the AMP Issue 50

"All I needed to do was sing with conviction, speaking my truth from the heart, honestly and straightforwardly, and to offer my words, ideas and music to the audience as if it were one collective friend that I'd known for a very long time." 
— Carole King

In This Issue... 19 pages [about 27 minutes to read] You'll Get...

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• Recommends—  Taste Of Country

• the Biz— WTF? The Real Reason Why Music Is Getting Worse. Act One: [Because...] Music is too easy to make from Rick Beato

• the Greatest Singer Songwriters of All Time— Carole King

• the Greatest Lyrics of All Time— Four iconic stanzas from Carole King

• Mondegreen— Natural Woman by Carole King

• Backstage Pass— Good Is Not Good. But Special... Tips for Creative People from Jason Blume

• Coaching— When Things Don’t Work and What You CAN Do About It

• PS from PS— Be A TrueFan of your TrueFans

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Here’s the playlist

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• Recommends— Taste Of Country from John Fogg

If you're a country music fan, you might want to check out Taste of Country. Think of it as the People Magazine of the country music world— filled with the latest news, stunning pictures of country stars' homes (or as I like to call it, 'Lifestyles of the Rich and Tacky'), and all the gossip you could ever want. From the latest albums to upcoming concerts and everything in between, Taste of Country is your go-to source. 

Recent articles have covered a wide range of topics that every country music enthusiast will enjoy. They've done in-depth features on stars like Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, and Miranda Lambert. You'll find exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes looks at their lives, and even sneak peeks into their lavish homes. 

The site is also a treasure trove for staying updated on the latest music releases and tour dates. For example, they recently highlighted Luke Combs' new album and provided a complete list of his upcoming tour dates. They also featured a heartwarming story about Dolly Parton's latest philanthropic efforts, showcasing her as not just a music icon, but a beloved figure making a difference in the world.

That's not all. Taste of Country has a fun side too, with plenty of articles that dive into the lighter aspects of the country music scene. You'll find quirky pieces like the 'Top 10 Country Music Couples' and 'Most Memorable Red Carpet Moments.' Plus, their photo galleries are a visual treat, capturing everything from the glitz and glam of award shows to candid shots of stars in their everyday lives.

In short, Taste of Country is kind of like your Budlight— a lite, refreshing, and enjoyable way to stay connected with the world of country music. Whether you're looking for the latest news, exclusive interviews, or just a bit of fun gossip, this site has got you covered.

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• the Biz— WTF? The Real Reason Why Music Is Getting Worse from Rick Beato. Act One: [Because...] Music is too easy to make. 

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This is Brilliant!

In his latest video, "Why the Music Business is Getting Worse," Rick Beato delves into the challenges and pitfalls of the contemporary music industry. With his characteristic blend of candor and expertise, Beato explores the factors contributing to the industry's 'decline', offering a thought-provoking perspective that will resonate with both seasoned professionals and casual listeners.

Rick discusses the crisis in music in two acts: Act I— Music is too Easy to Make. Act II (which we'll publish in the next issue, the AMP 51)— Music is too Easy to Consume ...and their cumulative negative effect. 

NOTE: This article is edited by John Fogg from a transcript by TurboScribe.ai— of Rick's 12:41 minute video. Tap the link to view the Video on YouTube and subscribe to Rick's channel. 

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Hey everybody... We're gonna try something new today. This video is on the history of the music business and technology in two acts.

Act One. Music is too easy to make. 

What do I mean by music is too easy to make? Let's just go back to the 1940s and 50s.

Frank Sinatra used to get up in front of an orchestra and sing a vocal take. They had one microphone. They would get it balanced just right. When Frank would say, "Okay, I'm ready." He'd sing it. "Come fly with me, let's float down to Peru." 

Then you get into the 1960s or so and you'd have things with multi-track machines. You could go back over if you had a mistake in a vocal part or any instrument and you do a 'punch in.'

