Hillinger, Creative Technologist – iHeartRadio, Organizer ...
    • Music Licensing with Sarah Gavigan – An Insider’s Guide to Getting Your Music Placed in Films, TV Shows and Ads
      In these times of Music Industry upheaval and uncertainty, Music Licensing is one of the few areas of the industry that offers clear income potential to the entrepreneurial artist. I’m thrilled to have Sarah Gavigan as a guest this month, to give us an insider’s look into the Music Licensing business.   In this class you’ll discover: The range ...
    • Music Marketing in the Real World – An Interview with Michael Brandvold
      KISS, yeah the band. The guy who spits blood and sticks out his tongue. The band that wears more makeup and higher heels than your mom. What can you learn about marketing from them? KISS is alot more that just caskets and condoms. Michael Brandvold will share with Debra Russell some of the marketing lessons he learned ...
    • My Father Gave Me
      Today is my Father’s 87th birthday.  He almost made it.  He died on July 15th. I post today, my first post since his passing, in honor of his birthday. My father was a tremendous influence on my life. I can’t even begin to detail all the gifts he gave me. I was honored to give the ...
    • Niche Marketing
      YouTube highlight video of Niche Marketing workshop
    • Niche Marketing – How Thinking Small Can Payoff Big
      What is a Niche, really? And why is everybody talking about Niche Marketing? Many business owners are afraid to define their niche on the mistaken premise that they will lose business as a result. The truth is just the opposite. Designing your marketing around a Niche can enable you to have a major impact on a small budget. ...
    • Niche Marketing – How Thinking Small Can Payoff BIG!
      What is a Niche, really?  And why is everybody talking about Niche Marketing?  According to About.com a Niche Market is a narrowly defined group of potential customers.  Let me be really clear about this – Niche is not about you.  It’s not about your product or your genre.  It’s about them, your customers/clients/fans.  It’s about ...
    • No Failure – Only Feedback
      Over the last few months, I’ve been doing a series of calls for the Artists Marketing & Business Academy based on Christopher Howard’s Assumptions for Empowered Leadership. For this edition of the Words to the Wise Newsletter, I’m focusing on Assumption #9: “Only feedback – no failure; therefore utilize everything” I’ll go much deeper into how to ...
    • Opportunity Overwhelm
      I recently had a very interesting conversation with a client who called for some in-between-session support. He called because he was feeling completely stuck.  He was swamped with having so much to do, so many opportunities he could be taking advantage of, and he felt completely overwhelmed. He had no idea how to prioritize all the ...
    • Overcoming Fear
      Fear is an emotion. Courage is a skill. We will show you ways to develop the skill of courage in response to the emotion of fear … so you can move forward and achieve your desired level of success.
    • Planning for the New Year – Part Five
      Every year, I take some personal time to assess, adjust, write new goals for the New Year and make a plan for achieving those goals. I’d like to share part of this process with you – and encourage you to use it for yourself to create a powerful, prosperous and joyful 2011. I ...
    • Planning for the New Year – Part Four
      Every year, I take some personal time to assess, adjust, write new goals for the New Year and make a plan for achieving those goals. I’d like to share part of this process with you – and encourage you to use it for yourself to create a powerful, prosperous and joyful 2011. I ...
    • Planning for the New Year – Part One
      Every year, I take some personal time to assess, adjust, write new goals for the New Year and make a plan for achieving those goals. I’d like to share part of this process with you – and encourage you to use it for yourself to create a powerful, prosperous and joyful 2011. I ...
    • Planning for the New Year – Part Seven
      Every year, I take some personal time to assess, adjust, write new goals for the New Year and make a plan for achieving those goals. I’d like to share part of this process with you – and encourage you to use it for yourself to create a powerful, prosperous and joyful 2011. I ...
    • Planning for the New Year – Part Six
      Every year, I take some personal time to assess, adjust, write new goals for the New Year and make a plan for achieving those goals. I’d like to share part of this process with you – and encourage you to use it for yourself to create a powerful, prosperous and joyful 2011. I ...
    • Planning for the New Year – Part Three
      Every year, I take some personal time to assess, adjust, write new goals for the New Year and make a plan for achieving those goals. I’d like to share part of this process with you – and encourage you to use it for yourself to create a powerful, prosperous and joyful 2011. I ...
    • Planning for the New Year – Part Two
      Every year, I take some personal time to assess, adjust, write new goals for the New Year and make a plan for achieving those goals. I’d like to share part of this process with you – and encourage you to use it for yourself to create a powerful, prosperous and joyful 2011. I ...
    • PR vs. Advertising
      Small Business owners who do not have a background in marketing often confuse PR (public Relations) and advertising.  Advertising refers to a very specific thing – buying space/time in a public medium such as print, radio, TV, or billboard.  Public relations refers to everything else we do to promote ourselves and our business. Frankly, unless you’ve ...
    • Procrastination – A Closer Look
      In the August Newsletter, I wrote about procrastination and I promised to write more about it in the Artist’s EDGE Blog. And here it is 5 months later. The truth is, I’ve been procrastinating about blogging. Oh, the irony! In the Newsletter, my advice is to ask yourself, what’s really going on. So — let’s ...
    • Procrastination as Information
      When clients admit to procrastinating on an action in session, they are usually shrouded in shame and embarrassment. As if somehow they are a failure, because they’ve been procrastinating. Does this sound familiar: It feels like there’s a part of you that knows you “should” be doing this action and that part even wants to be doing ...
    • Procrastination is Keeping Me Waiting
      One of the most frequently asked question in my Ask Coach Debra calls is how to deal with procrastination. Very often we know what we need to do.  And yet somehow, we can’t get ourselves to sit down and do it! All of the Time Management structures and systems you’ve learned to create in the Time Management ...
    • Procrastination vs. Keeping My Word to Myself
      How do I get myself to do what I’m “supposed” do? So often, that’s what procrastination looks like. I’m supposed to be doing “A”, but instead I’m doing “B”. I’m supposed to get up and shower, but instead I’m cuddling with my kitty and drinking more coffee. But perhaps the problem is in the way I ...
    • Project Management – The Key to Getting Stuff Done!
      Too much to do! It all feels equally urgent! Oi – where do I start? Sound familiar? We have so many demands on us – both externally – people wanting us to get stuff done for them – and internally – fulfilling our dreams and goals. How do you manage it ...
    • Project Management – The Performance Results Description Tool
      The PRD allows you to visually link your goals to your daily activities as well as develop a working plan for how you’ll reach those goals.
    • S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Road Map to Success
      So you’ve set some goals. So now, how do you take those juicy goals from inspiring concept to real world success? In this class Debra lays out the 7-step “S.P.E.C.I.A.L.” Road Map to Success.
    • S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Step 1: Starting Point Assessment – Where Are You NOW?
      Once they’ve set a goal, most people make the mistake of jumping right into action doing the stuff they think they should.  But how can you successfully plan for a journey without knowing where you’re starting from? In any journey from Point A to Point B – identifying Point A (your starting point) will enable you ...
    • S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Step 3: Expand What’s Possible
      Step 3 of the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Roadmap to Success method for achieving your goals is “Explore all the ways to get there.”  Most people, when they Set a Goal, jump right into action doing all the things they know to do in order to achieve that goal. The problem is that they don’t know what they don’t ...
    • S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Step 4: How to Create The Plan
      Once they’ve set a goal, most people make the mistake of jumping right into action doing the stuff they think they should. Which may get them to a level of success, but more often they get stuck at that level, because they are only doing what they already know to do – And they don’t know what ...
    • S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Step 5: Implement the Plan
      GET INTO ACTION – Finally So, you’ve explored your starting point, created your vision of the ending point, explored all the ways to get there and created a plan. And now, finally, it’s time to put that plan into action! In Step 5 of the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Roadmap to Success, you implement the plan that came out of all ...
    • Self-Promotion for Performing Artists with Peter McDowell
      Not sure about how to write a press release or to approach press? Unable to move forward in promoting an upcoming live performance or CD release?
    • Setting Goals for 2011
      Every year, I take some personal time to assess, adjust, write new goals for the New Year and make a plan for achieving those goals. I’d like to share part of this process with you – and encourage you to use it for yourself to create a powerful, prosperous and joyful 2011. I hope you ...
    • Social Media – An Interview With Ariel Hyatt, CyberPR
      Twitter, My Space, Face Book, oh my! Social Media is everywhere – but what is it really? And how do you incorporate it into your smart marketing plan, efficiently and effectively? Debra interviews Ariel Hyatt from Cyber PR
    • Social Media – The Art of Engagement
      Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube – OH MY! Social Media is everywhere and it’s clear that there are some Artists and business owners in the Arts & Entertainment Industry (including the Music Business, Film Industry and Publishing) who are using it to build real world success.  But there are a lot of people who are overwhelmed and ...
    • Social Media Do’s and Don’ts
      Just read a great blog post with an overview of Do’s and Don’ts in the Social Media world. The How To’s of Social Media (Resource no longer available) By Talia DeVault Having just returned from a Bay Area Women in Film event on “Utilizing Social Media,” I felt compelled to share the knowledge of the creative professionals that spoke on ...
    • Social Media Marketing – Part 1
      I’m completely fired up about doing the social media thing the right way – and I no longer feel completely overwhelmed by it. And so, of course, I want to help you feel the same way.
    • Solution #1: Time Management
      What it feels like: I need more time!! I need a 48 hour day to get it all done! You have so much to do and never enough time to do it. When you finally manage some time to work on your creative career, there is so much to do: practice your craft, create new work/product, look for ...
    • Solution #10: Lack of Belief
      What it feels like: I don’t really believe that I can make it in this business. No matter what you do or what you accomplish, it just doesn’t “feel” good enough. That little voice on the inside keeps bringing up all your obstacles: “You don’t take your art seriously enough” “You just suck at the business stuff!” “There is SO ...
    • Solution #2: How to Create Success in the Arts and Entertainment Industry
      What it feels like: This business is so complicated, ever-changing, and such a mystery. Where’s my How-To Manual for Success? How do I get myself seen, heard, read and most importantly HIRED by the right people? What about all the dangers and pitfalls I keep hearing about? Other people have succeeded in this business, how the heck did they ...
    • Solution #3: Lack of Support for Your Dreams
      What it feels like: I feel like I’m always working alone and everyone and everything around me is telling me I’ll never make it. You’re surrounded by people and messages that your art is not a Real Job. Your family/friends don’t seem to take your ambitions seriously. You don’t know how to get taken seriously in the business. You don’t ...
    • Solution #4: Money and Finances
      What it feels like: I’m useless when it comes to money. Where does it all go? How do I budget money when I don’t know from week to week how much I’ll bring in? How do I know when I’m making enough money from my art to quit my day job? When I start thinking about dealing with money ...
    • Solution #5: Organization
      What it feels like: I’m so disorganized! My desk is such a mess! I can never find what I need. Your space feels messy, cluttered and stifling You waste a lot of time hunting for things you can’t find. You have a tough time keeping track of your many ideas and projects. You don’t have good systems in place for ...
    • Solution #6: Lack of Consistency and Sustainability
      What it feels like: There is no consistency to my success. I start marketing, then I get too busy to market and then opportunities begin to dry up and so I get back to marketing…. You make a commitment to working on your career and you’re good for a few days or weeks, but then it all ...
    • Solution #7: Fear of Success or Failure
      What it feels like: You can’t seem to get past the first big hurdle – FEAR – It grips you like a cold metal fist in your gut. It feels like a vicious circle and you just don’t know how to break free. You’re afraid to say what you really want, because what if you achieve it and ...
    • Solution #8: Lack of Balance
      What it feels like: You’ve got nothing left. You’ve lost the joy you used to feel in the creative act. You feel so burned out you can barely stand to drag yourself to your gig and your relationships are falling apart. You pour all your time and energy into the day job that supports you day-to-day, and have little ...
