magic

A very important person on your successful team is your manager. Finding a good, responsible and reputable manager is not an easy task. If you don’t already have a manager, you may not need one. Experience proves, however, that you can only go so far without one. But how do you obtain a manager if you don’t already have one?
That’s a tricky one. While I have a huge list in my book, The Indie Guide To Music, Marketing and Money, you also need to get references. Once you obtain a list of managers you want to talk to, that are also interested in having a meeting with you, and here is a partial list of questions you should ask a manager to find out if they will be a good fit for your musical career.
• What style of music do you represent?
• How big do you think for your clients?
• Do you consider and pursue corporate sponsorships, etc.?
• What territory do you cover?
• How are you paid - what is your percentage rate?
Before you can even question a manager, you’ll probably have to send them a press kit in order to get your first appointment. As always, be sure to contact them prior to sending out packets. Most unsolicited press kits either end up coming back unopened or are simply thrown away.
If you find that you decide you want specific recommendations for management, contact major record labels and ask the staff who they use. That will help you determine who you should contact for management. At least then you will be dealing with a manager who already has a working relationship with a major label and who can hopefully get you a contract. Most managers, however, who are associated with major-labels, will not accept submissions from anyone other than the record labels themselves or high profile industry contacts.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t or can’t contact the managers the major labels recommended and pitch your music anyway. Someone may say yes! Most managers will take a percentage rate of any venues or money they are involved in bringing in for you and your band. When selecting a manager make sure your contract is very explicit on this point. You should never pay your manager for income you receive that you developed on your own. Make sure you are not locked into a contract that will compensate them for money or gigs they had nothing to do with negotiating for you.
Steer clear of anyone who asks for money up front or states that they want a percentage of any and all money you earn. I have spoken with some of the largest mangers and management firms in the industry who stated this clearly is not reputable or ethical behavior for a manager. There are no legitimate managers who ask for any money up front, or a monthly retainer/salary. If they do, chances are they are trying to start up their own business and don’t have the level of experience you need to succeed.
Asking for money up front is also a way of stating they do not believe in you enough to take a risk. Why would you want to work with anyone who does not believe in you? And, why should they work for you if they are already getting paid, whether or not they get work for you? The main point is managers only make their money if they make you money. That should be motivation enough for a manager.
Once your package is submitted to a manager, give them a few weeks to review it before following up. When you do your own personal follow-up, make sure you ask them what they thought of your press kit. Ask them if they’ve listened to your CD. Your follow-up can also provide an excellent opportunity for constructive criticism on how you can make the improvements your press kit or CD.
If both parties (you and they) decide you would like to work with each other, you’ll need to sign a contract. It is essential that you get a lawyer involved at this point. You should never sign any contract until you let an entertainment attorney who has the expertise you need advise you.
The same rules apply to booking agencies, as do managers. Never sign a contract until you have had your lawyer look it over and examine it for any hidden clauses. Once I was given a contract that actually stated the booking agent would receive 5% on any and all money I earned, in addition to the 15% that the booking agent would receive for any venues they procured for me. That meant 5% of anything I earned, even if it had nothing to do with music would go to them. Protect yourself. Read your contract even before you hand it off to your attorney for review.
Finally, never sign an exclusive contract. If you sign an exclusive contract, you will not be able to accept any gigs from outside firms. It also means you will not be allowed to follow through on any gigs that you negotiated yourself or already had in place as standing gigs. If you sign an exclusive booking contract you could also wind up with a booking agent who may not even negotiate any work for you and your band. Then you’re stuck.
There are only a few major booking agencies that will require you to sign an exclusive contract. One is the William Morris Agency. Their names will speak for themselves. You can rest assured that if you sign with on of these agencies your chances are very high for getting work. If an unknown booking agency requires you to sign an exclusive contract, just say NO!

