The Top Five Reasons Why Indie Musicians Quit

Having spoken to hundreds of musicians throughout my music career, it is interesting to note how some have let the dream fade into the past in favour of a life of normality, whilst others are still walking the yellow brick road in search of stardom. The question we ask is, why do people give up and what happens next?

1. Finances.

If its not already hard enough having to be the one man band in every area of musicianship, consider the amount of money which needs to poured into a single act in order for it to achieve notable attention and success. Most musicians are poor souls trying to earn a living from their talent. But talent alone doesnt generally take an independent master of music to the height of comfort and prosperity if he remains unsigned indefinitely!

The costs of reputable legal representation, CD pressing, professional studio services and equipment, to name just a few, are high enough to cause even a wealthy individual to hide away his wallet.

More and more musicians are going it alone in the hope that they will be able to snap a deal at some point, which would relieve the financial headache and burden. So they keep going and going until the coffers are worn thin. But still, for many, when is that break ever going to come?

2. Commitments.

Its a classic story. Bobs been playing in a band for six years. He has his heart set on stardom and fame. But then one day, along comes Mary, who initially loves the attention he receives and finds the whole band thing gives her a buzz. She is drawn to his talent and his soulful, expressive hobby. But one day Mary wants to be the FIRST most important thing in Bobs life and soon he starts to feel the pressure.

His attention to the game is emotionally driven off course, as he frets about how he now has less time to make music and his band mates think he should get rid of Mary! How can he let her mess it up? But Bob cant dump Mary because he loves her and despite this indifference their relationship has been truly wonderful.

Perhaps if he gives it a break for a few years he can always come back to it again, couldnt he?

3. Band Splits.

Yes it happens to the famous as well as the unheard of. Unfortunately disagreements are a fact of life. However if you are a band hoping to rise to the top, constant disagreements do not bode well for your musical career!

Some band members split and dont necessarily quit, but join other bands or go solo. Its much harder to pick up the pieces though if the band are already represented by an agent or label and have commitments to fulfil. The job of an agent or representative is to ensure that disagreements are solved professionally, and small quibbles may be solved over a drink and a game of pool.

Sadly though, getting a group of people to agree to each others opinions, future musical direction, (plus all the hundreds of other little decisions and details that require unanimous agreement) is more than impossible for a good length of time.

4. Pressure.

A word everyone in any industry or vocation is familiar with. If we never had any pressure we would take a lot longer to move ourselves out of the comfortable zone and into the firing squad. And boy do indie musicians get a lot of pressure!

They have the pressure to get noticed.

They have the pressure of making it big.

They have the pressure of making sales.

There is also the pressure to feed a family and pay all the general household bills before making it big.

Pressure is an enemy one can ill afford, but generally shifts us into fifth gear and keeps us soldiering on. I remember talking to a friend who gave up his indie career because the pressure of trying to get heard was causing him nasty headaches.

I remember his quote: Itll kill me and Ill be gone, and then youll hear my song on the radio. Needless to say once he relieved himself of that pressure the headaches vanished. He now works in an office position which pays him well, and he feels he is now compensated well for his input and knowledge.

5. Competition.

Lets face it; we all have a competitive streak. Its what makes the world turn so rapidly and produces experts in all subject and areas.

For the indie musician though, the competition is the biggest drawback to his chances of success.

Its impossible! There so many unsigned people out there, he yells in frustration.

The competition we face today is more apparent due to the visibility of artists online trying to make their way to the top. If we were to go back to the highlights of The Beatles era, we wouldnt know who or where half of these aspiring individuals were!

As many musicians step upon the unsteady bricks of uncertainty; and try with all their might to achieve some online success, many are blown off the sidelines by even more fiercely competitive and power hungry individuals. The competition is so fierce that some eventually decide that its not worth the headache or hassle, and just go back to making music for the reasons they intended originally for the pure love of it!

So there you have it. There are countless many more reasons why musicians quit, but then again, in all fairness there are countless reasons why many don't.

We love music and there will always be reasons to keep making it and proudly showing it off. So before you fall into one of those categories above, think hard about how you intend to manage your own music career and become a winner rather than a quitter.