    • Solution #9: Creativity Blockage
      What it feels like: You feel so blocked. When you do get a few minutes to be creative, it just doesn’t flow. You sit down to create and nothing comes, or what comes feels horrible. You have been pushing so hard and working so hard that you feel burnt out and there is nothing left to give to ...
    • Some Fun Alternative Definitions of FEAR
      False Evidence Appearing Real – the canonical one False Emotions Appearing Real Future Events Appear Real False Expectations about Reality Finding Excuses and Reasons For Everything A Reason F*%# Everything and Run Failure Expected and Received Fighting Ego against Reality Frantic Effort to Appear Real Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and Retaliation Act of 2002 A positive take on it: Feelings Expressed Allows Relief Face Everything and Recover And my ...
    • Succeed in the Arts Business – an Interview with Gilli Moon
      This month I am privileged to interview Gilli Moon, author of the book, I Am A Professional Artist – The Key To Survival and Success in the World of the Arts. Join us for some practical steps to succeed and survive in the arts business and enjoy your artistry at the same time.
    • Systems Creation – Work Smarter, Not Harder
      Ever feel like a rat on a wheel, spinning and spinning and not getting where you want to go? A great way to get off the wheel is to set up systems that automate your business. Anything you do more than twice in your business will be easier, faster, and simpler to delegate if you ...
    • Taylor Swift – Is Her Career Over?
      I wrote this to Bob Lefsetz in response to his rallying cry for Taylor Swift and against the almost universal online and mainstream media bashing.
    • The Art of Leadership – In Your Career, In Your Business, In Your Life
      By choosing to pursue a career in which you are, in essence, the CEO, CFO and COO of your own company, you have chosen to be a Leader. By choosing to pursue a career in the Arts and Entertainment Industry, you’ve also chosen to be a leader, not just of your own life, but ...
    • The Art of Outsourcing – An interview with Tiamo De Vettori
      This month we interviewed the LA Music Awards’ Male Singer/Songwriter of the Year, Tiamo De Vettori, on The Art of Outsourcing – how to get volunteers to enthusiastically do the things that you don’t like to do. He also touched on cross promotion – how to minimize your work and multiply your fan base, and on ...
    • The Devil on Your Shoulder
      In my life, I’ve done a lot of work with the critic’s voice, learning techniques and getting quite good at transforming my inner critic to support and inform my forward progress (rather than criticize and impede it). I’ve gotten to the point where, these days, I rarely hear a critical voice in my head. And in ...
    • The Economy and Your Business
      There’s a saying floating around out there among the financial and personal growth Gurus – “I refuse to participate in the recession.” I intend to help you come up with an even better, more empowering mantra to keep you focused and clear in this time of challenge, uncertainty and fear.
    • The Energy of Belief
      I’ve been thinking a lot about the nature of belief as a result of the class in the Artists Marketing & Business Academy called Transform Your Belief – The Key to Success. So forgive me, but I may get a little woo-woo in this post. It seems to me that the law according to physics is ...
    • The Internet Marketing Expert – an Interview with Patrick Schwerdtfeger
      Having seen Patrick speak, I’m absolutely thrilled to have him join us and teach us about Step 5 – Generating Traffic: Over 98% of websites get fewer than 5 visitors each day and a fantastic website without traffic does nothing to build your business. Attracting high-quality website visitors doesn’t have to cost a fortune. ...
    • The Law of Attraction – Revisited
      My most recent Artist’s EDGE Newsletter has been generating lots of conversation. Here’s a great email that I just received from Andrea Anderson: “Without doubt, negative thinking is dangerous and self-destructive. On the other hand, saying that a person can change any circumstances outside themselves is quite dangerous and puts them in a position of thinking ...
    • The Law of Attraction – Truth or Fiction?
      In the last year, The Secret has brought the Universal Law of Attraction into the awareness of the broad public mind. But for some of us, this was no secret. Whether you loved the movie or hated it (and I had both visceral reactions), there is no denial that The Secret movie has raised awareness ...
    • The Magic of Action – Free Webinar!
      Do you struggle with procrastination? Are you overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stuff to do – so much you are frozen by it? Or are you really busy – but lack confidence that you’re doing the right things to create success? Action is required to bring any goal to fruition. Without action, inspiration and ambition are merely cool ...
    • The Marketing Cycle with Music Marketing Expert Bobby Borg
      In the old paradigm of the Music Business, the Record Company took care of the marketing and the Artist took care of the music. Those days are dead and gone – It’s a DIY Music Business. So what do you need to know in order to handle marketing your music? In this class taught by Special Guest, Bobby ...
    • The Mindset of a Leader – Part 2
      In this second of three classes on the Mindset of a Leader, we continue the discussion about what a leader thinks and believes. When we think about leaders, usually our focus is on their behavior and how their behavior influences the world around them. And perhaps we try to emulate that behavior with varying levels ...
    • The Mindset of a Leader – Part 3
      When we think about leaders, usually our focus is on their behavior and how their behavior influences the world around them. And perhaps we try to emulate that behavior with varying levels of success. The reason we have varying levels of success is because behaviors come from underlying beliefs about our world and our place within ...
    • The Mindset of a Leader – Part 1
      When we think about leaders, usually our focus is on their behavior and how their behavior influences the world around them. And perhaps we try to emulate that behavior with varying levels of success. The reason we have varying levels of success is because behaviors come from underlying beliefs about our world and our place ...
    • The Shy Singer an Interview with Vikki Flawith
      Debra was thrilled to interview singer/songwriter Vikki Flawith, former Artist’s EDGE Member, Champion of the Creatively Introverted & Socially Terrified, opera-howling Blogger, procrastinating Painter, housework-hating Vocalist, power-napping Composer and Aquarian Cyber-Geek. Vikki is a well-respected vocal teacher. And she has signed multi-track deals with several music publishers.
    • Time Management 101 – The Art of Juggling
      “If only I had more time! Then I could do all that I want to do!” There are 24 hours/day, 7 days/week. That won’t change. So how do you use what you have to create the life that you want? The solution isn’t by figuring out how to do more stuff.  It’s figuring out how to adjust ...
    • Time Management Bookends – A Framework for Success
      Time Management is the Number One System that will enable you to achieve sustainable success in your business and your life. If your Time Management isn’t working – nothing else will. I have worked with literally hundreds of clients on the issues that a poor time management system creates They include: Procrastination Difficulties with prioritization Boundary issues with family and friends Feelings ...
    • Top 5 Twitter Mistakes
      I’ve been using Twitter for just over a year, now. And I admit it, I’m hooked. Twitter represents an unprecedented opportunity for connecting with your fans, creating new fans and promoting your music or business for little or no money. But I see a lot of people making the same mistakes ...
    • Transform Your Belief – The Key To Success
      Just as strong muscles help you win a ball game, strong positive beliefs boost your energy and confidence, create opportunities, attract powerful partners, clear obstacles from your path, and propel you effortlessly into action and results. And just like muscles, you need to build and strengthen those beliefs – by using them.
    • Transform Your Inner Critic into Your Staunchest Ally
      Are you plagued by internal doubts and self-criticism? Think you’re not good enough, or don’t deserve the success you long for? Do you find that even when you know what to do, you find all sorts of reasons not to do it? We all carry an internal critic in our heads, and it never shuts up! ...
    • Transitioning to Full-time With Your Art/Music Business
      Whether you’re working a day job in the corporate world or teaching within your craft to sustain yourself, many artists and musicians dream someday they will earn enough to go full-time with their art. And just as many have given up on that dream, because it seems out of reach. Or because they tried to ...
    • Twitter for Artists – An Interview with Carla Lynn Hall
      If you’re not using, or haven’t gotten the hang of, Twitter yet, it’s a great social networking tool that enables you to get your point across in 140 characters or less. It’s a great way to start and build relationships in less time than it take to send an email. People who are unfamiliar with ...
    • Unblock Your Creativity
      As professionals in the field of creativity, we rely on accessing our creativity to create success. That creativity needs to be engaged, not just in creating your product, but also in your marketing, your systems, every aspect of your business. But our creativity can be like a sensitive child. And it can shut down for many different ...
    • Venues and Artists – A Complex Relationship
      Last week, an interesting conversation erupted on a music list-serve that I participate in. I think there is much to be learned from this both by the Venue Owners/Bookers and the Performing Artists who depend on those bookers for their gigs. I have removed all of the names/locations because the real issues here ...
    • Website Maximizer: Is your website selling you?
      Jeri Goldstein helps you to focus on your unique audiences, and create a unique experience for each of your audiences by making small and sometimes huge changes in your web presence set up. In addition to your main web site, we touch on your blogs and your social marketing sites. This class ...
    • Websites and the Artist Entrepreneur
      Internet Marketing Part Deux In last month’s Newsletter, I talked about the importance of not only having a presence on the Internet but having a presence that would be easily discoverable by your prospective customers, clients and fans. And that the trick to being found is through the use of good key words and SEO principles. But ...
    • Welcome to the Success eCourse
      Dear , Welcome and thank you for making a commitment to yourself and your own success! You will be receiving one email each week for the next 10 weeks. Please add Success-Solutions Artists-Edge.com to your address book, to be sure you receive the Solutions to your Challenges. Because people have trouble with long emails and because ...
    • What do YOU stand for?
      I was having dinner with a client and two new friends the other night.  And we were talking about values and Ben Franklin’s Virtues. Senia, a positive psychology coach, chimed in that she had used her name to create an anagram for her values.  And then we were off!  So we all came up with a ...
    • When Bad Things Happen
      July was a tough month.  It started out well, but one morning I woke up in pain.  I’d done something to my wrist in my sleep.  As that day wore on, the pain got worse until I gave in and went to the ER and after an x-ray they told me it might be broken!  ...
    • When Bad Things Happen, Part 2
      This article is a sequel to the July 2013 Newsletter Article, When Bad Things Happen.  Of course, I meant to get back and complete the article the very next week.  Ah, the best laid plans… But better late than never, right?  I recommend you go back and read that article to give you the back story ...
    • Why Do Artists Need Professional Development?
      Why Do Artists Need Professional Development?
    • WordPress Website Essentials with Jesse Petersen
      You’ve heard me say it again and again, you need your own website. A My Space Facebook or ReverbNation page isn’t enough. To succeed in the 21st Century, you must have a web presence all your own. For most people there are 3 obstacles to creating their own website and in my experience, Wordpress ...
    • WordPress Websites for Musicians – An Interview with Middle Tennessee Music
      I’ve been saying it for years, MySpace, Facebook, ReverbNation – I don’t care – If you are (or want to be) a Professional Musician or financially sustainable Band: YOU MUST HAVE YOUR OWN WEBSITE! Thanks to platforms like WordPress, building your own website or hiring someone to build it for you no longer has to cost thousands ...
    • Working Smarter, Not Harder
      In February, we did a call for the Artists Marketing & Business Academy called, “Create Systems – Work Smarter, Not Harder” to begin to address one of the key mistakes artists make in their business. The essence of this mistake is to think of yourself in terms of a self-employed freelancer, going from gig to ...

    Music Fulfillment Resources

    • 100% Ownership – The First Key to Leadership
      this class delves into the first foundation of Leadership – taking responsibility for your outcomes – all of them. Blaming others, or even ourselves, for unwanted and undesirable outcomes is a way of life in our society. What you may not realize is the tremendous loss this way of thinking creates – loss of ...
    • 2 Lessons from American Idol – Top 11
      In last week’s episodes, I felt there were 2 themes worth exploring. The first has to do with the choices the Contestants were making – and you’re making as an artist whenever you create.
    • 2 Lessons from American Idol – Top 12
      The format of American Idol requires artists to create cover versions of other people’s music. This is only slightly artificial as many independent artists perform songs written by someone else. And so, the ability to take a song written by someone else and make it your own is a critical skill for your success in ...
