my first grade teacher used to tell me all the time that patience was a virtue and that good things come to those who wait. she was a nice lady, but she was also a first grade teacher, so what did she know.
i’ve never done well with waiting on things to come to me or work themselves out. i hate situations that i can’t control, and when someone doesn’t believe in me or assumes i’m not concerned about their best interest - i become a very difficult person to be around.
it’s the reason i think i’m good at my job, it’s the reason i think i am so focused, and it’s also the reason that i turn into the hulk when i’m mad.
well the past few weeks i’ve had a really hard damn time being patient.
to give you some background - the past few months i’ve been seeking out new clients to manage. music is very cyclical and as band’s start recording new albums and take a break from touring and being active, things can get very boring for me. the courtship of new bands is one of my least favorite things - mostly because it’s like hitting on a really pretty girl. you know you can treat her better than anyone else, but odds are a lot of other dudes are going to feed her lies, drive her around in a better car, and probably take her to a few more expensive dinner than you can afford. and all you can do is give it your best shot and hope that in the end she’s not naive enough to buy into all that other garbage that shouldn’t really matter.
when a band is looking for a manager - i always assume two things - 1) they probably just got out of a messy situation where someone hurt them and damaged their trust and 2) they have a million people (whether it’s friends, other bands, or even their fellow team members) giving them bad advice about the type of person that should fill that role - especially considering none of those people likely know what it takes to actually do that role properly - and yet no one has probably listened to what they actually want. so needless to say within the first few minutes of talking to a potentially new client - i have to try to figure out all the elements that are in play and decide if i think that a) i’m the right person to get them to where they want to go, b) they are the type of people i want to work with, and c) we share the same vision and goals about what the next step should be. if i can’t answer yes to all 3 of those, i usually walk out of the meeting or get off the call knowing this ain’t gonna happen, cut my losses & move on to the next. it’s a simple and easy process - but it doesn’t mean i don’t get pissed off when i don’t get my way.
lucky for me, the clients i have signed all are doing great things and have me incredibly excited about this coming year. this providence is working on a new record that i think it’s going to define their career and take them to the places we first discussed over sushi in philadelphia 2 years ago. after 6 years, leslie is finally releasing their debut album independently and there feels like there’s some momentum building behind it. and a rocket to the moon is finishing up a stellar first record cycle - finishing off with what i anticipate to be a sellout tour for their first north american headliner, followed by strong first uk and indonesia run, and then beginning work this summer on their 2nd album which has all the makings of becoming the album that should break the band.
the company i work for is in a great place. we’re all very hungry to find new talent, we have a lot of great records coming out this year, and honestly our roster has never been stronger or more diverse. i’ve never felt more support within a company to make sure everyone succeeds than i do right now at aware and it’s an awesome feeling.
so you can understand my frustration, when with all of those positives - i heard that a festival talent buyer with very little experience in managing bands just signed 2 bands that i love and was in the running for, simply based on the fact that the bands thought that firm would add them to all the festivals they book and had a “hipper / more cred roster.”
that’s what threw me over the edge. i’m sure that firm could end up being a great management home to those clients and i didn’t disagree that their roster may have more similar artists to the client. my frustration came from the fact that i know great management comes from being able to size up every aspect of that band’s business, find new ways to increase revenue and create new opportunities, while also being so passionate about the project that you’ll do everything in your power to make sure it’s a success. in both meetings, i felt i had relayed that and i felt i had put myself out there without being a used car salesman.
but after many a night racking my brain and after using the term “stupid sons of bitches” one too many times - i decided to not let it eat me up, and that if they couldn’t see the positives that me & my firm bring to the table - then i hope they get the attention and focus they want some place else. at the end of the day, i shouldn’t rush situations and when the right clients come along, as they always do, i’ll be able to be apart of taking their careers farther than they thought, and that’s a good feeling.
with that peace of mind - i removed work related activities from my evenings & was able to spend the rest of the week doing more important things, like meeting up w/ friends i haven’t seen in awhile, seeing some great movies, continuing to figure out my 30 before 30 list (i’m at 18 right now, so i need more requests) and even doing something i haven’t done in years - going on an actual blind date that i thought went surprisingly well.
so hopefully i’ll be able to continue that trend and not get shot down for a second date, but even if i don’t accomplish those things - what’s the worst that’s going to happen? OK i might blow up a building filled with hipsters and try to kill a bunch of babies but really the world needs less hipsters…and babies. win, win.