'Oh, I don't like that word. I sang it out of tune' or 'I want to change this lyric.' You'd go in... You just punch in, fix the line and punch out.

Fast forward to 1998 with Cher and her Believe song. They invented this thing called Auto-Tune. Auto-Tune was a plugin that would go into these DAWs— Digital Audio Workstations. Something like Pro Tools or Logic or Ableton. What you'd do is take the vocal... Let's say the song's in C major. Any note in the key of C major, it would tune the note to. Well, T-Pain and people like that realized if you put it on a really hard tuning, it would make it sound like a keyboard. And that's what they did in the Believe song.

Well, then the same thing starts happening with drum parts. Guys playing a drum part and you're like, 'You know what? This would be a great take of this first verse if this one hi-hat wasn't a little drag. Let's move it back a little bit. Or let's move it forward. Whatever.

So you move that and you're like, 'Well, the snare kind of sounds weird now, because we moved that forward. The snare sounds like it's dragged.' So we change that.

Then you're like, 'Well, you know what? Let's just look at the grid lines, the bar lines. We'll just move them to that.' Then you start cutting them, moving them.

Then they give you this tool called Beat Detective. Now you can actually quantize an entire part. So then it becomes like a drum machine.

So it's not human-like. 

(On the video Rick played an example of a quantized drum part. John Bonham's drum performance from Fool in the Rain that's a shuffle. He demonstrated what it sounds like as a machine. And as the actual human performance, clearly pointing out how Bonham's had a swing in it the machine did not.)

Once you quantize the drum part, it's a drum machine. It's just like Superior Drums [a drum production studio and library software from Toontrack that allows users to create realistic drum sounds in a virtual studio.]

So what started happening in the year 2000 or so, is that everyone started quantizing their drums, because then the budgets to hire session guys like Josh Fries and Kenny Aronoff went away and you'd have to use the crappy drummers.

I mean, some bands would have good enough drummers to play, but you typically have these crappy drummers and you'd have to fix their parts. And once you fix their parts, you start moving the bass around. You start moving the guitars around. Then you pretty much have sterile, generic, quantized rock music that has no vibe at all. 

The other thing that people realized is that it's really difficult and time-consuming [and expensive] to record a drum set. You need a studio and a lot of gear. Look at all these mics. Now you can put up three mics and get a drum sound. You can put up two mics and get a drum sound. But to get a truly professional drum sound, you tend to mic up all the different instruments. Two mics on the bass drum. A mic on this tom. A mic on that tom. Mic on the ride. Two mics on the overheads. Two mics on the snare.

I actually have three mics on the snare and a mic on the hi-hat— and I have a couple of room mics. Not only is it hard to play the drums well, but it's hard to record the drums well. You have to have the training. It's not easy to do. You have to have a great ear. You gotta know how to tune them. You gotta know what is a good snare sound from a bad sound. You gotta know if the toms are ringing too much. You gotta know if they're in the right pitches, all this kind of stuff.

There's so many decisions to make. Now, some of you are out there thinking, what are you talking about, Rick? You don't need to have a good sounding room. You can have a crappy sounding room.

You don't even need good mics, because you're gonna just replace everything with samples. Well, where do you think samples come from? They come from people that know how to record them. (That one was for free.)

It's difficult to get a good guitar sound. You have to have a good-sounding amp. You have to have good-sounding speakers. Good microphones that work well.

Most people now just use amp modelers. They plug into their computer. They pull up their program.

Everything is done for them. They've already been pre-miked, pre-selected. They're all using the same algorithms.

They can create great sounds. They're so easy to use. It doesn't take any skill at all, but it doesn't take any creativity either.

Then, of course, you have the MIDI packs that you can buy if you can't play keyboards. So it'll just have pre-programmed chord progressions because for some reason, people can't just kind of space their fingers out and learn to play a few chords like that. Or maybe just experiment.

Huh, what is this? What... is... this...? 

