There is a lot more to putting on a show then just showing up. Standing on stage and playing or singing won’t strengthen your fan base or sell more tickets. People come to your show to be entertained, and that’s what you need to do.

If you haven’t been on stage often and don’t really know how to put on a show, here are a few simple techniques and pieces of advice on how you can succeed in bringing your audience back for more and having them be your best piece of free publicity, word-of-mouth.

Jaci Rae: What advice would you give to up-and-coming artists today who want to get heard and build a loyal following?

Ernie Ashworth: Well my own advice would be, if you pass a country radio station, go in there and introduce yourself. Take a CD in with you to see if they will play it or interview you.

Maybe there are some good disc jockeys out there that can do the same thing that they did for me. It’s a lot harder now than it was back in my day. But I still go in when I pass a radio station and see if I can meet the disc jockey.

I am just blessed by the Good Lord to do what I do and disc jockeys made that possible. I don’t mind stopping in there and doing an interview with them even to this day. Even though they aren’t into traditional country music and they are programmed, I still stop in and say hi to them.

Finding representation for your career can be a very hard, but very important task if you want to further your career path. Many people rush into contracts, signing on the dotted line before they think clearly about the ramifications. Once a contract is made and signed, getting out of it, if there are problems can be very costly and time consuming. With that said, there are at least 6 important questions you must ask yourself when you are seeking representation.

I recently had my friend Cord Coslor on my weekly radio show. He is the owner and founder of Celebrity Direct Entertainment http://www.celebritydirect.biz, one of the premier booking agencies for well known artists. Here is what he had to say about press kits:

“…there are things to do and not to do so we don’t get annoyed when your press kit comes in. I have received what appeared to be hand written promo kits. I’ll receive for instance a CD…no cover on it, a blank white label with an address and phone number literally scribbled on it. When I see something like that, I don’t say to myself, ‘gosh I want to quickly throw this in the CD player, listen to and call this person up for a telephone interview or add them to our artist roster immediately.’”

If you are looking for an additional outlet for your music and a chance for supplementary income, you may want to contact publishers and ask if you can submit your music to them for possible representation. Most publishers have contacts that request material from them on a regular basis. If a publisher signs you, it will be another opportunity for you to be heard, and possibly recorded, by other artists. Use the same contact procedures you will use for distributors, radio, record companies, managers, etc.

Once you start making a lot of money, you might want to consider becoming incorporated. If you want to go through all the hassle of trying to get the forms, fill them out correctly, and research all the legal jargon yourself, you will save money for attorney fees. My advice is, suck it up and pay the legal fees. Find someone who specializes in this field to incorporate you. This will help insure that there are few or no mistakes. You don’t want to put your company at risk.

If you decide to become incorporated and use a lawyer, the fees can range from $90.00-500.00 per hour, so choose wisely. The total cost for us to incorporate was $900, but that was three years ago.

If you are one of those blessed individuals who writes your own music, you will save time, money on royalties, hassles with licensing agreements from various writers and publishers, and you will be pocketing any royalty fees. Additionally you will have the added ability to add your songs to the catalogues of Music Supervisors in Film and Television.

If you have written the music yourself, please make sure to copyright your music prior to releasing your CD. This will help you protect your intellectual property. To request a copyright application form call or write:

Library of Congress
Copyright Office
101 Independence Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20559-6000

You can also download the forms at: http://www.copyright.gov/forms/

In past headlines it read, “Ax may be hovering over Mariah Carey…recording giant ready to drop singer.”

Now wait a minute, didn’t Mariah Carey sell well over 50 million albums since 1990? (Strictly speaking in the dollar terms, that’s roughly 649 million dollars in album sales alone.) And wasn’t she one of the hottest acts in the past decade and in the exclusive Top Ten All Time Artist who have the most consecutive #1 hits?

In an industry where you are judged primarily on your looks and your age, plastic surgery is almost mandatory for any age group. It’s becoming just as important in the corporate world, too. Artists and executives are more likely to get hired if they appear young, trim and attractive. A nip here, a tuck there and you’re good to go.

But what happens when something goes terribly wrong? We’ve seen some very odd sightings both on the streets of LA and on the covers of various supermarket tabloids. Burt Reynolds and Farrah Fawcett seem to have their skin pulled so tightly that their faces are actually misshapen. Joan Rivers jokes about talking through her navel after so many face lifts. Then there’s the infamous Michael Jackson.

Take care of your health! Most important. If you can’t play or sing, you can’t make the money you need to in order to survive on tour. Zicam at the first sign of any sickness does kick it in our experience.

You also don’t want the expense of an out of town or out of country doctor. If you don’t have insurance, check online for temporary travelers insurance.

Save money on gas and food by getting them free. Check online for surveys. I have all that listed in my Shop for a Day with Jaci Rae – How to Get Almost Anything Free or Next to it.