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The acoustic guitar is an amazing instrument. It provides mankind with color and harmony in the hands of a qualified musician. This article will discuss an interesting part of the acoustic guitar known as the fretboard.
The fretboard of a guitar is often called the fingerboard. The fretboard is a thin piece of wood fixed to the front of the guitar neck. Most quality acoustic guitars will have a fretboard that is made of ebony or rosewood.
To understand the physical anatomy of the fretboard, one must begin by looking at the neck. The neck of an acoustic guitar is joined to the body of the guitar in a flush manner. The fretboard is then “over laid” on the neck. The fretboard runs along the neck and extends onto the body of the guitar. On most steel string guitars, the fretboard joins the body near the 12th or the 14th fret. There are usually 4 to 6 frets beyond the location where the neck and the body of the guitar are joined. On classical guitars the neck is shorter. The fretboard of the classical guitar joins the body of the guitar at the 12th fret. The fret located where the neck joins the body of the guitar is commonly called the “body-fret”.
The fretboard contains horizontal steel wire at specific intervals. This wire is known as “fret-wire”. The “fret-wire” is created in the shape of a “T”. The top of the “fret-wire” is rounded which permits the strings and fingers to slide across without harm. The “stem” of the “fret-wire” has a serrated edge which holds it in place within the channeled grooves of the fretboard. The strings of a guitar are depressed at a given fret location on the fretboard. The frets control the length of the string and therefore the pitch of the note.
The fretboard is usually marked with “fret-markers” at specific locations. The usual locations for these markings are at frets 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 15 and 17. The “fret-markers” serve as visual aids for the musician. The “fret-markers” can be simple dots or elaborate inlays. The elaborate inlay patterns and markers are made of various materials. A common material is Abalone, otherwise known as “mother-of-pearl”. Intricate inlay work at the “fret-markers” on the fretboard will dramatically affect the cost and value of an acoustic guitar.
The fretboard playing surface can be flat or curved. The classical guitar and the “Flamenco” style guitar have a flat fretboard. The steel string guitar usually has a slightly contoured playing surface on the fretboard. The contour of the fretboard on a steel string guitar will be a convex shape.
The width of the fretboard is narrow at the nut (near the headstock) and slightly wider at the body (near the sound hole). There is no standard width for a guitar fretboard. As a result, fretboard widths will vary on different guitars. The fretboard width plays an important part in the selection of a guitar by the musician.
There are two main factors that experienced guitar players will consider when selecting a guitar. The two factors are the feel of the fretboard and the sound of the guitar. It is very difficult to say which of the two factors are considered most important. The answer will depend on who you ask. Some guitarists will sacrifice some of the tonal quality of a guitar to get the perfect feel from the neck and the fretboard. Other guitarists will not compromise the sound of the instrument they purchase even if it means the feel of the fretboard is not ideal. It is clear that the best case scenario is to shop until you get the best of both the sound and the feel of the fretboard.
In closing, I would like to mention two phrases that are often used to define the characteristics of the guitar fretboard. These phrases are “Action” and “Playability”. The “Action” is the measured height of the strings above the fretboard. The “Action” can be adjusted to the preferences of the owner. The “Action” should be set to place the strings as close to the fretboard as possible. If the strings “buzz” on any fret when depressed, the “Action” is set too low. The “Action” on an acoustic guitar should be adjusted by a professional. The “Playability” refers to the overall feel and comfort of the neck and fretboard in the hands of the musician.
Top quality acoustic guitars will offer superior playing characteristics and sound. If you are in the market for an acoustic guitar, take the time to research and “test-drive” many models. The time you invest in selecting the right acoustic guitar will be time well spent.

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With the steady increase in construction projects nationwide year after year, it’s no wonder the average price of the typical piece of heavy equipment is over $135,000. Let’s face it; we wouldn’t be able to get our jobs done if we didn’t have these behemoths available. But there are some hidden costs within their benefits.
Technology –
The technology used in heavy equipment is far beyond anything we have seen in the past and the costs to hire someone to operate a particular piece of equipment is skyrocketing. The national average for a heavy equipment operator is in the $60,000 range.
Maintenance –
Powerful heavy equipment is useless if there is no around to fix it. Working with heavy equipment is no easy task. If your company has purchased some type of machinery that has no maintenance agreement included, one major repair jobsite can wipe out the profit you had built into the project.
Theft –
Every year, millions of dollars worth of heavy equipment is stolen from the job site. Heavy equipment is tempting for thieves. The stolen heavy equipment is either parted out or taken to another area where it is sold or used by another business.
Underutilization –
When heavy equipment is underutilized your costs of acquisition skyrocket and your loss in value is occurring unnecessarily. Heavy equipment is not a cheap undertaking and you should find ways to maximize the value of your machinery. One thing to consider is renting or leasing your equipment when it is idle.
Worker injury –
Construction equipment is inherently dangerous to work around, especially for employees on foot. While heavy equipment is being operated, potentially dangerous materials may be present, electric circuits may be live, flammable or noxious liquids or gases and other potential dangers will exist. How are you prepared for these events should one occur? Remember: The best policy around heavy equipment is to take no chances.
As you see there are other things you need to consider as your fleet of heavy construction equipment grows and there are no easy answers. Talk to others in your area about how they manage their inventory and how they maintain, operate, move, and utilize their equipment.