In the early 2000s, labels stopped signing rock bands essentially because it was way too resource-intensive [read: expensive]. It was far easier to sign artists who could make their own music using a laptop and a microphone. Why is this a bad thing? Well, let's start with the creative dependency on technology that limits the ability of people to innovate. 

I could be wrong about that. Maybe it helps them innovate. But I don't think so.

The homogenization of music... The over-reliance on similar tools such as the ones I just brought up with the amp models, creates a lack of diversity. I think that leads to music becoming more formulaic. People just following trends. Using only certain types of sounds.

This is why these trap beats have been in vogue for the last 20 years. People just know they work, so they just keep using them. All the time. Quality versus quantity.

This is a big, BIG thing. Okay. So the easier production makes the process go faster. That creates an over-saturation of music. Making it harder to find really exceptional things. This is Spotify's way of using AI.

They have AI songs. They attribute them to people that don't exist. This allows them to take royalties that would go to musicians and keep them for themselves. On the AI front this is related to music being too easy to make. I made a video last week called "I Told You This Was Gonna Happen" and I played some songs off Udio. I was saying how my kids could detect that they were AI songs, but most other people could not.

Well, it just came out that all three major labels are suing AI startups for copyright infringement. Universal Music Group, Sony Music, and Warner Music are suing Suno and Udio for copyright infringement because guess what? They're using all their music to train these AI models.

Well, of course, they are. How else are they gonna train AI? No, companies like Universal are not doing it for the good of their music or to protect their copyright owners. What's going on here is they just announced that they're partnering with a company called SoundLab to make AI models of their artists for themselves.

They can use this SoundLab plugin in Pro Tools or Logic and you can sing your own voice and replace it with one of their artists like Drake or Taylor Swift or Billie Eilish or whoever agrees to be part of this. And I guarantee you all these labels are gonna do that because they want to own the AI versions of these songs. Whether you create it or whether they create it, they're gonna own it. And just to show you how easy it is to model someone's voice with AI, I'm speaking to you through a voice modeling program called Eleven Labs which was trained on my voice over a four-week period!

So for those of you that keep writing to me every day— I get about 20 of these emails a day and they always start, 'Rick, I wrote a song that I think could be a hit. I used AI to make it, because I know nothing about making music.' That's quoted literally from an email I got yesterday.

This reminds me of the best AI critique I've seen:

"Creative AI tools can be seen as sophisticated plagiarism software as they do not produce genuinely original content, but rather emulate and modify existing works by artists subtly enough to circumvent copyright laws." 

What's really funny about that quote is it was written by Chat GPT.

NOTE: To learn more about Rick Beato, read the In Partnership with... piece below. 

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• One of the 100 Greatest Singer Songwriters of All Time—  Carol King 

"I can't remember a time when I didn't know Carole King's music. I was raised by two of her biggest fans, who taught me the basic truths of life as they saw it: that you should treat people the way you want to be treated, that you must believe that you can achieve whatever you want to in life, and that Carole King is the greatest songwriter of all time."
— Taylor Swift

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The quote above came from Taylor Swift's speech inducting Carole King into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021. Tap the link to read a transcript of Taylor's speech. Tap this link to watch a video of Taylor Swift's Performance and Speech .

Carole King: A Timeless Icon in Music History
Carole King stands as one of the most influential Singer Songwriters of all time, with a career that has left an indelible mark throughout the music industry. Her contributions span decades, characterized by her unparalleled talent in Songwriting, production, and performance, and she has had a profound impact on scores of other artists.

Musical Journey and Achievements

Her musical career began in the 1960s when she started writing songs with her then-husband, Gerry Goffin. The duo produced numerous hits for other artists, including Will You Love Me Tomorrow for The Shirelles, The Loco-Motion for Little Eva, and Up on the Roof for The Drifters. King's knack for crafting memorable melodies and heartfelt lyrics quickly earned her a reputation as a prolific hit Songwriter.