    • 2 Lessons from American Idol – Top 7
      Got behind in my blogging again – here are the two lessons from American Idol – Top 7. In Idol 7 – Alicia Keys was the Mentor and she talked about how she intended to help the contestants find out what they’re made of. And that “Idol Gives Back” will help them ...
    • 2 Lessons From American Idol – Top 8 Male Semifinalists
      In Wednesday’s American Idol episode there two lessons that can help you be successful as a performing musician or artist.
    • 2 More Reasons You Fail to Achieve Your Goals
      I came across a great blog post at dumblittleman.com, entitled – 4 Reasons You Fail to Achieve Your Goals. And I’d like to add two more:
    • 3 Lessons from American Idol – Top 10
      This was a very juicy week for Lessons from American Idol! The first 2 lessons were pretty clearly expressed by Usher in his role as mentor. I have to say, I think Usher is my favorite American Idol Mentor so far! He wasn’t just interested in the arrangement, he really gave the Contestants constructive and immediately ...
    • 3 Lessons from American Idol – Top 24
      For Season 9, I will be commenting on AI every week, so I’ll catch up shortly. I’m sure many blogs will be talking about this – but I will be looking at what lessons a music business professional can learn about how to create success promoting your career and your music.
    • 3 Lessons from American Idol – Top 8 Female Semifinalists
      In last night’s episode of American Idol, I saw a few themes that you can apply to your musical performance.
    • 3×5 Contact Management System
      Back in the good old days, before such things as computerized contact management systems, salesmen created a physical contact management system.  I learned this system many years ago, while working in the Network Marketing world.  For those of you who prefer the tactile sensation of a physical contact management system, but are finding that just ...
    • 5-Year Plan: Got Goals? Get a Plan
      Why would you go on this journey – your life’s journey – without a plan? In this hands-on session, we’ll work through the 5 steps to a 5-Year Plan. You’ll find that creating your life’s Plan isn’t so hard or complicated after all! And you will walk away with a real-world plan for your ...
    • 7 Lessons from American Idol – Top 16 Results
      In the writing of this blog series – I will not be commenting on who stays and who is voted off, no matter how tempted I may be. My purpose in writing this blog is to help you in your serious pursuit of success doing what you love.
    • 7 Secrets to Get Booked on Corporate Stages with Tiamo De Vettori
      At the Artists Marketing & Business Academy, we’re all about making a prosperous and sustainable living doing what you love. Are you sick and tired of playing small gigs that pay you next to nothing for your musical talent? What if you could play on huge stages in front of hundreds, if not thousands of ...
    • A Call to Responsibility; A Call to Action
      The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
    • Alternative Marketing for Visual Artists Presented by Art Business Consultant and Coach, Martha Zlatar
      Mainstream art galleries are not the only way to sell your artwork. Actually most successful visual artists do not make the majority of their sales from galleries. Designed specifically for visual and spatial artists, this workshop will get you thinking outside of the gallery so you can find alternative spaces for your artwork.
    • An Act of Willpower – the Process of Perseverance
      The skill of applying your will to your choices consistently is critical to making your systems work (including, time management, organization, marketing) and creating consistent and sustainable success. Start developing your will power today!
    • An Idea is Only as Good as the Implementation
      What is implementation? im·ple·men·ta·tion /impləmənˈtāSH(ə)n/ (noun) the process of putting a decision or plan into effect; execution. As a creative business owner who loves what you do, you are probably inundated with great ideas every day. You probably get them in the shower, as you’re driving, while you’re sweating on the treadmill. But how many of those great ...
    • An Open Letter to LunarPages
      or Why I Recommend Against Using LunarPages to Host Your Website The last 2 months have been a virtual hell for me (pun completely intended).  Sometime in the middle of May, I started noticing real problems with my website.  I was in the midst of doing a lot of content creation and tweeking to the big ...
    • Are Goals Really Necessary?
      I was having a conversation with a client the other day.  He’s an engineer and is always working on cutting edge, invention type stuff.  He said that setting goals doesn’t work in this type of  design.  Because when you are inventing something for the first time, you don’t really know what you’re going to end ...
    • Ask for Help – the 3rd Key to Maintaining Focus
      In the 1st Key, we looked at the big list, and in the 2nd Key, took everything off the plate that we could using the first 3 of the 4 D’s from Julie Morgenstern’s Time Management from the Inside Out: Delete Delay Diminish Delegate The 3rd Key is all about delegating.  It’s about taking the things that you’ve got left ...
    • Ask the Organizer
      During the course of a given day, think about how many different ways you might be distracted from the tasks you have in front of you – a notification pops up in the corner of your screen letting you know you have a new email, your phone vibrates to let you know you received a ...
    • Ask The Organizer – An Interview with Joshua Zerkel, Certified Professional Organizer
      Do you ever have trouble getting – or staying – organized? If so, you’re not alone – organizing your space, managing your time, and keeping track of your information can get pretty overwhelming. In this open forum Q&A call, members got answers to their most challenging organizing questions, problems and conundrums from Joshua Zerkel of ...
    • Attitude of Gratitude Or How to Handle Rejection and the Other Hard Stuff!
      Hard stuff happens – rejection, loss, having to learn new stuff, overwhelm – you know, hard stuff. We know from the Law of Attraction that what you focus on expands and what you expect you get. So how do you put the hard stuff into a context that creates and expands the good ...
    • Attitude of Gratitude or How to Handle the Hard Stuff
      Everywhere you look, there’s bad news. Bad news in the world, bad news on the job front, bad news. And to make it worse it’s cold out, and gets dark early. Could actually get a girl down.
    • Attract Success
      Why does Visioning work? Why do some people just seem to magically get what they want? Why is it that sometimes things just seem to flow into your life with ease, and other times, it’s like you’re slogging through mud? It’s all about the Law of Attraction! The fundamental principles of the Law of Attraction are ...
    • Booking Strategies, An Interview with Jeri Goldstein
      This month we interview Jeri Goldstein, author of How to Be Your Own Booking Agent: The Musician’s & Performing Artist’s Guide to Successful Touring. In the call, Jeri will help to make the dreaded task of promoting yourself easier, less stressful, and more productive, for musicians and non-musicians alike.
    • Boundaries – The Key to Time Management Sanity
      Do you know what your boundaries are?  Most of us have some vague notion of what a boundary is and how it feels when someone has crossed our boundaries. But what are they really? Boundary – Something that indicates bounds or limits; a limiting or bounding line. Dictionary.com In the context of time management, your boundaries can have ...
    • Branding 101
      What is branding? Branding is a fundamental marketing concept that is often misunderstood by business owners. According to Wikipedia: “A brand is a “Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s good or service as distinct from those of other sellers.” Branding began as a way to tell one person’s cattle from another by ...
    • Business Management for the Creative Mind
      How many times have you thought to yourself, “I’m creative! I’m just no good at business!” In this dynamic, interactive workshop, I’ll dispel this myth and help you identify and apply your unique talents to create a successful business without sacrificing your creativity or your integrity. Whether you’re freelance, self-employed or working ...
    • Business Management for the Creative Mind Or How to Run Your Art/Music Business
      How many times have you thought to yourself — I’m an Artist. I’m just no good at business! In this dynamic, interactive workshop, I’ll dispel this myth and help you identify and apply your unique talents to create a successful business without sacrificing your art or your integrity.
    • Choose a Theme for the New Year
      This time of year you hear a lot of talk about New Year’s Resolutions. Do they work? Don’t they? Everyone has a theory. I’ve written about methods I recommend for creating a successful New Year’s Resolution in the past. And, of course, I’ve written a ton about setting goals and creating plans. But this year, I’m ...
    • Clear the Plate – the 2nd Key to Maintaining Focus
      In the first installment of this series we created a big brainstorm list of all the stuff that makes up the chaos.  Just to remind you of the overview: 5 Keys to Manage Chaos Acknowledge the reality of your current circumstances Take everything off the plate that you can Ask for help Manage your emotions and thoughts through the experience Get ...
    • Clearing the Space – A Focusing Tool
      During extremely busy times, times of emotional turmoil and major change, you may also find it difficult to focus on what you’re doing because your mind is cluttered with all the other stuff that’s going on. This is a process that I use with my private clients to create focus. I learned this in Coaching ...
    • Confidence
      Confidence, as an issue, comes up for my clients, in one form or another, on an almost daily basis.  Over the years, I’ve worked with them to build their confidence and spent a lot of time reading, thinking and studying the issue. I’ve observed that those who struggle with confidence can get a boost when something ...
    • Confidence
      Believing that confidence is something that you have, something you can get, something someone else can give you – that is a misunderstanding. Confidence is defined as: a feeling or consciousness of one’s powers. If you believe in your own power and ability, you will FEEL confident. Confidence is an emotion. It is an emotion that is ...
    • Copyright and Trademark Basics an Interview with Jeff Fabian
      Trademark and copyright protection are fundamental components of a sound business strategy for all artists and professionals in the Music Business, Visual Arts or Film and Television Industry. But do we have to be lawyers to understand the basics? Jeff Fabian says “NO!” and he is going to going to prove it to us in ...
    • Create and Maintain Your Team
      Are you sick of doing it all alone, but the idea of delegating to someone else overwhelms or confuses you? Do you have people working for/with you – agents, managers, assistants, web designers, etc. – but you’re unsure how to work with them? Or even worse, you feel like you’re working for them, not ...
    • Create Your Reality
      Every morning, I like to start the day by creating a context for the day. Some people think of these as affirmations, but that’s not quite what I mean. I mean that I decide what my perspective is for the day. What’s my paradigm? How am I going to perceive my ...
    • Creating Your Niche – A Conversation with Nancy Moran
      Everybody says you have to have a niche. But how do you create a unique and profitable niche that suits you? In this month’s Interview with an Expert, we’ll be interviewing successful performer Nancy Moran. We are talking with Nancy about niche marketing – one of her favorite topics. We’ll examine some real-life case studies of musicians ...
    • Creation of a Successful Year
      At the end of every year, usually between Christmas and New Years, I take a few hours to powerfully envision and create my new year with confidence and intention. In this class I will walk you through my process. I’ve found this process clears the slate and allows me to step powerfully into the ...
    • Creator’s Block
      Whether you are writing words, writing songs, painting, taking photographs, sculpting, designing jewelry or in any way creating on a regular basis, creator’s block can happen. So, in this month’s newsletter, I’m going to look at creator’s block, give you an overview of possible causes (which I’ll be writing more about in my ...
    • Debra Recommends 1ShoppingCart
      But if you’re like me and you want something that requires very little programming to customize the look and feel. And a system that offers all the bells and whistles you want and need from your shopping cart – this is a great solution!
    • Debra Recommends A Cure for the Common Life
      The Cardinal Rules of Self-Esteem by Catherine Cardinal, PhD This book, originally titled the Ten Commandments of Self-Esteem was written by my dear friend, Catherine.   Going beyond what we already know about self-esteem, she offers simple, clear steps that will lead you into the life you deserve. From Amazon.com: A CURE FOR THE COMMON LIFE: THE CARDINAL RULES OF ...
    • Debra Recommends AFM: American Federation of Musicians
      Everyday the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada helps thousands of musicians just like you.
    • Debra Recommends All You Need To Know About the Music Business
      An entertainment lawyer whose clients include many from the top of the music charts, Passman has written a book that sets out to give musicians, performers, and songwriters the tools to hire advisers, market their careers, protect their creative works, and generally cope with a complex industry in a state of flux.
    • Debra Recommends Ann Evanston – Social Networking Coaching Club
      Debra Russell, of Artist’s EDGE, recommends Ann and her Social Networking Coaching Club! She is committed to teaching the strategies and tactics to successful social networking to grow your business, increase traffic, and generate revenue!
