On My Mind

HATERS

It hurts, but the truth is hating is done by an underclass of people pissed that their dreams have not come true. Instead of looking inside, instead of working harder, instead of figuring out the problem is the system and not them, they needle those who are successful in an effort to make them feel bad.

I'm not saying everybody who hates is responsible for their losing. And I'm not saying every winner deserves to win. But I am saying that the true winners, the faceless who realize publicity is anathema, enjoy this game between the wannabe and the highly promoted/successful.

Is Lady Gaga without talent? Is Katy Perry a worthless hack?

ON THE INTERNET!

Do you know how hard it is to make it? That you can't do so on pure desire? That not only do you need luck, but a modicum of talent and incredible people skills, something the haters do not possess.

But no, anybody who rises above is now a target. And too many don't realize this and back down and capitulate to the haters.

We need a hater re-education camp. We've got to give them all jobs. Devise exams to show that no, they're not entitled to be worldwide superstars.

Life is hard. And sure, I'd like to be further up the totem pole than I am, and it's hard not to be frustrated that those on top are not you. But if you truly want to make it, you've got to work and adjust...and then you still probably won't make it.

But you can sit at home and complain.

But what does this buy you?

HATERS 2

Everybody wants to fit in. As a result, instead of brushing haters off, they look inside for fault and wonder what they're doing wrong. It's like musical acts who read reviews and adjust accordingly. I'm not saying I don't read my hate e-mail/tweets/Internet posts and evaluate if the writer is correct, I bend over backwards to see if I've made a mistake, it's a flaw in my personality, but what I get is almost never helpful, at most 1%. Because first and foremost those people don't live inside my head. They don't know how I got here in the first place. If I adjust for them, I'll lose my essence.

And that's what haters want most, for you to self-check and disintegrate, so they can take your place.

We see it all the time with musical artists. They become who the audience wants them to be, and as a result lose everything they've got.

So read the hate if you must. It counterbalances the love.

The truth?

Only inside yourself. Only you can decide if you're on the path you desire.

But do not flinch. Do not change course.

HATERS 3

Check the statistics. That's what I love about Twitter. The people who say awful things have so few followers it's hilarious. The vitriol isn't any lower in volume, the words are just as intense, it's just that there's no virality. By answering haters you're amplifying their message, don't succumb to the temptation.

IGNORANCE

Is the scourge of modern life. It's evidenced not only in politics, but in tech, in everyday life.

If you're going to weigh in, be informed.

I got an e-mail from a household name star ranting about when the labels bought Napster. But they didn't. Bertelsmann made an investment, the labels sued and got damages as a result.

This same person talked about Spotify not paying any money to artists. Truth is most artists don't own their own copyrights, they make a deal with a label, the label gets paid by Spotify, how much the artist makes is a result of their deal.

You speak like you don't know and nobody pays attention to you anymore.

That does not mean you need to know everything. But it does mean if you're going to go on record, do your homework.

But don't be afraid to play if you've done so, everybody makes mistakes.

IGNORANCE 2

The latest research says you can't change someone's political opinion. It's not as simple as they're reading or listening to a biased news outlet. It goes deeper.

So when someone has a contrary opinion, don't waste too much time arguing, unless their facts are wrong.

Meanwhile, the mark of a winner, someone who will climb the ladder, is the ability to admit you were ignorant or wrong in the past and change course. Just because politicians can't do it, don't think it's not a winning strategy in real life.

THE FUTURE

No one can predict it. And it only makes sense in hindsight.

Ten years ago, the major labels looked like toast. Incredibly backward, holding on to their old model, you could do it yourself online. But what we found out was the Internet was so successful cacophony ensued, and only he with the deepest pocket could get his message across, so the majors have emerged triumphant again.

LIES

Don't lie when the information is easily available to all on the Internet. People constantly e-mail me that their track is at a certain place on iTunes, then I just pull up the chart and find out this is not true.

As for being number one or two on a sliced up chart...that's irrelevant. I don't care that the Midwest Mommies With Teens chart has you bubbling up, it's meaningless.

YOUTUBE

Ditto. Don't tell me how successful your video is when I can go to the site and find out it's not.

At this point in time, no one's interested in less you've got six digits in a matter of days.

After a month, if you don't have over 500,000 views, it's no big deal. Feel good about yourself, but you missed out on the virality train.

As for true virality, insiders are only titillated by those with eight figure views. Yes, unless you've got 10 million plays, it's no big deal.

Yes, they moved the goalpost when you weren't looking.

But music is not football. The rules change all the time. Don't play by outdated ones.


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