"Carole's Tapestry album was a revelation. It showed me that personal stories and heartfelt lyrics could resonate with a wide audience."
Joni Mitchell

In 1971, Carole King released her seminal album, Tapestry, which became one of the best-selling albums of all time. The album features timeless classics such as It's Too Late, I Feel the Earth Move, and You've Got a Friend. Tapestry remained on the Billboard 200 chart for 313 weeks, a testament to its enduring appeal. The album won four Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Record of the Year for It's Too Late, and Song of the Year for You've Got a Friend.

Carole King has released 25 solo albums, with other notable works including Music (1971), Wrap Around Joy (1974), and Simple Things (1977). Her concerts have captivated audiences worldwide, with memorable performances at venues such as Carnegie Hall and the Troubadour in Los Angeles.

"Carole King is one of the greatest songwriters of all time. Her contributions to music are unparalleled, and she continues to inspire new generations of artists."
Elton John

Personal Life and Inspirations
King's personal life has been a source of inspiration for many of her songs. Her marriage to Gerry Goffin was marked by both creative collaboration and personal challenges. The couple divorced in 1968, but their partnership produced some of the most iconic songs of the 20th century.

King's second marriage to Charles Larkey, a bassist, also influenced her music. Together, they had two children, but the marriage ended in divorce. King's third marriage to Rick Evers, a fellow Songwriter, ended tragically with his death in 1978. Despite these personal struggles, King continued to pour her heart into her music, which resonates with authenticity and emotional depth.

Political and Social Activism
Carole King has been an active advocate for various social and political causes throughout her life. She has been a strong voice for environmental conservation, particularly in the Northern Rockies, where she resides. King's activism extends to her support for animal rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and political campaigns promoting progressive values.

Impact on Other Singer-Songwriters
Carole King's influence on other artists is profound. Her songwriting style, characterized by its emotional honesty and melodic richness, has inspired countless musicians. Artists like James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, and Tori Amos have cited King as a significant influence on their work.

"Carole King has a way of touching the human soul with her music. Her songs are timeless, and her influence is immeasurable."
— James Taylor

High Points and Struggles
King's career has been marked by both high points and challenges. The release of Tapestry remains a pinnacle of her success, bringing her widespread acclaim and commercial success. However, she has also faced personal struggles, including divorces and the death of her third husband. Despite these hardships, King has continued to create music that touches the hearts of millions.

In 1990, Carole King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a songwriter, and in 2021, she was inducted as a performer. These honors recognize her significant contributions to the music industry and her enduring legacy.

"Carole's melodies are beautiful and enduring. She has a gift for capturing the essence of human emotion in her music."
Paul McCartney

Carole King's music transcends time, resonating with listeners across generations. Her ability to weave personal experiences into her songs has made her one of the most beloved singer-songwriters in history. Through her music, activism, and influence on other artists, Carole King has solidified her place as a timeless icon in the world of music. Her legacy continues to inspire and uplift, reminding us of the power of authentic storytelling and emotional connection in art.

in partnership with Rick Beato

A Luminary in the World of Music
Rick Beato is a multi-faceted music expert whose influence spans the realms of production, education, and online content creation. With a career that boasts collaborations with renowned artists and bands, Beato has established himself as a pivotal figure in the music industry. His expertise covers a broad spectrum, from songwriting and production to theory and performance, making him a revered voice among musicians and enthusiasts alike.

As a seasoned producer, Beato has worked with a myriad of artists, helping shape and refine their sounds in ways that resonate deeply with audiences. His production credits include work with iconic acts across various genres, reflecting his versatile approach to music creation. Beyond the studio, Beato is a passionate educator, known for his ability to demystify complex musical concepts and make them accessible to learners at all levels. His book, The Beato Book, is a comprehensive resource that has become a staple for aspiring musicians seeking to deepen their understanding of music theory and practice.

Rick Beato's YouTube channel is a treasure trove of insightful content, attracting millions of viewers with his in-depth analyses, tutorials, and discussions on music. His series What Makes This Song Great? has garnered widespread acclaim for its meticulous breakdowns of popular songs, revealing the intricate details that contribute to their greatness. Beato’s engaging personality and profound knowledge have earned him a loyal following, positioning him as a trusted authority in the music community.