    • Debra Recommends Ariel Publicity and Cyber PR
      Since meeting Ariel Hyatt from Cyber PR in 2009, we have become good friends.  I was honored to participate on a Panel at the TAXI Road Rally that she moderated.  (Pictured left to right, Dean Krippaehne, Vikki Flawith, Ariel Hyatt, Derek Sivers, and me, Debra Russell) I was very impressed by her knowledge and presence and ...
    • Debra Recommends Ask and It is Given – How to Use the Law of Attraction
      I often use exercises in this book for both my own work and in session with clients. Here is the review from Amazon:
    • Debra Recommends Audio Acrobat – Easy Audio!
      Create Audio for your website, record teleclasses, testimonials, podcasts – quickly, easily, and inexpensively. No equipment to buy. No special skills necessary. I’ve built my entire membership site based on this tool!
    • Debra Recommends Audition
      I studied with Michael Shurtleff for 2 years when I was acting in NYC, in the 80’s. In my opinion, this book solidifies in very simple terms the choices an actor must make in order to create a believable character. What’s so beautiful about this, is it enables you to make those choices ...
    • Debra Recommends AWeber – Email Marketing at it’s Best
      AWeber is a supercharged email marketing tool. Priced competitively, it allows for more targeted marketing than some of the other tools I’ve recommended.
    • Debra Recommends BackStage Magazine
      For 48 years, Back Stage has been the most trusted place for actors to find performing arts and casting information.
    • Debra Recommends Blogwild! – Key to a Successful Business Blog
      The world seems to have gone blogwild. More and more personal blogs appear every day, and businesses large and small are realizing that blogging can be a dynamite sales, marketing, and communications tool. Blogs are cheap to set up and operate, and they can humanize a company’s image, start the buzz on a new product, ...
    • Debra Recommends Blue Ocean Strategy
      Kim and Mauborgne’s blue ocean metaphor elegantly summarizes their vision of the kind of expanding, competitor-free markets that innovative companies can navigate. Unlike “red oceans,” which are well explored and crowded with competitors, “blue oceans” represent “untapped market space” and the “opportunity for highly profitable growth.”
    • Debra Recommends Bob Baker – The Buzz Factor
      Bob Baker is an author, musician, and workshop leader who is dedicated to helping musicians, authors, and creative people of all kinds get exposure, connect with fans, and increase their incomes through their artistic passions. Bob’s books include “Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook,” “Unleash the Artist Within,” “Branding Yourself Online,” “Self-Publishing Success Secrets,” and more. I was ...
    • Debra Recommends Book Yourself Solid
      I use many of Michael’s stratagies in my own coaching business.
    • Debra Recommends CardScan
      I have been using a CardScan scanner for 5 years, and it’s saved me literally hundreds of hours. I gather business cards where ever I go. And these cards used to sit in piles on my desk. Now, in a jif, I scan them into a database, add them to my newsletter ...
    • Debra Recommends Cashflow Quadrant
      This brilliant look at the four kinds of business people had a significant impact in how I think about myself and my business as well as what I teach in Business Management for the Creative Mind
    • Debra Recommends Concerts in Your Home
      Fran Snyder has created a great resource for musicians who are looking to perform in house concert venues as well as home-owners who are interested in creating wonderful events in their homes.
    • Debra Recommends Constant Contact – Email Marketing
      Constant Contact’s leading email marketing and online survey tools—supported by its expert personal coaching and support—help all types of small businesses and organizations create professional-looking email newsletters and insightful online surveys and begin a dialogue with their customers.
    • Debra Recommends Daylite – More than CRM for Mac
      So, first let me say – I am not a Mac user.  However, I have a lot of clients who are, and so I have been looking for a CRM solution for my Mac clients.  One of my clients brought me this product and he is thrilled with it.  So, I wanted to pass it ...
    • Debra Recommends Directors Guild of America
      Today, through the collective voice of more than 14,000 members that the DGA represents, the Guild seeks to protect directorial teams’ legal and artistic rights, contend for their creative freedom, and strengthen their ability to develop meaningful and credible careers.
    • Debra Recommends Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ
      Much of my work with private clients and in my Success Skills classes for the Membership are based on the concepts explained in this seminal work.
    • Debra Recommends Feng Shui for Dummies
      What I love about this book is it takes a system shrouded in mystery and woo-woo and gives the reader a pragmatic and usable understanding so you can apply this to your own space.
    • Debra Recommends Folk Alliance International
      Since 1989, the North American Folk Alliance has served as the headquarters for Folk Music and Dance. With over 2000 members worldwide and an annual conference that is one of the five largest music conferences in North America, Folk Alliance continues to grow and mature while providing a unique range of member services to the ...
    • Debra Recommends Folk Venue List Serve
      A list serve for folk venue promoters – primarily a place for them to discuss amongst themselves the issues that they face as venues. This is NOT a good place to promote your act – but is useful for market research.
    • Debra Recommends FOLKDJ List Serve
      FOLKDJ-L is an electronic discussion group for DJs and other people interested in all folk-based music (bluegrass, old-time, traditional balladry, traditional international music, singer-songwriters, etc.) on the radio. It is primarily a place where DJ’s post their play lists.
    • Debra Recommends Google Apps for Business
      Google Applications is a web 2.o solution for email, calendar and more. I’ve been using it for my business for about 9 months now and I’ve been very happy so far. I was using Microsoft Outlook, but when I would search for an email it would literally take 5-10 minutes. And with ...
    • Debra Recommends Guide to Releasing Independent Records
      Ask any major label A&R rep and they’ll tell you: the best way to develop your music career is to release your own record. What they won’t tell you is how to make your release a success
    • Debra Recommends How to Be Your Own Booking Agent
      This book will get you on the road, making more money, booking better gigs, with more press while playing to larger audiences.
    • Debra Recommends I Am A Professional Artist
      My dear friend, Gilli Moon, brings a level of reality to this topic filled with illusions and lies. And she does it with great humor and compassion. A fellow TAXI Road Rally speaker, she created Songsalive! and several other resources for musicians. I’ve also interviewed her for the Artist’s EDGE Membership.
    • Debra Recommends ifanz
      ifanz is a very cool resource originally developed for musicians, but really applicable for creative professionals in all walks of life who are building their career by building their relationship with their fans.  More than just a database and newsletter management tool, it also offers one-stop shopping for many of the needs of the small ...
    • Debra Recommends Independent Film Project
      Currently, IFP represents a network of 10,000 filmmakers in New York City and around the world. Through its workshops, seminars, conferences, mentorships, and Filmmaker Magazine, IFP schools its members in the art, technology, and business of independent filmmaking
    • Debra Recommends International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees
      IATSE is a union of professional stagehands, motion picture technicans, and allied crafts. Different locals of the IATSE have their own web-sites and contact pages. Do a Google search for the Union you’re interested in.
    • Debra Recommends John Braheny
      John Braheny is in demand as a top consultant for songwriters, performers and industry entrepreneurs.
    • Debra Recommends LaTour de Force Productions
      Professional Performance Reel Production Latour de Force Productions will take your footage and help choose your scenes in a fashion that will best represent you, while being consistent with your brand! They custom design your reel, and make it fun to watch – with titles, captions, transitions, and music. They also apply basic color and sound ...
    • Debra Recommends Local 1000 American Federation of Musicians
      Local 1000 was created by and for traveling musicians. No matter where you live in Canada or the U.S., if you tour on the folk, bluegrass and acoustic music circuit, Local 1000 is for you,
    • Debra Recommends MasterWriter – Thesaurus on Steroids!
      Masterwriter is on SALE – Discounted Price – $199 MasterWriter 2.0 is the most powerful suite of songwriting tools ever assembled in one program. This revolutionary new software won Best of Show at MacWorld Expo and has received rave reviews in every major music magazine. MasterWriter is endorsed by ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, NSAI and is ...
    • Debra Recommends Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life
      Karen is a friend of mine – and she’s sure helped me with a few of my Feng Shui challenges!
    • Debra Recommends Music XRay
      I have recently been listed as an expert – under career coaching for Music Xray. Music Xray is a resource for both musicians, composers and the buyers of music to connect in a professional and transparent environment.  Music industry professionals use Music Xray as the preferred, direct and transparent method for interacting with artists. Music Xray is ...
    • Debra Recommends Music, Money and Success
      The Insider’s Guide to Making Money in the Music Industry by Jeffrey Brabec and Todd Brabec My friends, Jeff and Todd, have written a comprehensive and incredibly informative book about the world of music licensing. From Amazon: The music and entertainment business means money for songwriters, composers, recording artists, musicians, music publishers and record companies. Whether it’s videogames, worldwide ...
    • Debra Recommends National Writers Union
      The National Writers Union is the trade union for freelance and contract writers: journalists, book authors, business and technical writers, web content providers, and poets
    • Debra Recommends Ning – Create Your Social Network
      Ning.com is a very cool thing!  Ning lets you create your own social network and/or join others. Based in Palo Alto, Calif., Ning offers an easy-to-use technology platform enabling you to create and join Ning Networks for your interests and passions. With over 1.3 million Ning social networks created and more than 30 million registered members, millions ...
    • Debra Recommends Organizing From the Inside Out
      The Foolproof System For Organizing Your Home, Your Office and Your Life by Julie Morgenstern I loved this book! I became so much better at managing my space which has freed up time and energy for other things. Amazon says: It’s about time! Julie Morgenstern has written an organizing book that covers a new way of looking at the ...
    • Debra Recommends Patrick Schwerdtfeger Internet Marketing Expert
      I met Patrick in 2006 through his San Francisco Bay Area Meetup – The Entrepreneur and Small Business Academy.  I am tremendously impressed with his vast knowledge of marketing on the internet, SEO and social media marketing. Patrick is, frankly, a self-described geek and ridiculously passionate about all things internet marketing.  And he has a way ...
    • Debra Recommends Poets & Writers
      Poets & Writers, Inc. is the primary source of information, support, and guidance for creative writers. Founded in 1970, it is the nation’s largest nonprofit literary organization serving poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers. Their national office is located in New York City and California branch office is based in Los Angeles.
    • Debra Recommends Rich Dad, Poor Dad
      What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money–That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! by Robert Kiyosaki I loved this book. It made me take a good hard look at my relationship with money, but even more so, how I thought about my business. Amazon.com: Rich Dad, Poor Dad chronicles the story of the authors two dads, his ...
    • Debra Recommends Ruthless Self-Promotion in the Music Industry
      by Jeffrey Fisher Product Description from Amazon.com Despite the ever-changing nature of the music industry, one constant remains: you must become a ruthless promotion fanatic to achieve success. There are no quick fixes or shortcuts to fame and fortune in the music business. But if you truly desire success and are dedicated to putting your time, energy, ...
    • Debra Recommends Screen Actors Guild
      Screen Actors Guild is the most distinguished performer’s union in the world. Their members are experienced professionals who require certain standards of working conditions, compensation and benefits. Membership is often a major milestone in an actor’s career; every SAG card issued symbolizes success and solidarity with a community of 120,000 talented and accomplished artists ...
    • Debra Recommends Secrets of the Millionaire Mind
      “You can have all the knowledge and skills in the world, but if your “blueprint” isn’t set for success, you’re financially doomed.” –T. Harv Eker I want to take this opportunity to introduce you to T. Harv Eker. He is a bestselling author and one of the world’s top trainers. His newest book, Secrets of the Millionaire ...
    • Debra Recommends Session Singing In Hollywood
      Kick-start your Music career the right way with Session Singing in Hollywood.The information in this e-book is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars of potential income in the music business! This e-book is a gold mine of information.
    • Debra Recommends Songsalive
      Since 1997, Songsalive! is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to the nurturing, support, promotion and education of songwriters and composers worldwide. Founded in 1997, by Gilli Moon and Roxanne Kiely in Sydney, Australia,  Songsalive! is run by volunteer songwriters for songwriters and has reached the far corners of the globe with over 25 chapters worldwide. ...