Carla is a musician and freelance writer with over ten years experience in the music industry. She currently manages independent music label Melodrift Productions, and is the Editorial Assistant for News site http://www.indienewslive.com For detailed information on Carla's career please visit http://www.carla-acheson.co.uk

How to Start an Ebay Business

eBay has become a huge business with people raking in hundreds of dollars selling discounted merchandise ranging from garage sale items to new products and collectibles. Research shows that more than 700,000 people across the world make a living, either part time or full-time selling on eBay. It is interesting to note that as more people generate income from eBay, the greater the number of shoppers attracted to the site.

Most people wanting to start an eBay business come as buyers, get hooked on the bandwagon, learn the art of selling and as they clear the belongings they have set out to sell, they realize that they have started making money as well. Thus, several enterprising individuals who began as part time home based businesses have turned these into thriving companies employing numerous employees.

But just as with all small businesses, one must be aware of certain things while starting an eBay business. There is a huge market with many buyers and lots of competition. The issues dealing with finance, warehousing, payment channels and fulfilling orders also remain equally challenging.

To start an eBay business, is like investing time and effort in any other. So ensure that you have a prudent business plan just like for a traditional business. Also, make sure that it is in congruence with your lifestyle and your needs with attainable goals.

Think about the products that you are going to offer and strategize on how to buy and sell on eBay. What would you prefer to be retail store offering a variety. or a discount merchant with specialized products? Is there anything that distinguishes you from your competitors? Select access to buying products will allow you an edge over your competition.

The trick of buying and selling on eBay would be to buy at a low cost and sell at a premium and thus generate profits. But its not always that simple. You have to think carefully of your strategy for buying products at a price thats low enough to allow you a profit margin when you mark it up to a price that is still attractive to your market. Also account for the turnover and how your profit margin combined with it will support your operations and still deliver a profit to you.

Once you have your business plan all figured out and products decided, you need to register yourself at eBay. Visit eBay and click on the Sell tab at the top of the homepage. Follow the step-by-step instructions to register as an eBay community member. You will have to provide your basic contact information, as well as banking information, such as credit card and checking account numbers. Once that is done, give your business a structure by filing for incorporation or forming a limited liability company.

Since it is a business, whether part-time or full time, keep separate accounting books so as to avoid creating confusion during tax season. Also get insurance for yourself and your eBay business.

Once all the preliminaries are sorted out, there are issues that need to be heeded of a more serious nature. These include paying for your merchandise, stocking goods, receiving payments from customers, as well as financing your business. Although there are many options for all of these, seek out the best suited for you. Stocking can start with garages or basements to save costs in the initial period. You can even use rental storage units and once money starts coming in think of more permanent options like warehouses. You can link up with your customers through payment companies like PayPal, which is an online payment service that enables buyers to pay for their purchases by drawing funds from their credit cards or checking accounts.

After all the logistics are taken care of, you can start your eBay business. Ensure that your web pages are well designed and attractive with good photographs of the products so that customers keep visiting. This is important, as this is the only way for a person to know what he is buying. Decide on which model you want to use to sell your goods, auction model or fixed price model. Packing and shipping need special attention to ensure repeated business. Finally, pay attention to your eBay feedback rating especially designed to help eBay buyers and sellers police each other. As you collect positive ratings, buyers will view your business in a credible light, an extremely critical aspect of eBay.

With all this you are set to becoming a successful entrepreneur on eBay!

William Brister
http://www.BusinessProGuide.com - Detailed Online Business Guide.

Herbal Viagra : A New and Natural Alternative to ED Treatments

Probably everybody has heard of the erectile disorder called ED. Until not long ago, the only remedy for these affections was to use viagra, the magic pill produced by Pfizer. Then, another wonder of the pharmaceutical industry was introduced in the market: another medicine called Cialis, produced by Lilly ICOS LLC, followed shortly by Levitra produced by Bayer, the renowned german company. All these medicines have had and still have a great success on the pharmaceutical market all over the world. Millions of men worldwide use these pills this very moment. Nevertheless, these drugs present several disadvantages.