Rick Beato continues to inspire and educate, fostering a deeper appreciation for music and its many facets. His contributions to the field are invaluable. His insights brilliant. His expertise extraordinary. Rick Beato is a Master in the ever-evolving world of music.

You can learn more about Rick on his website, tap here: RickBeato.com. And you can join 4.27M other subscribers to his YouTube Channel with more than 1.4K videos, tap here: RickBeato YouTube

• the Greatest Lyrics of All Time— Four from Carole King

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Here's a new feature. Let us know what you think of it. And if you want more...

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TAPESTRY is a testament to Carole King‘s superb SongWriting Poetry. Each track sings is full of timeless truths, soul-baring and -sharing messages, and heart-felt advice— from experience. An album that comes around once in a generation. Which is why it’s one of the best-selling albums of all time.

Here are a selection of some of the best songs and lyrics from the album— all save one written by Carole. With commentary by Alex Hopper from American Songwriter. 

So Far Away

But you’re so far away
Doesn’t anybody stay in one place anymore? 

It’s the simplest lyrics that hit the hardest. Anyone who has loved ones spread far and wide will know the tone King utilizes in this line. Doesn’t anybody stay in one place anymore, is sung with resentment— the kind that is only brought up by an unfixable situation.

You've Got a Friend

Now, ain’t it good to know that you’ve got a friend
When people can be so cold?
They’ll hurt you, yes, and desert you
And take your soul if you let them
Oh, but don’t you let them 

One of King’s most soothing tracks. She extends her hand to us and lifts us up amid hard times. Ain’t it good to know that you’ve got a friend, she sings. Her ability to dish out universal truths in her lyrics is unparalleled.

You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman with co-writers Gerry Goffin and Jerry Wexler

'Cause you make me feel
You make me feel
you make me feel
Like a natural woman
(Woman)

Love songs come in countless shapes and sizes, but few are as direct as King is in ... ...Natural Woman. Finding love has made her step into her own. As a woman. Not extraordinary. Not exceptional. But, a natural woman. It’s a simple sentiment, but again, it hits even harder because of it's truth.

Beautiful

Show the world all the love in your heart
Then people gonna treat you better
You’re gonna find, yes you will
That you’re beautiful, as you feel

King's version of "Treat people as you want to be treated." Show the world all the love in your heart, she sings in the chorus. Not all songs need a moral of the story, but we appreciate King for reminding us of yet another truth. 

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So... Wha'daya' think? Hope you enjoyed it. Let us know if you want more AND we'd LOVE to include YOUR favorite lyrics. 

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• Mondegreen—  Natural Woman by Carole King

Remember, a mondegreen is a misunderstood or misinterpreted word or phrase resulting from a mishearing of the lyrics of a song. 

Original

You make me feel like a natural woman.

Mondegreen

You make me feel like a rash on a woman.

If you're up for a few more mondegreens of Carole King songs, tap the link. There's a bunch of them.

And for hundreds of other head-shaking misheard lyrics, tap this link to go to  http://www.amiright.com/misheard/. "Making fun of music, one song at a time, since 2000" and they're amazing!

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• Backstage Pass— Good Is Not Good. But Special... Tips for Creative People from Jason Blume

Last week I conducted an experiment. The subject line for my newsletter was
"My Work in Porn."

My guess was that a higher percentage of readers would open that email then the ones that had the less-interesting subject line, “Hot Tip.”

My goal was to illustrate the importance of an attention-grabbing title. As predicted, more people opened that email than usual. But it was not my highest percentage. 
 
What was my most opened email?

Song Pitch & Hot Tip”

In my more than 30 years of teaching songwriting workshops around the world, I have found that more than anything, my attendees want to have their songs heard by decision-makers.

They are certain that if their songs reach the right ears they will be recognized as the future smash hits that they are.