    • Debra Recommends Songwriting with Jason Blume
      Fellow TAXI Drivers Ed Faculty -I often talk about getting feedback from qualified experts – and Jason certainly is that! Songwriting tutor and cross-genre hit maker Jason Blume recently celebrated ten years of BMI-sponsored workshops and seminars. Since the BMI Songwriters’ Workshop inception in 1997, Blume has mentored more than 6,000 aspiring songwriters from at least ...
    • Debra Recommends Songwriting with Steve Seskin
      I’ve known Steve Seskin for several years as we are both speakers on the Music Conference circuit.  Steve is renowned as one of the best songwriting craftsman around and you can learn tons about the art and craft of songwriting from him.  He can teach you how to make your songs good and then how ...
    • Debra Recommends T-Tapp – The Easy Way to Get in Shape!
      I started using the T-Tapp rehab program after I had been bedridden for several years with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It was the first form of exercise that did not cause me to relapse. I found myself with more energy and better balance. And I began to see my stomach muscles again!
    • Debra Recommends Taming Your Gremlin
      A Surprisingly Simple Method for Getting Out of Your Own Way by Rick Carson From Amazon.com: This is a completely updated edition of the 1983 classic that introduced a powerful method for gaining freedom from self-defeating behaviors and beliefs. Rick Carson, creator of the renowned Gremlin-Taming Method, has revised the book to include fresh interactive activities, real-life vignettes ...
    • Debra Recommends TAXI
      I’ve been working with TAXI as a speaker for the yearly conference, the Road Rally, since 2005.  I’ve come to know many TAXI Members, as well as Michael Laskow and the other staff who tirelessly work to help their members create a prosperous living doing what they love. I can without hesitation recommend TAXI Membership to ...
    • Debra Recommends The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom
      Practical and Spiritual Steps So You Can Stop Worrying by Suze Orman When Suze Orman was 13 she watched her father dive into the flames of his burning take-out chicken shack in order to rescue his cash register. In that moment Orman learned that money was more important than life itself. And so it became her quest ...
    • Debra Recommends The ABC’s of Building a Business Team That Wins
      Great champions in sports, business and even families have one thing in common. It’s a legitimate secret weapon. It is something that lies deep in the genetic code of winning organizations. It appears when pressure is high, when the stakes are critical and when everything is on the line. They know how to work as ...
    • Debra Recommends The Artist’s Way – How to Recover Your Creativity
      Working through the Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron got me through one of the most challenging times of my life – dealing with a 10 year bout of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. And later, leading Artist’s Way groups led me to coaching – the most satisfying career of my dreams!
    • Debra Recommends The E-Myth Revisited
      The brilliance of Gerber’s approach to systematizing your business has made a significant difference in my success and the success of my clients.
    • Debra Recommends The Law of Attraction
      This book has had a profound affect on my experience of my world. Ironically enough, much of my growth around this area started with Seth Speaks which I read around the same time that Esther Hicks discovered it. Having lived in Sedona I have a healthy mistrust of things woo-woo – but I’ve personally ...
    • Debra Recommends The Magic of Thinking Big
      I recommend this book with one caveat. I’ve seen clients mistake fantasy for goals. Setting goals to make $10,000/month from their music in 3 months when they’re currently barely pulling in $50 a week from their music. Yes – it is key to think big. And it’s also important to make ...
    • Debra Recommends The One Minute Manager
      by Kenneth H. Blanchard and Spencer Johnson For more than twenty years, millions of managers in Fortune 500 companies and small businesses nationwide have followed The One Minute Manager’s techniques, thus increasing their productivity, job satisfaction, and personal prosperity. These very real results were achieved through learning the management techniques that spell profitability for the organization ...
    • Debra Recommends The One Page Business Plan
      for the Creative Entrepreneur by James T. Horan, Jr. I met Jim Horan when he came to speak to the Entrepreneur and Small Business Academy Meetup.  I very much enjoyed his whole approach to this most daunting of subjects. I often recommend this book to my clients. The product description on Amazon.com was perfect for this book – ...
    • Debra Recommends The Power of Focusing
      A Practical Guide to Emotional Self-Healing by Ann Weiser Cornell, Ph.D. I’ve been personally using these techniques for my own inner work for about 8 years.  And I use these techniques on a regular basis with my private coaching clients.  I find that “focusing” increases emotional intelligence, access to your intuition and a deeper understanding of what ...
    • Debra Recommends The Success Principles
      How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be by Jack Canfield and Janet Switzer From Jack’s Website: Jack Canfield, co-creator of the phenomenal bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul® series, turns to the principles he’s studied, taught and lived for more than 30 years in this practical and inspiring guide that will help ...
    • Debra Recommends Time Management From the Inside Out
      The Foolproof System for Taking Control of Your Schedule–and Your Life by Julie Morgenstern I use this book as my “text” when working with private clients on time management issues. I’ve also used this book and Julie’s methods extensively creating my own time management structures. It’s absolutely brilliant! From Amazon.com: Those who fear “time management” because they worry about ...
    • Debra Recommends Turning Passions Into Profits
      Turning Passions Into Profits – 3 Steps to Wealth & Power by Christopher Howard This is a book by my NLP and Hypnosis teacher.  What surprised me about this book was what it wasn’t.  It wasn’t another “follow your bliss” woo-woo book.  And it wasn’t a “Business” book.  It is a concrete instruction manual to use other people’s ...
    • Debra Recommends USPS Media Mail
      Send your printed or recorded material using this service. Media Mail® service is a cost efficient way to mail books, sound recordings, recorded video tapes, printed music, and recorded computer-readable media (such as CDs, DVDs, and diskettes).
    • Debra Recommends Women in Film
      WIF recognizes the importance of developing pathways and opportunities to encourage current and future generations of women to explore and pursue careers in all fields of the entertainment industry. WIF actively supports women in the entertainment industry in four key ways:
    • Debra Recommends Writers Guild of America
      The Writers Guild of America is a labor union wga-logo-east composed of the thousands of writers who write the television shows, movies, news programs, documentaries, animation, CD-ROMs, and content for new-media technologies that keep audiences constantly entertained and informed.
    • Debra Russell Recommends Indie Band Manager
      My friend, Charlie Cheney, designed this system based on filemaker Pro for his own career in music.  But when he saw how many musicians, agents and other professionals in the music industry needed this product, he made it available to the public. This program is a comprehensive contact management, booking and tour management system. And I have ...
    • Debra Russell Recommends ReverbNation
      I’ve been hearing nothing but great buzz about ReverbNation as a one stop shop for contact management and social networking for your music business. Here’s what they say on their website: ReverbNation.com is a Music 2.0 company that is responding to the changing music business paradigm. We provide innovative marketing solutions that musicians need to compete, cooperate, ...
    • Debra Russell Recommends Selfgrowth.com
      SelfGrowth.com is the most complete guide to information about Self -Improvement, Personal Growth and Self Help on the Internet. It is designed to be an organized directory, with articles and references to thousands of other Web Sites on the World Wide Web. Check out: http://www.selfgrowth.com Save Save
    • Debra Russell Recommends The Hollywood Reporter
      The Hollywood Reporter began as the entertainment industry’s first daily trade paper in Hollywood.
    • Debra Russell Recommends The Power of Full Engagement
      Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz These concepts have helped me tremendously in building a real balance between achievement and nourishing myself into my time management structures. With the understanding that nourishing myself is what enables me to reach peak performance – many of ...
    • Don’t be a Needy Artist
      Over the past few years, since I started doing the Ask Coach Debra Calls and being more active on Twitter and Facebook, I’ve had many encounters that go something like this:
    • Embrace Your Unique Voice as an Artist
      This is primarily directed to artists, but really, it applies to all of us.  Being a unique voice in a world that values sameness can be a rough row to hoe.  As children, we’re taught, encouraged, sometimes even bludgeoned and beaten into sameness.  Don’t be too loud.  Don’t show how smart you are.  Don’t blow ...
    • Emotional Intelligence – A Critical Skill for Success
      According to Daniel Goleman, “…people who are emotionally adept … are at an advantage at any domain in life … are more likely to be content and effective in their lives, mastering the habits of mind that foster their own productivity…” The ability to handle your emotions will affect how you respond to adversity and rejection, ...
    • Facebook Promotion Etiquette
      In the last week, 2 people have gone onto my Facebook Pages – Debra Russell and Artists Marketing & Business Academy – and posted that I should check out their Facebook Page or ReverbNation Page. And my first reaction was – wow, that’s rude.
    • Fear of Success or Fear of Failure?
      What’s stopping you?  Do you know? What blocks you from pursuing your dreams with all that you have, all that you are, all of your might? Often when asked this question, the answer is either: Fear of Success or Fear of Failure   And often it’s even expressed as both – “Maybe it’s fear of success or failure.  I don’t know….”  Really, ...
    • FEARING PARIS
      Suppose that what you fear could be trapped and held in Paris. Then you would have the courage to go everywhere in the world. All the directions of the compass open to you, except the degrees east or west of true north that lead to Paris. Still, you wouldn’t dare put your toes smack dab on the city limit line. You’re not really willing to stand on a mountainside, miles away, and ...
    • Get Organized
      lack of organization costs in so many ways. We lose time looking for lost things. We lose energy as clutter sucks away our life force. We lose focus because each stray paper distracts us.
    • Get Organized
      Some of the greatest time management challenges aren’t about time; it’s a lack of organization! Some of the greatest financial challenges have nothing to do with money; it, too, is a lack of organization! And relationship issues? Don’t get me started!
    • Get the Learning – the 5th Key to Maintaining Focus in the Face of Chaos
      As I teach in How to Use Feedback and Criticism Constructively, every experience is fodder for growth and development, if you are willing to get the learning. Assessing and adjusting as you go will make you more successful, because the ability to be flexible and adapt to changing conditions is a key success principle. So, ...
    • Goals – What Are They Good For?
      I’ve been reading Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, by Daniel H. Pink.  I expect I’ll be writing an article about Motivation when I’m done with it.  But while the book does question the value of setting goals, I am still a big fan of them.  In Drive, the studies seem to discount ...
    • Goals and Actions and Strategies – Oh, MY!
      I was on the TAXI Forum and I came upon this thread “Post your Goals after attending the Rally” (the yearly conference for TAXI Members). While reading through people’s responses to the question, I noticed that most posts were a combination of goals, actions and strategies, with the posters conflating their intended actions, strategies and ...
    • Goals and Success
      In my practice I come across a lot of artists with big dreams. Whether it’s a Grammy Award Winning music career, winning an Oscar or getting a show at MOMA, we dream of a level of success, recognition and income for our creative efforts. It’s human nature to dream of success, however you ...
    • Goals That Get Results
      Goal setting is a skill critical to creating success in any area of your life. But expressing what you want in your life in a goal that really works can be a complex and challenging process.
    • How to Build Your List with Elizabeth Edwards
      List Building might not be the sexy topic that Social Media is however “The List” is a key ingredient to the success of your business. Independent artist and small labels alike need a large list of raving fans if they want to be successful.
    • How to Create a Fanbase From Scratch
      Back in February, I interviewed Ariel Hyatt about how to create a successful crowd funding campaign. The first thing you need to build a successful crowdfunding campaign is, well, a CROWD! It seems obvious, I know – and yet you’d be shocked how often I get this question from people who have 150 names on their email ...
    • How to Create a Values-Based Career
      We hear the term battered around, but do you really know what your values are? Values are what you, personally, consider to be really and truly important. And here’s the challenge – this is completely subjective and often completely unconscious.
    • How to Create a Values-Based Career
      What does that mean, really? We talk a lot about values, family values, good values – whatever. But do you really know what your values are – consciously? And how exactly do they affect your career choices and path? Your values are the basis of your self-esteem, self-confidence and how you ...
    • How to Create Buzz and Stimulate Word-of-Mouth Marketing, An Interview with Bob Baker
      On this call, author and speaker Bob Baker dissected and examined buzz and the elusive qualities that create ideas that spread.