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Depending on your situation, auto leasing may be a more attractive option than buying a vehicle. If you are looking for a 2-3 year committment, it may make more sense to lease instead of own. With auto leasing, since almost every vehicle depreciates or goes down in value, you are only paying for the cost of the vehicle’s value that you use when you drive the vehicle, or its depreciation. In effect, you have a long term rental and you can return the vehicle at the end of the lease agreement. In order to make auto leasing work, its key to get the best auto lease rates.
Knowing what goes into your overall lease rate is the first step to getting a good deal. Similar to buying a new or used car, auto leasing rates can vary from dealership to dealership. There are three major components of every auto lease: a finance fee, depreciation fee, and in most states, a sales tax. If you are looking to receive a competitive auto lease rate, its a good idea to figure the overall cost of the lease and the monthly fees.
The depreciation fee is the amount you are paying the leasing company for the loss of the car value, which is averaged over the amount of months in the lease, and also factors in the amount of miles you drive. The finance fee is similiar to an auto loan payment you may pay to a bank or dealer. Your monthly payment should accurately reflect these two fees, averaged over the term of your lease, and also including sales tax, if necessary.
Its easy to overpay if the dealer is offering you low monthly payments, but when added up, the payments are way more than the sticker price of the vehicle. The monthly payment can often be manipulated to appear much lower than the overall price would suggest. Your contract should show you a lease charge, which is the amount of all of these monthly finance fees over the term. This will give you a better idea of the actual cost.
If you are thinking of an auto lease, give yourself plenty of time and check your local media. The best auto lease rates are often pre-packaged for you. These are often the deals you may see in the newspaper or on television, and are usually sponsored by both the dealer and the leasing company. They will often have a set package that is unchangeable, but will usually provide a better deal than what you can negotiate on your own. Another option would be to try an online auto-pricing service that handles the negotiations for you, if you fill out an application with several companies, you can choose the best deal being offered.
Finding competitive auto lease rates does not have to be intimidating. By doing your homework and keeping an eye out for dealer incentives, you can often get a great rate. If you take your time, you won’t feel pressured when shopping for an auto lease, and can make an informed choice.

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Online dating can be a fun and certainly a rewarding experience for women of all ages. Maintaining your safety while doing it is simply a combination of using common sense and exercising good judgment. Online safety rules are the same as real world safety rules.
You wouldn’t give your name, address and phone number to a strange man that you met in a bar or on the street so you should never do that online either. Play it safe. Get to know this man who could turn out to be Prince Charming before you give out any information that could make it possible for him or others to trace you. Don’t tell a stranger exactly where you work. Say that you are a legal secretary (if that’s what you are) for a mid-sized law firm….not that you work for Brown, Smith and Jones Attorneys-at-law. It is safe to tell him what city you live in but you should wait to be any more specific than that until you have been chatting and exchanging emails for awhile.
Use only the tools provided by the dating service you belong to. Most offer chat and private email on their site. Do not give out your isp email address. If you must give out an email address make it a free one such as Hotmail or Yahoo. Your isp address is traceable for anyone who wants to go to the trouble.
When the time comes for you to have your first face-to-face, make that first meeting in a public place and during day light hours. Take a friend with you or arrange for one to call you on your cell soon after the arranged meeting.
Remember…you ARE in control so do not let anyone pressure you into revealing more personal information than you are comfortable with revealing.

