Looking ahead, flourishing in hard times.

I've been giving a lot of thought lately about the projects I've been working on. Some of them are great and I like the artists and the music and some of it I don't like as much but I feel I have to do to survive. I always give 100% to every project but if I can relate to the artist and the music I try to give 150%. I just read an article about 3 recording engineers in Belfast and I'm quoting them here. "we're not here to make money, we make money to be here" This is such a cool philosophy that I'm re-dedicating myself to that concept. There are so many studios taking anyone who shows up at their door with money and so many artists looking for some kind of bargain I feel there's something missing from that equation. The missing factor is whether of not the studio and the engineer is right for your project and vice versa. These guys are going out and finding bands that they like and recording with them. Then we get into the realm of connectivity and sustainability in the sense that the studio is connected with your world and your fellow musicians. This is how you create networking and repeat clientele. The bass player in one project comes back with a side project and the drummer in that side project comes back with his main band etc. Hard to develop if the studio is just catching random one off projects. Another benefit of this plan of action is the sharing of opportunities that inevitably come up. There's a local band that I'm friends with and who I included on a compilation of local recording artists. Then I remixed a track for them for free for another purpose. I got the lead singer a TV interview that I was part of [they came to Zeroville and filmed a segment where they called me a virtuoso!...you can't really trust TV :) As a result ,now I'm working on songs for their upcoming ep as well as a full length solo cd with the guitar player who I hooked up with a gig in another band I produced and recorded...and so the web grows. I've had the biggest success in situations where I included other people and was not all about myself. Share the wealth and it will grow. Poverty thinking breeds poverty. This is my plan on how to prosper in hard times.