    • How to Create Focus
      At any given moment, on any given day, the average person is thinking about 14 different things – Does that sound familiar? Between the Day Job (for many Artists), family, your personal needs (such as exercise), and your ambitions for creating your business as a professional in the Arts & Entertainment Industry, life can be ...
    • How to Create Successful New Year’s Resolutions
      What Makes a Successful Resolution? Every year, people make New Year’s Resolutions – losing weight, exercising more, swearing less – all different kinds of resolutions. And usually, by about 3-4 weeks into the year, those resolutions have fallen by the wayside, to be chalked up as “Oh, well, better luck next year” (if you’re an optimist) ...
    • How to Do What you Fear
      How do you take the day-to-day actions that feal scary or hard? Here are a few tips to make it easier.
    • How to Embrace Your Unique Voice as an Artist
      As children we are taught, by our parents, our teachers, our siblings and our peers, that in order to be loved, we must blend in. We must conform our uniqueness to be “appropriate”. And its an important skill to have – to know society’s rules and be able to act accordingly with volition. But as artists, ...
    • How to Get Started on Twitter
      I’ve done several calls over the last 2 years that refer to Twitter directly or indirectly, and there have been folks on those calls who either JUST started or have not yet started their Twitter account. If this is you, what are you waiting for? Feeling overwhelmed and just don’t ...
    • How to Implement the Learning
      There is a lot to learn about how to succeed in your business – whether it’s Music, Art, Film, Dance. Here at the Artist’s Marketing & Business Academy, we strive to teach you all that you need to know to create the career of your dreams. But it’s not enough to simply learn. Knowledge without implementation ...
    • How to Integrate Social Media into Your Multiple Streams Business
      With Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Reverbnation, My Space, Youtube and on and on), you have an unprecedented opportunity to connect with, interact with and deepen your relationship with your fans, clients and customers – FOR FREE! For every artist who is taking great advantage of these tools, there are hundreds of you who are using ...
    • How to Maintain Consistent Growth and Development
      Have you ever pushed yourself out of your comfort zone?  You know, created something really different, taken a risk that felt scary and hard, pushed through a tough learning curve, talked to someone who totally intimidated you? And after that push – did you feel the almost irresistible urge to pull back to your safety zone ...
    • How to Manage Cash Flow for Your Art Business
      Do you know the number 1 reason businesses fail?  Cash Flow. Or to use business terminology, insufficient capital or operating funds. Knowing how to manage your finances (business and personal), manage your cash flow and plan your cash flow management is critical to your success. In this class Debra will show you how to take your business ...
    • How to Manage Conflicting Priorities
      In our complex, day-to-day lives, we have a multitude of priorities calling for our attention. Some call in a whisper. Others scream from the rooftops. And the soft voice of the things that we most long to accomplish is often drowned out by the fires and clamoring of these conflicting priorities. ...
    • How to Manage Your Marketing – The Contact Management System
      Marketing is creating an environment in which people feel comfortable enough to buy from you,  over and over again. Sounds like a great idea, right? But what exactly does that mean in terms of day to day actions?  And how do you systematize creating that environment? Does this sound familiar? You’ve got a pile of business cards on ...
    • How to Move Past Your Fear of Success or Failure
      Do you feel confronted by the specter of fear or success? When you start to take action to move your career forward, does it feel like you’re pushing against a wall? Or does that wall stop you dead in your tracks? This question comes up often, “How to I move past my fear of success or fear ...
    • How to Prepare for a Successful Crowd Funding Campaign, an Interview with Ariel Hyatt
      In today’s DIY Music Business, many artists are looking to crowd funding to replace the financing that a record deal used to provide. But the success rates of crowd funding efforts in the music industry are not all Amanda F. Palmer stories. It’s not the get rich quick solution to your financial woes. Luckily for us, ...
    • How to Use Feedback and Criticism Constructively
      The most successful artists (and people) have made an art of receiving and implementing feedback. But for the rest of us, feedback can be really hard to hear. It can be painful. It can trigger all of our negative beliefs both about our own worth and about the probability of our success.
    • How to Use Goals, Actions and Strategies to Craft a Plan
      In Part One of this article – Goals and Actions and Strategies – Oh, MY! – I clarified the differences between goals, actions and strategies and talked about why that is a difference that makes a difference. In this article, I’m going to explain how you can design a plan that employs all three aspects. In my ...
    • How to Write the Dreaded Business Plan
      “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” Benjamin Franklin We’ve all heard this quote, and yet, we struggle and resist against writing a business plan. For most artists and creatives, there’s the myth that the plan will cramp your creativity. But what my private clients discover over and over again, is that the plan empowers ...
    • If You Build It, They Will Come
      Or Will They? Many artists in the music industry believe that all they have to do is record a CD and their audience is sure to show up. I believe that this mythology has had a detrimental impact on the DIY musicians’ success promoting their music. So, let’s deconstruct this idea and really take ...
    • Innovate or Perish
      I am sick and tired of reading articles and blogposts that scream out “… doomsday – the sky is falling, the music industry is dead – it was killed by the internet. Blah, blah, frikkin’ blah!” Enough already!  It’s just so much crap!  The music industry isn’t dead.  IT’S CHANGED!  What’s dead are the companies that ...
    • Internet Marketing 101
      SEO! SEM! PPC! Oh My! The internet has paved the way for the Artist Entrepreneur to create your own career without waiting for the record deal, the publishing deal or anybody to “discover” you. But learning what you need to know and figuring out how to apply it to your business can quickly become overwhelming. In this ...
    • Internet Marketing and Social Media –Waste of Time or Key to Success in the New Music Business?
      The internet has paved the way for the Artist Entrepreneur to create your own career without waiting for the record deal, the publishing deal or anybody to “discover” you. But learning what you need for your business can be quickly overwhelming – do you need a website?  What should be on it?  What about Facebook?  Twitter? ...
    • Internet Marketing and the Artist Entrepreneur
      Whether you’re in music, film, dance, the visual arts or writing, the presence of the Internet has significantly changed your industry in the last 20 years. For many of the big corporations who in the past controlled your industry, these changes have been terrifying, threatening their very existence. For the artist entrepreneur, the DIY artist, the ...
    • Is Action Your Missing Piece?
      In my fifteen years as a business coach for the professionally creative and creative entrepreneurs, I’ve seen a lot of incredibly smart, very talented people struggle to bring their dreams to fruition. When I first started – I believed that this was largely due to a lack of knowledge in business fundamentals and business skills. Which ...
    • Leadership
      I believe that Leadership, or the lack thereof, underlies many if not all of the challenges that we are experiencing in today’s world. But what is Leadership?
    • Maintaining Focus in the Face of Chaos – 1st Key
      The Holiday Season can be so joyfully chaotic, can’t it?  Parties and travel and family (with all the baggage that goes with that!).  For many performers there are also holiday gigs and holiday gift promotions to promote on top of that.  It can all be so overwhelming.  So many things to do, so many demands ...
    • Maintaining Motivation
      If you want to not only create motivation in yourself, but also be able to maintain it over time, the type of reasons to do something are also critically important. When you are looking at your reasons for doing something – you want your reasons to be forward motivated, not away-from motivated.
    • Manage Your Emotions – the 4th Key to Maintaining Focus in the Face of Chaos
      Just to refresh your memory, in the 1st Key, we looked at the big list, and in the 2nd Key, took everything off the plate that we could.  In the 3rd Key we talked about getting help and delegating.  But one of the biggest problems in maintaining focus during times of chaos and stress are ...
    • Managing Conflicting Priorities
      At any given moment, on any given day, you could be doing a hundred different things, right? And at any given moment on any given day, you probably see half a dozen things that seem to be of equal urgency and priority. But you’re just one person. So how do you choose the right action?
    • Marketing 101
      Marketing is fundamental to your success. If you’re out to make a prosperous living doing what you love, it just won’t happen without marketing. Yet few artists spend much time learning this foundational set of skills.
    • Marketing for Musicians
      This is a post I put up on the FAR-West list-serve (Folk Alliance Region-West).  It got a fair bit of reaction and so I thought I’d share it with you. Warning – a bit of a rant here… And I expect I’ll be flamed, but that’s just fine with me, because one of my jobs as ...
    • Meetup.com Creating Community in Your Community
      Meetup.com was mentioned in response to a question from the March 2009 Ask Coach Debra call.  The question was about finding and/or building community with fellow artists.  I have found meetup to be an incredible tool for finding and creating community centered around common interests. I have been both a Meetup organizer with my Bay Area ...
    • Mining the Gold from Your Contacts
      This class will cover the heart of relationship marketing (pun intended). Making that initial contact with a prospective client, customer or fan is just the beginning of a long and beautiful and hopefully productive relationship. Knowing how to turn an initial contact into a relationship is a key success skill.
    • Money Management: Building Your Financial Foundation
      Many of us think our trouble with money is that we just don’t have enough. If we had more money, our problems would disappear. But the vast majority of lottery winners are broke within 3 years. The problem isn’t the money – it’s how we think about, manage, and use this essential resource. “Money is only a tool. ...
    • Motivation and Momentum – the Missing Ingredients to Effective Time Management
      The Missing Ingredients to Effective Time Management
    • Motivation and Momentum-The Missing Keys to Successful Time Management
      What is motivation, really? It is what drives your behavior. And according to the experts in the sciences of neurology and behavior – 95% of what drives our behavior as human beings is unconscious!
    • Multiple Streams of Art/Music Income
      So how do you break out of the familiar system, and build a successful business as an artist? The key is Multiple Streams of Art/Music Income. Multiple Streams of Art/Music Income is a powerful, comprehensive way to approach your business as a whole and your marketing strategy in specific.
    • Multiple Streams of Income
      I’ve been following this model in building my business and it has made a tremendous impact on my income, on my success with my clients and on how much fun I have working! While these products are primarily focused on Coaching or Service and Consulting businesses, I’ve very successfully coached my clients in the Arts and Entertainment ...
    • Multiple Streams Step 1: Niche Picking
      Designing your marketing around a Niche can enable you to have a major impact on a small budget. Since most Artists are working with a limited to non-existent marketing budget – Niche Marketing can give you a tremendous advantage over your competition.
    • Multiple Streams Step 2: Elicit Their Problems
      you chose your niche. Now that you know who you’re marketing to, the next step is to Elicit Their Problems. What does your ideal customer most NEED? WANT? DESIRE? What drives him or her?
    • Multiple Streams Step 3: Find Solutions
      In steps 1 and 2 of the Multiple Streams business model, you’ve chosen your niche and discovered their problems, needs and desires, as well as the language they particularly use to describe those things. Now that you know their problems, the next step is to explore how you are the perfect and best solution ...
    • Multiple Streams Step 4: Develop Your Product Funnel
      Most people create products haphazardly – this step was about how to use your Vision of your business and career to create products that lead your customers deeper into relationship with you and create lifelong fans.
    • Multiple Streams Step 5: Generate Traffic
      The major purpose of marketing, for any business, is to create awareness and desire for you and your product. You can have the finest quality product. But if no one knows about it – how can you create a prosperous living? This isn’t about forcing people or manipulating people. It’s about giving people ...
    • Multiple Streams Step 6: Convert Prospects
      A lot of marketing and sales programs talk about how to Drive Traffic – and we cover that critical area in Step 5.  But if all you do is get people to “Like” your Fan Page or even sign up on your email list – you will not succeed. The key to success in your business ...
    • Multiple Streams Step 7: Strengthen Relationships
      All the principles you’ve put into practice and hard work that you’ve done in the previous steps come together in this 7th Step of the Multiple Streams of Income business model. Your pink spoon and product funnel draw them deeper into relationship with you. The research you’ve done on your niche, their language and preferences and your ...