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This morning I received one of those calls that I hardly look forward to getting. You probably have had calls just like this:
Hello Mrs. Stanley, this is ABC carpet cleaning company, and we’re currently in your area cleaning carpets for other homeowners, and we’d like to offer you a free cleaning for any room in your house of a 10X10 area. We also clean couches, chairs and throw rugs. We’d like to come in and give you a free estimate for all the carpet areas in your home as well as any couches or chairs that you’d also like to be cleaned. We’re going to be right in your neighborhood this Wednesday. Does two o’clock work with your schedule?
Did you cringe just reading that? When I get a call like that I can’t tell if I’m listening to a recording or a real person. I probably don’t need to mention that I’m not fond of conversations with recordings, which is why I often choose to hang up the phone instead of giving a sales representative like that more time.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s not a script that I mind so terribly as a script that doesn’t include the one thing that makes a prospect feel important - questions! Hey before you waste your breath talking about carpet cleaning, wouldn’t it make sense to discover if your prospect has any carpet?
Asking your prospect a question or two makes your prospect feel acknowledged. Acknowledgment is something that all humans desire, and many are starved for it. What would happen in your business if you implemented some ways to better acknowledge your prospects and customers?
A number of years ago it occurred to me that I gave away all kinds of recognition to the women on my sales team, but I had never given any kind of special recognition to my customers. Just before Mother’s Day, I sent out each customer in my database a lovely but inexpensive bracelet and a really clever letter that expressed how grateful I was to have her as a customer. I remember the bracelets costing less than $3 a piece, but by my customers’ reactions, it was like I bought them the moon. In the end, it wasn’t the gift that mattered. And there was even something greater than the thought - it was the recognition, the acknowledgment that touched them so deeply.
All people desire recognition, even those who tell you they don’t. Keep that concept close at hand as you build your sales business. Then remember that one of the best ways to acknowledge prospects and customers is to ask them questions. In addition to making them feel acknowledged, you afford yourself the opportunity to better respond to their needs.
This reminds me of the little boy who asked his mom where he came from. The mom then went into a detailed explanation about how babies are born. After she was done, her son said, “Oh, ‘cuz my friend Johnny comes from Texas, and I was wondering where I came from.” I hope that made you laugh. Now consider how laughable it is that we assume what our prospects, our customers, and our recruits need or want without even investigating the situation with a few questions.
What are some questions you could ask your prospects that might narrow down whether or not they’re prospects worth spending time with or not? What are some questions you could ask your customers that might improve your sales presentation or customer service?

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Too many people know the frustration of waking to find that a child has wet the bed. Most instances are isolated, in that it was only a random accident. Unfortunately, for untold thousands of families, this is actually a nightly occurrence. Thankfully, there is help in the form of a bedwetting alarm.
No one involved is particularly happy about having soaked mattresses, sheets, and blankets. Mornings spent bathing and laundering are loathsome for all involved, and the tendency is to think that there is something wrong with a child who is otherwise potty-trained. You should know that children do not do this purposely; rather, there is certainly an underlying cause, and a bedwetting alarm can help to curb these experiences.
A bedwetting alarm works by way of a sensor placed inside the pajamas, and a connected speaker that attaches to the shoulder, near the ear, of the night clothes. When liquid comes in contact with the sensor, an alarm sounds through the speaker. Ostensibly, the alarm causes a signal to the brain that stops the muscles from allowing urine out of the bladder.
Now, the alarm probably won’t wake the child from a deep slumber, which is how most chronic bedwetters sleep. Instead, the signal to stop urinating occurs subconsciously, while the alarm will probably wake the parents, who can then rouse the sleeper and lead him or her to the bathroom to finish up. With continued use, the child will eventually connect the signals with being woken, and will then start to wake up on their own, with out parental intervention.
Obviously, the fact that these children don’t wake up, like most people do when their bladders have reached maximum capacity, is the real problem. Actually, full bladders during sleep hours are not exactly normal, anyway.
Anyone who consumes soda, tea, or any other food or drink containing caffeine are causing their bodies to respond by pulling excess water to the bladder; this is why coffee makes adults need more bathroom trips than normal. You see, caffeine works as a diuretic, and it is especially true for children. Eliminating caffeine from a child’s diet can lessen the amount of fluid built up in the bladder. So, too, can limiting the fluid intake in the hours leading to bedtime.
So, whether the child drinks too much, has caffeine in the diet, or is simply not receiving signals to the brain that say “I’m asleep, so stop filling my bladder,” the bedwetting alarm will condition a child to recognize the need to awaken if and when the bladder needs to be purged. This has helped thousands of families leave the embarrassment and frustration of chronic bedwetting behind.