Unfortunately, this is rarely the case. I would guess that at least 95% of the time (and I am being conservative) the songs either need serious surgery, or they are perfectly crafted, but they lack the “wow” factor.

I’ve found that one of the most important predictors of success is remaining teachable—  staying open to rewriting and honing our work until it is undeniable— something that will compel an artist to bump his or her own song off the project because your song has Song of the Year” potential. 

That is a high bar to reach for. But every year there are writers who celebrate first-time successes.

Songwriters sign their first publishing deal; artists get millions of streams; novelists secure an agent after repeated rejections; composers place music in a TV show or film for the first time, and so many others receive long-awaited validation for their hard work and talents. 

Settling for "good" is not likely to get you what you are reaching for.
 
Give it 1000%.

Regardless of whether commercial success finds you it will feel incredible to know that you have created something that is not "good," but something truly special.

PS. The first song I ever had published and recorded was written and recorded SEVEN times. That song led to everything in my career.

What if I had stopped after the 3rd or 4th time? 

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"Success does not happen by luck or coincidence. There are no magic answers or quick roads to songwriting success; steer clear of anyone promising them. But, with hard work, practice, and perseverance, I’ve seen my students write #1 singles, sign staff-writing deals and record contracts, publish their songs, place their music on TV and in films, and win international contests." 
— Jason Blume

Jason's website is a treasure trove of useful and valuable Songwriting articles. To receive Jason's free video, 3 Things You MUST Do for Success, and subscribe to Jason's email list and get weekly tips to enhance your creativity tap the link. 

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• Coaching—  When Things Don’t Work and What You CAN Do About It

When Things Don’t Work and What To Do About It

Being a Singer Songwriter ain't easy. (We know you know that.) From both sides now, as a creative artist and a performer earning a living, there will be obstacles, stumbling blocks, and challenges. The best news is, every problem has a solution. They are always a matched pair. Here are some some useful insights in how to approach your problems— and maybe even achieve a breakthrough.

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When Things Don't Work

Quoted from the app Language of Letting Go.

Frequently, when faced with a problem, we may attempt to solve it in a particular way. When that way doesn’t work, we may continue trying to solve the problem in that same way.

We may get frustrated, try harder, get more frustrated, and then exert more energy and influence into forcing the same solution that we have already tried and that didn’t work.

That approach makes us crazy. It tends to get us stuck and trapped. It is the stuff that unmanageability is made of.

We can get caught in this same difficult pattern in relationships, in tasks, in any area of our life. We initiate something, it doesn’t work, doesn’t flow, we feel badly, then try the same approach harder, even though it’s not working and flowing.

Sometimes, it’s appropriate not to give up and to try harder. 

Sometimes, it’s more appropriate to let go, detach, and stop trying so hard.

If it doesn’t work, if it doesn’t flow, maybe life is trying to tell us something. Life is a gentle teacher. She doesn’t always send neon road signs to guide us. Sometimes, the signs are more subtle. Something not working may be a sign!

Let go. If we have become frustrated by repeated efforts that aren’t producing desired results, we may be trying to force ourselves down the wrong path. Sometimes, a different solution is appropriate. Sometimes, a different path opens up. Often, the answer will emerge more clearly in the quietness of letting go than it will in the urgency, frustration, and desperation of pushing harder.

Learn to recognize when something isn’t working or isn’t flowing. Step back and wait for clear guidance.

Today, I will not make myself crazy by repeatedly trying solutions that have proven themselves unsuccessful. If something isn’t working, I will step back and wait for guidance.

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Doing It Differently

the fly story from you2 by Price Pritchett, Ph. D.

I’m sitting is a quiet room at the Millcroft Inn, a peaceful little place hidden back among the pine trees about an hour out of Toronto. It’s just past noon, late July, and I’m listening to the desperate sounds of a life-or-death struggle going on just a few feet away.

There’s a small fly burning out the last of its short life’s energies in a futile attempt to fly through the glass of the windowpane. The winning wings tell the poignant story of the fly’s strategy— try harder.