    • Multiple Streams Step 8: BOP Positioning
      The final step of the Multiple Streams of Art / Music Income process, establishing your BOP (Bold, Outrageous, Provocative) Positioning, is bigger than your Branding, or your USP (Unique Selling Proposition). Your BOP Position is about who you are and what you stand for as an artist, as a business and as a human being. What is ...
    • MUSIC INDUSTRY SECRETS – Trends in Radio Panel
      I was invited to attend this panel sponsored by ReverbNation and hosted by The Knitting Factory last week. The Panelists were: Moderator: Valerie Gurka, Marketing Director – Knitting Factory Entertainment Lynda McLaughlin Producer – Premiere Radio Networks, Founder/Partner – LYVA Music and Espresso Sounds Publishing. Liz Berg Assistant General Manager – WFMU Radio Seth Hillinger, Creative Technologist – iHeartRadio, Organizer ...
    • Music Licensing with Sarah Gavigan – An Insider’s Guide to Getting Your Music Placed in Films, TV Shows and Ads
      In these times of Music Industry upheaval and uncertainty, Music Licensing is one of the few areas of the industry that offers clear income potential to the entrepreneurial artist. I’m thrilled to have Sarah Gavigan as a guest this month, to give us an insider’s look into the Music Licensing business.   In this class you’ll discover: The range ...
    • Music Marketing in the Real World – An Interview with Michael Brandvold
      KISS, yeah the band. The guy who spits blood and sticks out his tongue. The band that wears more makeup and higher heels than your mom. What can you learn about marketing from them? KISS is alot more that just caskets and condoms. Michael Brandvold will share with Debra Russell some of the marketing lessons he learned ...
    • My Father Gave Me
      Today is my Father’s 87th birthday.  He almost made it.  He died on July 15th. I post today, my first post since his passing, in honor of his birthday. My father was a tremendous influence on my life. I can’t even begin to detail all the gifts he gave me. I was honored to give the ...
    • Niche Marketing
      YouTube highlight video of Niche Marketing workshop
    • Niche Marketing – How Thinking Small Can Payoff Big
      What is a Niche, really? And why is everybody talking about Niche Marketing? Many business owners are afraid to define their niche on the mistaken premise that they will lose business as a result. The truth is just the opposite. Designing your marketing around a Niche can enable you to have a major impact on a small budget. ...
    • Niche Marketing – How Thinking Small Can Payoff BIG!
      What is a Niche, really?  And why is everybody talking about Niche Marketing?  According to About.com a Niche Market is a narrowly defined group of potential customers.  Let me be really clear about this – Niche is not about you.  It’s not about your product or your genre.  It’s about them, your customers/clients/fans.  It’s about ...
    • No Failure – Only Feedback
      Over the last few months, I’ve been doing a series of calls for the Artists Marketing & Business Academy based on Christopher Howard’s Assumptions for Empowered Leadership. For this edition of the Words to the Wise Newsletter, I’m focusing on Assumption #9: “Only feedback – no failure; therefore utilize everything” I’ll go much deeper into how to ...
    • Opportunity Overwhelm
      I recently had a very interesting conversation with a client who called for some in-between-session support. He called because he was feeling completely stuck.  He was swamped with having so much to do, so many opportunities he could be taking advantage of, and he felt completely overwhelmed. He had no idea how to prioritize all the ...
    • Overcoming Fear
      Fear is an emotion. Courage is a skill. We will show you ways to develop the skill of courage in response to the emotion of fear … so you can move forward and achieve your desired level of success.
    • Planning for the New Year – Part Five
      Every year, I take some personal time to assess, adjust, write new goals for the New Year and make a plan for achieving those goals. I’d like to share part of this process with you – and encourage you to use it for yourself to create a powerful, prosperous and joyful 2011. I ...
    • Planning for the New Year – Part Four
      Every year, I take some personal time to assess, adjust, write new goals for the New Year and make a plan for achieving those goals. I’d like to share part of this process with you – and encourage you to use it for yourself to create a powerful, prosperous and joyful 2011. I ...
    • Planning for the New Year – Part One
      Every year, I take some personal time to assess, adjust, write new goals for the New Year and make a plan for achieving those goals. I’d like to share part of this process with you – and encourage you to use it for yourself to create a powerful, prosperous and joyful 2011. I ...
    • Planning for the New Year – Part Seven
      Every year, I take some personal time to assess, adjust, write new goals for the New Year and make a plan for achieving those goals. I’d like to share part of this process with you – and encourage you to use it for yourself to create a powerful, prosperous and joyful 2011. I ...
    • Planning for the New Year – Part Six
      Every year, I take some personal time to assess, adjust, write new goals for the New Year and make a plan for achieving those goals. I’d like to share part of this process with you – and encourage you to use it for yourself to create a powerful, prosperous and joyful 2011. I ...
    • Planning for the New Year – Part Three
      Every year, I take some personal time to assess, adjust, write new goals for the New Year and make a plan for achieving those goals. I’d like to share part of this process with you – and encourage you to use it for yourself to create a powerful, prosperous and joyful 2011. I ...
    • Planning for the New Year – Part Two
      Every year, I take some personal time to assess, adjust, write new goals for the New Year and make a plan for achieving those goals. I’d like to share part of this process with you – and encourage you to use it for yourself to create a powerful, prosperous and joyful 2011. I ...
    • PR vs. Advertising
      Small Business owners who do not have a background in marketing often confuse PR (public Relations) and advertising.  Advertising refers to a very specific thing – buying space/time in a public medium such as print, radio, TV, or billboard.  Public relations refers to everything else we do to promote ourselves and our business. Frankly, unless you’ve ...
    • Procrastination – A Closer Look
      In the August Newsletter, I wrote about procrastination and I promised to write more about it in the Artist’s EDGE Blog. And here it is 5 months later. The truth is, I’ve been procrastinating about blogging. Oh, the irony! In the Newsletter, my advice is to ask yourself, what’s really going on. So — let’s ...
    • Procrastination as Information
      When clients admit to procrastinating on an action in session, they are usually shrouded in shame and embarrassment. As if somehow they are a failure, because they’ve been procrastinating. Does this sound familiar: It feels like there’s a part of you that knows you “should” be doing this action and that part even wants to be doing ...
    • Procrastination is Keeping Me Waiting
      One of the most frequently asked question in my Ask Coach Debra calls is how to deal with procrastination. Very often we know what we need to do.  And yet somehow, we can’t get ourselves to sit down and do it! All of the Time Management structures and systems you’ve learned to create in the Time Management ...
    • Procrastination vs. Keeping My Word to Myself
      How do I get myself to do what I’m “supposed” do? So often, that’s what procrastination looks like. I’m supposed to be doing “A”, but instead I’m doing “B”. I’m supposed to get up and shower, but instead I’m cuddling with my kitty and drinking more coffee. But perhaps the problem is in the way I ...
    • Project Management – The Key to Getting Stuff Done!
      Too much to do! It all feels equally urgent! Oi – where do I start? Sound familiar? We have so many demands on us – both externally – people wanting us to get stuff done for them – and internally – fulfilling our dreams and goals. How do you manage it ...
    • Project Management – The Performance Results Description Tool
      The PRD allows you to visually link your goals to your daily activities as well as develop a working plan for how you’ll reach those goals.
    • S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Road Map to Success
      So you’ve set some goals. So now, how do you take those juicy goals from inspiring concept to real world success? In this class Debra lays out the 7-step “S.P.E.C.I.A.L.” Road Map to Success.
    • S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Step 1: Starting Point Assessment – Where Are You NOW?
      Once they’ve set a goal, most people make the mistake of jumping right into action doing the stuff they think they should.  But how can you successfully plan for a journey without knowing where you’re starting from? In any journey from Point A to Point B – identifying Point A (your starting point) will enable you ...
    • S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Step 3: Expand What’s Possible
      Step 3 of the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Roadmap to Success method for achieving your goals is “Explore all the ways to get there.”  Most people, when they Set a Goal, jump right into action doing all the things they know to do in order to achieve that goal. The problem is that they don’t know what they don’t ...
    • S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Step 4: How to Create The Plan
      Once they’ve set a goal, most people make the mistake of jumping right into action doing the stuff they think they should. Which may get them to a level of success, but more often they get stuck at that level, because they are only doing what they already know to do – And they don’t know what ...
    • S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Step 5: Implement the Plan
      GET INTO ACTION – Finally So, you’ve explored your starting point, created your vision of the ending point, explored all the ways to get there and created a plan. And now, finally, it’s time to put that plan into action! In Step 5 of the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Roadmap to Success, you implement the plan that came out of all ...
    • Self-Promotion for Performing Artists with Peter McDowell
      Not sure about how to write a press release or to approach press? Unable to move forward in promoting an upcoming live performance or CD release?
    • Setting Goals for 2011
      Every year, I take some personal time to assess, adjust, write new goals for the New Year and make a plan for achieving those goals. I’d like to share part of this process with you – and encourage you to use it for yourself to create a powerful, prosperous and joyful 2011. I hope you ...
    • Social Media – An Interview With Ariel Hyatt, CyberPR
      Twitter, My Space, Face Book, oh my! Social Media is everywhere – but what is it really? And how do you incorporate it into your smart marketing plan, efficiently and effectively? Debra interviews Ariel Hyatt from Cyber PR
    • Social Media – The Art of Engagement
      Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube – OH MY! Social Media is everywhere and it’s clear that there are some Artists and business owners in the Arts & Entertainment Industry (including the Music Business, Film Industry and Publishing) who are using it to build real world success.  But there are a lot of people who are overwhelmed and ...
    • Social Media Do’s and Don’ts
      Just read a great blog post with an overview of Do’s and Don’ts in the Social Media world. The How To’s of Social Media (Resource no longer available) By Talia DeVault Having just returned from a Bay Area Women in Film event on “Utilizing Social Media,” I felt compelled to share the knowledge of the creative professionals that spoke on ...
    • Social Media Marketing – Part 1
      I’m completely fired up about doing the social media thing the right way – and I no longer feel completely overwhelmed by it. And so, of course, I want to help you feel the same way.
    • Solution #1: Time Management
      What it feels like: I need more time!! I need a 48 hour day to get it all done! You have so much to do and never enough time to do it. When you finally manage some time to work on your creative career, there is so much to do: practice your craft, create new work/product, look for ...
    • Solution #10: Lack of Belief
      What it feels like: I don’t really believe that I can make it in this business. No matter what you do or what you accomplish, it just doesn’t “feel” good enough. That little voice on the inside keeps bringing up all your obstacles: “You don’t take your art seriously enough” “You just suck at the business stuff!” “There is SO ...
    • Solution #2: How to Create Success in the Arts and Entertainment Industry
      What it feels like: This business is so complicated, ever-changing, and such a mystery. Where’s my How-To Manual for Success? How do I get myself seen, heard, read and most importantly HIRED by the right people? What about all the dangers and pitfalls I keep hearing about? Other people have succeeded in this business, how the heck did they ...
    • Solution #3: Lack of Support for Your Dreams
      What it feels like: I feel like I’m always working alone and everyone and everything around me is telling me I’ll never make it. You’re surrounded by people and messages that your art is not a Real Job. Your family/friends don’t seem to take your ambitions seriously. You don’t know how to get taken seriously in the business. You don’t ...
    • Solution #4: Money and Finances
      What it feels like: I’m useless when it comes to money. Where does it all go? How do I budget money when I don’t know from week to week how much I’ll bring in? How do I know when I’m making enough money from my art to quit my day job? When I start thinking about dealing with money ...
    • Solution #5: Organization
      What it feels like: I’m so disorganized! My desk is such a mess! I can never find what I need. Your space feels messy, cluttered and stifling You waste a lot of time hunting for things you can’t find. You have a tough time keeping track of your many ideas and projects. You don’t have good systems in place for ...