One of them is their high price. Being the only ones to produce these products, these companies have created a sort of monopoly on the markets throughout the world, and because of this they could practice a very high price. But then several alternatives to the brand variants of these medicines appeared on the market, known as the generic variants. These medicines have not received the FDAs approval to be used in the US, even if these generic drugs are identical to the brand variants, the only difference consisting in the pills` different color.

Another alternative to the common medicines used for treating ED, much cheaper and which has no secondary effects at all is the brand new Herbal Viagra. Its main advantages are the low price comparing to the one of the common viagra, and the same efficient results in treating the ED. An issue that we all have to agree on is the reason why viagra and cialis are so popular throughout the world: and the answer is the hundreds of millions of dollars invested in promoting and in advertising them. In fact, the majority of men taking viagra or cialis should actually be aware of the fact that a better nutrition and a healthier lifestyle can solve their sexual problems.

Another important advantage for using herbal viagra is the lack of secondary effects. A high percent of men using these drugs (viagra or cialis) have accused several secondary effects of all sorts. Herbal Viagra represents a safer alternative from this point of view. Herbal Viagra products usually contain natural aphrodisiacs that have proven their efficacy in raising the sexual appetite and in improving the sexual intercourse.

Almost all the Herbal Viagra varieties are made of antique natural remedies, which were recently given a scientific background. Unlike the common viagra, which one can obtain only after having been subjected to a medical examination, Herbal Viagra does not require a visit to the doctors.

It has also been discovered that a 42% of women suffering from loss of sexual desire have ameliorated their sexual life after having tried a naturist treatment.

Another important point to specify is the fact that Herbal Viagra products nourish the human organism with various amino acids, vitamins and minerals whose effects in the sexual activitys optimization have been scientifically proven.

Trey Livorno wants to inform people interested in ED treatments about a new alternative to viagra , and that is Herbal Viagra . For more information regarding Herbal Viagra , you can visit http://Herbal-Medicine-Life.com.

Website Development - Top 3 Tips for Getting Started & No Longer Feeling Overwhelmed

Do you know today a website is as essential as a business card? Yet many professionals feel overwhelmed with the prospect of setting up their business websites.

Do you feel overwhelmed with the idea of starting your own website? Website Development: Top 3 Tips for Getting Started and No Longer Feeling Overwhelmed provides three easy to follow tips to begin your entry into the world wide web!

1. Create A Name.

One of the first steps for developing a coaching website is creating a business name, and registering a domain name for your website.

A domain name is the keyword before .com, .net, .org, etc. For example the domain name for bayareacoach.com is bayareacoach.

For your coaching business, you ideally want to register a .com domain name. The reason for this is .com is associated with businesses, whereas .org is for non-profits, and .net is for networking companies (i.e. verizon.net).

You can go to any number of free domain name search engines (for example go to directnic.com), to see if your domain name is available. Be patient with this process as it takes a lot of creativity to find a name that has not already been taken.

2. Remember Your Own Name Has Value

With professions that require a personal touch such as coaching or medicine, you will want to register your own name (yourname.com). For example, I own neerapuri.com. Registering a domain name is relatively inexpensive. Sometimes people are more likely to remember your name, than even your business. If they misplace your business card, and try to google your name, your registered personal name will show up in a domain name search.

Once you know a domain name is available, you will want to contact your web designer to know where to register the domain name for your website development. Many professionals do register multiple domain names, given they are so affordable. Usually with your domain name registration, you can set up a free domain forwarding rule that will point any domain you register to your working website. This way, you can focus on developing one really good website, and forward the other inexpensive domain names you registered to your main business website.

3. Registering Your Domain Name

You generally want to register your domain name with the place you are going to host your website- the place it will be held for work by the web designer. For example, if your web designer prefers to host your website on Bluehost.com, then you want to register your domain there.

Once you register your domain name for your website, you will feel marvelous, overcome your fear of websites, and be on your way to your first professional website!

Visit http://www.bayareacoach.com for tips and strategies for marketing your website. Dr. Neera Puri is the founder and CEO of Bayareacoach.com. She is a clinical psychologist and business coach who assists with creative marketing, practice building, and overcoming writing blocks. Contact her at http://www.bayareacoach.com