Do the Hustle

Ah, fear, loathing, and the drudgery of self-promotion. This is the game we play as independent musicians, the big challenge of the one man show. Armed with 1000 copies of the new CD, wielding the the double edged sword of ego and arrogance from a sheath of humble graciousness, I am ready to battle the behemoth of the music industry. It is time to get the new music in the hands of the press, radio (what is left of it), Internet resources, famous people I know, Blogs, and so on. It is time to do the hustle, time to face the business of music, time to market myself from an objective point of view. Step one in this process: writing the press release. I must find the proper superlatives to describe the CD, the music, and myself. I must say nice things about myself, be creative, avoid cliches, convince others (press folks) that what I say is true, to convince them of the same things. My words will become their words. "Really, the CD is great, I am great, the press release says so!"

Oh, but it would be so much more fun if somehow the CD would take on a life of it's own and somehow, magically, land in the right hands, the right ears, which, in turn, would yield the positive press and the gigs that I need. I know, things could be much worse. I also know, things could be so much better as well. I guess this is what keeps me going, pushing forward, and avoiding a day job.

Yep, it is time to do the hustle. Gotta write that press release, gotta make that call, send that e-mail, make that poster, book that gig, route that tour, but, gosh, that song sounds so good, my guitar is right here, have you checked out that old Dylan album?, I need another cup of coffee, I should text my wife, what time is it?, ya know, I haven't checked Facebook in a while...