    • Solution #6: Lack of Consistency and Sustainability
      What it feels like: There is no consistency to my success. I start marketing, then I get too busy to market and then opportunities begin to dry up and so I get back to marketing…. You make a commitment to working on your career and you’re good for a few days or weeks, but then it all ...
    • Solution #7: Fear of Success or Failure
      What it feels like: You can’t seem to get past the first big hurdle – FEAR – It grips you like a cold metal fist in your gut. It feels like a vicious circle and you just don’t know how to break free. You’re afraid to say what you really want, because what if you achieve it and ...
    • Solution #8: Lack of Balance
      What it feels like: You’ve got nothing left. You’ve lost the joy you used to feel in the creative act. You feel so burned out you can barely stand to drag yourself to your gig and your relationships are falling apart. You pour all your time and energy into the day job that supports you day-to-day, and have little ...
    • Solution #9: Creativity Blockage
      What it feels like: You feel so blocked. When you do get a few minutes to be creative, it just doesn’t flow. You sit down to create and nothing comes, or what comes feels horrible. You have been pushing so hard and working so hard that you feel burnt out and there is nothing left to give to ...
    • Some Fun Alternative Definitions of FEAR
      False Evidence Appearing Real – the canonical one False Emotions Appearing Real Future Events Appear Real False Expectations about Reality Finding Excuses and Reasons For Everything A Reason F*%# Everything and Run Failure Expected and Received Fighting Ego against Reality Frantic Effort to Appear Real Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and Retaliation Act of 2002 A positive take on it: Feelings Expressed Allows Relief Face Everything and Recover And my ...
    • Succeed in the Arts Business – an Interview with Gilli Moon
      This month I am privileged to interview Gilli Moon, author of the book, I Am A Professional Artist – The Key To Survival and Success in the World of the Arts. Join us for some practical steps to succeed and survive in the arts business and enjoy your artistry at the same time.
    • Systems Creation – Work Smarter, Not Harder
      Ever feel like a rat on a wheel, spinning and spinning and not getting where you want to go? A great way to get off the wheel is to set up systems that automate your business. Anything you do more than twice in your business will be easier, faster, and simpler to delegate if you ...
    • Taylor Swift – Is Her Career Over?
      I wrote this to Bob Lefsetz in response to his rallying cry for Taylor Swift and against the almost universal online and mainstream media bashing.
    • The Art of Leadership – In Your Career, In Your Business, In Your Life
      By choosing to pursue a career in which you are, in essence, the CEO, CFO and COO of your own company, you have chosen to be a Leader. By choosing to pursue a career in the Arts and Entertainment Industry, you’ve also chosen to be a leader, not just of your own life, but ...
    • The Art of Outsourcing – An interview with Tiamo De Vettori
      This month we interviewed the LA Music Awards’ Male Singer/Songwriter of the Year, Tiamo De Vettori, on The Art of Outsourcing – how to get volunteers to enthusiastically do the things that you don’t like to do. He also touched on cross promotion – how to minimize your work and multiply your fan base, and on ...
    • The Devil on Your Shoulder
      In my life, I’ve done a lot of work with the critic’s voice, learning techniques and getting quite good at transforming my inner critic to support and inform my forward progress (rather than criticize and impede it). I’ve gotten to the point where, these days, I rarely hear a critical voice in my head. And in ...
    • The Economy and Your Business
      There’s a saying floating around out there among the financial and personal growth Gurus – “I refuse to participate in the recession.” I intend to help you come up with an even better, more empowering mantra to keep you focused and clear in this time of challenge, uncertainty and fear.
    • The Energy of Belief
      I’ve been thinking a lot about the nature of belief as a result of the class in the Artists Marketing & Business Academy called Transform Your Belief – The Key to Success. So forgive me, but I may get a little woo-woo in this post. It seems to me that the law according to physics is ...
    • The Internet Marketing Expert – an Interview with Patrick Schwerdtfeger
      Having seen Patrick speak, I’m absolutely thrilled to have him join us and teach us about Step 5 – Generating Traffic: Over 98% of websites get fewer than 5 visitors each day and a fantastic website without traffic does nothing to build your business. Attracting high-quality website visitors doesn’t have to cost a fortune. ...
    • The Law of Attraction – Revisited
      My most recent Artist’s EDGE Newsletter has been generating lots of conversation. Here’s a great email that I just received from Andrea Anderson: “Without doubt, negative thinking is dangerous and self-destructive. On the other hand, saying that a person can change any circumstances outside themselves is quite dangerous and puts them in a position of thinking ...
    • The Law of Attraction – Truth or Fiction?
      In the last year, The Secret has brought the Universal Law of Attraction into the awareness of the broad public mind. But for some of us, this was no secret. Whether you loved the movie or hated it (and I had both visceral reactions), there is no denial that The Secret movie has raised awareness ...
    • The Magic of Action – Free Webinar!
      Do you struggle with procrastination? Are you overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stuff to do – so much you are frozen by it? Or are you really busy – but lack confidence that you’re doing the right things to create success? Action is required to bring any goal to fruition. Without action, inspiration and ambition are merely cool ...
    • The Marketing Cycle with Music Marketing Expert Bobby Borg
      In the old paradigm of the Music Business, the Record Company took care of the marketing and the Artist took care of the music. Those days are dead and gone – It’s a DIY Music Business. So what do you need to know in order to handle marketing your music? In this class taught by Special Guest, Bobby ...
    • The Mindset of a Leader – Part 2
      In this second of three classes on the Mindset of a Leader, we continue the discussion about what a leader thinks and believes. When we think about leaders, usually our focus is on their behavior and how their behavior influences the world around them. And perhaps we try to emulate that behavior with varying levels ...
    • The Mindset of a Leader – Part 3
      When we think about leaders, usually our focus is on their behavior and how their behavior influences the world around them. And perhaps we try to emulate that behavior with varying levels of success. The reason we have varying levels of success is because behaviors come from underlying beliefs about our world and our place within ...
    • The Mindset of a Leader – Part 1
      When we think about leaders, usually our focus is on their behavior and how their behavior influences the world around them. And perhaps we try to emulate that behavior with varying levels of success. The reason we have varying levels of success is because behaviors come from underlying beliefs about our world and our place ...
    • The Shy Singer an Interview with Vikki Flawith
      Debra was thrilled to interview singer/songwriter Vikki Flawith, former Artist’s EDGE Member, Champion of the Creatively Introverted & Socially Terrified, opera-howling Blogger, procrastinating Painter, housework-hating Vocalist, power-napping Composer and Aquarian Cyber-Geek. Vikki is a well-respected vocal teacher. And she has signed multi-track deals with several music publishers.
    • Time Management 101 – The Art of Juggling
      “If only I had more time! Then I could do all that I want to do!” There are 24 hours/day, 7 days/week. That won’t change. So how do you use what you have to create the life that you want? The solution isn’t by figuring out how to do more stuff.  It’s figuring out how to adjust ...
    • Time Management Bookends – A Framework for Success
      Time Management is the Number One System that will enable you to achieve sustainable success in your business and your life. If your Time Management isn’t working – nothing else will. I have worked with literally hundreds of clients on the issues that a poor time management system creates They include: Procrastination Difficulties with prioritization Boundary issues with family and friends Feelings ...
    • Top 5 Twitter Mistakes
      I’ve been using Twitter for just over a year, now. And I admit it, I’m hooked. Twitter represents an unprecedented opportunity for connecting with your fans, creating new fans and promoting your music or business for little or no money. But I see a lot of people making the same mistakes ...
    • Transform Your Belief – The Key To Success
      Just as strong muscles help you win a ball game, strong positive beliefs boost your energy and confidence, create opportunities, attract powerful partners, clear obstacles from your path, and propel you effortlessly into action and results. And just like muscles, you need to build and strengthen those beliefs – by using them.
    • Transform Your Inner Critic into Your Staunchest Ally
      Are you plagued by internal doubts and self-criticism? Think you’re not good enough, or don’t deserve the success you long for? Do you find that even when you know what to do, you find all sorts of reasons not to do it? We all carry an internal critic in our heads, and it never shuts up! ...
    • Transitioning to Full-time With Your Art/Music Business
      Whether you’re working a day job in the corporate world or teaching within your craft to sustain yourself, many artists and musicians dream someday they will earn enough to go full-time with their art. And just as many have given up on that dream, because it seems out of reach. Or because they tried to ...
    • Twitter for Artists – An Interview with Carla Lynn Hall
      If you’re not using, or haven’t gotten the hang of, Twitter yet, it’s a great social networking tool that enables you to get your point across in 140 characters or less. It’s a great way to start and build relationships in less time than it take to send an email. People who are unfamiliar with ...
    • Unblock Your Creativity
      As professionals in the field of creativity, we rely on accessing our creativity to create success. That creativity needs to be engaged, not just in creating your product, but also in your marketing, your systems, every aspect of your business. But our creativity can be like a sensitive child. And it can shut down for many different ...
    • Venues and Artists – A Complex Relationship
      Last week, an interesting conversation erupted on a music list-serve that I participate in. I think there is much to be learned from this both by the Venue Owners/Bookers and the Performing Artists who depend on those bookers for their gigs. I have removed all of the names/locations because the real issues here ...
    • Website Maximizer: Is your website selling you?
      Jeri Goldstein helps you to focus on your unique audiences, and create a unique experience for each of your audiences by making small and sometimes huge changes in your web presence set up. In addition to your main web site, we touch on your blogs and your social marketing sites. This class ...
    • Websites and the Artist Entrepreneur
      Internet Marketing Part Deux In last month’s Newsletter, I talked about the importance of not only having a presence on the Internet but having a presence that would be easily discoverable by your prospective customers, clients and fans. And that the trick to being found is through the use of good key words and SEO principles. But ...
    • Welcome to the Success eCourse
      Dear , Welcome and thank you for making a commitment to yourself and your own success! You will be receiving one email each week for the next 10 weeks. Please add Success-Solutions Artists-Edge.com to your address book, to be sure you receive the Solutions to your Challenges. Because people have trouble with long emails and because ...
    • What do YOU stand for?
      I was having dinner with a client and two new friends the other night.  And we were talking about values and Ben Franklin’s Virtues. Senia, a positive psychology coach, chimed in that she had used her name to create an anagram for her values.  And then we were off!  So we all came up with a ...
    • When Bad Things Happen
      July was a tough month.  It started out well, but one morning I woke up in pain.  I’d done something to my wrist in my sleep.  As that day wore on, the pain got worse until I gave in and went to the ER and after an x-ray they told me it might be broken!  ...
    • When Bad Things Happen, Part 2
      This article is a sequel to the July 2013 Newsletter Article, When Bad Things Happen.  Of course, I meant to get back and complete the article the very next week.  Ah, the best laid plans… But better late than never, right?  I recommend you go back and read that article to give you the back story ...
    • Why Do Artists Need Professional Development?
      Why Do Artists Need Professional Development?
    • WordPress Website Essentials with Jesse Petersen
      You’ve heard me say it again and again, you need your own website. A My Space Facebook or ReverbNation page isn’t enough. To succeed in the 21st Century, you must have a web presence all your own. For most people there are 3 obstacles to creating their own website and in my experience, Wordpress ...
    • WordPress Websites for Musicians – An Interview with Middle Tennessee Music
      I’ve been saying it for years, MySpace, Facebook, ReverbNation – I don’t care – If you are (or want to be) a Professional Musician or financially sustainable Band: YOU MUST HAVE YOUR OWN WEBSITE! Thanks to platforms like WordPress, building your own website or hiring someone to build it for you no longer has to cost thousands ...
    • Working Smarter, Not Harder
      In February, we did a call for the Artists Marketing & Business Academy called, “Create Systems – Work Smarter, Not Harder” to begin to address one of the key mistakes artists make in their business. The essence of this mistake is to think of yourself in terms of a self-employed freelancer, going from gig to ...

    Recommend a Resource

    Return to Resources Home