But it’s not working.

The frenzied effort offers no hope for survival. Ironically, the struggle is part of the trap. It is impossible for the fly to try hard enough to succeed at breaking through the glass. Nevertheless, this little insect has staked its life on reaching its goal through raw effort and determination.

This fly is doomed. It will die there on the windowsill.

Across the room, ten steps away, the door is open. Ten seconds of flying time and this small creature could reach the outside world it seeks. With only a fraction of the effort now being wasted, it could be free of this self- imposed trap. The breakthrough possibility is there. It would be so easy.

Why doesn’t the fly try another approach, something dramatically different? How did it get so locked in on the idea that this particular route, and determined effort, offer the most promise for success? What logic is there in continuing until death, to seek a breakthrough with “more of the same?”

No doubt this approach makes sense to the fly. Regrettably, it’s an idea that will kill.

"Trying harder" isn’t necessarily the solution to achieving more. It may not offer any real promise for getting what you want out of life. Sometimes, in fact, it’s a big part of the problem.

If you stake your hopes for a breakthrough on trying harder than ever, you may kill your chances for success.

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• PS from PS— Be A TrueFan of your TrueFans

I came across a question asked on Quora: Is Taylor Swift actually a nice person? The answer came from Steve Parr, the former Regional Sales Manager for Taylor Guitars. He'd met Taylor twice. 

The first time was at the Winter NAMM Show in Anaheim, California. She was only 15. Then, in 2008, he met her again when she held her album release party for Fearless at the Taylor factory in El Cajon, CA. Steve said that when Taylor arrived for that event, she came in through the back of the warehouse. She greeted everyone. Every one. Giving them a long, solid hug while saying “hello”. Some of those guys were hardcore warehouse types; Dirty and sweaty. That didn’t matter to Swift. She didn’t have to do what she did, but she did it. As Steve said, that spoke highly to him of her character.

So what do you take from this story? 

What I get is take the time to meet everyone— no matter the role they are playing at your show. The owner of the venue. The barman. The servers. The guy fixing lights and sound, Make time for them. After all, they’re the ones who help you be where you want to be and do what you came to do on stage.

And when the audience arrives, be the same way. Make time to meet them— one-on-one is great. So is 1-on-100. 1-on-1000. Thank them for coming. Be there for them. Developing this habit will serve you right then and there, and far into the future. That’s how Taylor built her legion of Swifties. The loyalty they show her was built fan-by-fan from the care and attention Taylor gave them. And now there are 59 million of them (over 18) in the U.S. alone. Success leaves clues.

New Music Lives™ focuses on having you develop 1,000 Truefans is because it works! It’s proven. Yes, it takes effort. Yes, you’ve got to make it personal. And it’s simple: Be A TrueFan of your TrueFans.

It’s Time… for a Change. Big Time. Past Time.

Until we speak again. 

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Our Mission & Purpose is to 'Put Success In Your Singer Songwriter Career.' We know cost can be a barrier for aspiring creative artists to get the knowledge, resources, and inspiration they need to succeed. 

"The Singer Songwriters who need the AMP most are often those who can afford it the least."

 So... the AMP is free. 

If you're a TrueFan... You enjoy the AMP ★★★★★... Benefit from what's in each issue... And you're willing and able to spread the word about us... PLEASE. And THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Send your friends, family, band members and complete strangers this link: New Music Lives FREE. (Use this to cut and paste.) They'll get the AMP, the TrueFans Manifesto, and the Group. No charge. No strings. 

We're a word-of-mouth-movement, because: It's Time... for a Change. Big Time. Past Time. We're asking you to help us make that happen.

Thanks for reading. Give us your feedback.

And PLEASE, if you've got any Singer Songwriter friends, pass the AMP on, because... It’s Time... for a Change. Big Time. Past Time...

Thanks for reading. Give us your feedback.

And PLEASE, if you've got any Singer Songwriter friends, pass the AMP on, because... It’s Time... for a Change. Big Time. Past Time...