Writing
Bordering on Insanity: A Case Against U.S. Policy on International Musicians
What surprising thing do more than half of the acts booked at the 2023 Coachella festival have in common? Unless they comply with burdensome, expensive, and exploitative administrative requirements, they would be barred from entering the United States to perform, and would have 30% of their payment siphoned off at
Creative Closure
Life is full of open loops – circular internal dialogues and unfinished tasks that rattle in our heads. This is especially true for the musician, songwriter, or producer who must bring order to the amorphous creative process. While an open drum loop in your DAW might inspire creativity, too many open
Creative Courage
What does it mean to be courageous? We’re taught to associate courage with high-stakes moments, from responding to danger to facing grave illness. We rightly celebrate courageous acts of heroism – but is the characteristic of courage only the domain of exceptional individuals in traumatic moments? I believe we as
What Would Elliot Do? Lessons from a Legend
Neil Young called his longtime manager, Elliot Roberts, “the greatest manager of all time” after his sudden passing in June 2019. From the late 60s onwards, Elliot had steered the fabled careers of Joni Mitchell and Neil Young, while also co-managing the likes of Tom Petty and The Eagles in
We Can Work It Out: Personality Lessons from The Beatles
In the music business, “Who’s your favourite Beatle?” is a surefire cocktail party conversation starter. In light of the revelatory new documentary Get Back, perhaps the more interesting question for creatives and entrepreneurs is “Which Beatle do you most resemble?” While watching intimate footage of John Lennon and Paul
You Need To Waste Time To Be Great
If you’re a creative person you probably struggle in your relationship to time. Society teaches us that investing time is admirable, spending time is acceptable, and wasting time is, well, wasteful. But for creative people this couldn’t be further from the truth. I believe creatives need to consciously
Creative Diplomacy
Have you ever had an argument about a seemingly insignificant creative decision that ended up feeling like life or death? Have you felt unequipped to have healthy conversations with collaborators who don’t share your opinion? If you’ve ever played in a band, I bet you have. Just ask
Creative Commoditization
I have a theory that some of the greatest songs ever written would have gone unnoticed had they been released today. The recent UK Parliamentary report on the Economics of Music Streaming adds weight to this thesis. "Like A Rolling Stone," "A Day In The Life," and "Good Vibrations" consistently
Does A Hit Need To Be A Hit, To Be Called A Hit?
I have a theory that not all hit songs become hit songs. This idea implies that a hit song – like a Platonic Form – has an essence and inherent value, regardless of the audience it reaches. I believe this can be a useful model to apply to creative pursuit in any
Singing (Copyrights) in the Shower
When you’re singing in the shower, did you know you’re illustrating a key principle of copyright in music? An artist can invent a melody in her head and have it travel to millions of brains around the world. But how does copyright work, allowing music to earn money?