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Bodybuilding exercises can be undertaken for fun, pleasure and the experience of feeling good. The opportunities range from the day to day participant to the out and out connoisseur of the sport, taking it very seriously indeed.
It’s not an incredibly athletic experience, that will leave you terribly out of breath, nor should bodybuilding exercises be confused with the kinds of activities that used to go on at fairgrounds, where shows of ‘the strongest man’ showed off their gleaming, muscle-rippling bodies. Yet bodybuilding has much going for it.
It’s a fun, exercise sport that anyone can do, from young to old and boy to girl. In fact there are bodybuilding exercises that will suit almost anyone.
So, Who Are Typical Bodybuilders
Whilst some would say that bodybuilding is a complex sport and should not be started without some good instruction, that should not put anyone off. Some take their bodybuilding exercises very seriously indeed and good luck to them - it’s a great sport when that’s what they want.
Whilst it’s the sort of exercise regime that benefits slow and consistent action, that sort of routine suits many people who can devote an hour or two every other evening maybe. Office workers; mums on a break; kids at college and even seniors can all find something that works just right for them.
Whoever you are, you can put the amount of time and effort in that you feel like - bearing in mind that the better the frequency, the more likely you are to see the results you want.
If you want front cover style physique, then sure, you’re going to need to put more work in and there are a lot less intense programs than that, but still just as good for you.
Understanding How Strength Fits Into Bodybuilding Exercise
There has long been a debate about whether ’strength training’ is the same as ‘bodybuilding’. It’s an argument that has been going for some time and seems to be more and more muddled.
Whilst one definition would be that strength training is a way to generally increase health and fitness levels, the way bodybuilding is described might sound similar, but different! Bodybuilding exercises have been defined as gradually improving bodily health and physique.
If there is a way to split the hairs on those two definitions, feel free to have a go - it’s been bothering aficionados of the sports for years!
Truth is, whatever sport you are in will increase the strength of something, bodybuilding being a sport just like any other. You get stronger whatever you do to exercise, bodybuilding exercises or otherwise.
Whatever you want from bodybuilding exercises, if you are prepared to work at it consistently, and without putting too much strain on your body, especially at the start, you will look good and without doubt, feel great in yourself.

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When you fall into debts, you need to effectively manage your finances. Failure to do so may result in the debts spiraling uncontrollably. The only way to get rid of the debts is by paying them off. Here are some steps that will help you pay off your debts at the earliest.
Increase the Income
Increasing the income will ensure that you have more money in your hands. This money can be used to increase the installment amount each month. This will ensure that the debts are paid as soon as possible and save you from the increasing interest rates. The excess money can also be invested in a bank and you can get the bank to pay you interest on your savings.
Some of the ways to increase your income are:
Auction the unnecessary goods in your house. Things that may be useless to you may be of use to someone else. You will be surprised at the amount you can earn either online or at the local auctions.
Take up a part time job or work overtime. This will keep you occupied preferably doing something you enjoy like an art. It will also considerably add to your income.
Try meeting targets and working diligently at your workplace. This will help you to get a raise in your salary.
Decrease the Expenditure
Always ensure that your income far exceeds your expenses. Only then will there be any savings. Always plan a budget at the start of each month and stick to it.
Some of the ways that will help you decrease your expenses are:
Scrutinize your expenses and try to find items that may be unnecessary or those that may have cheaper substitutes.
Change your lifestyle to meet your budget targets. Avoid being to extravagant or purchasing fancy goods.
Try to negotiate with your creditors to get the best payment schemes and rates.
Avoid:
Certain traps that you need to be cautious about are:
Some cunning dealers may convince you that the government may bail you out with a grant and try to persuade you to pay them to tell you about it. You must be aware that this information is freely available. Moreover this grant has its own application areas and is not meant for this purpose.
While searching for debt counselors always make a thorough search and listen to opinions of people. Never blindly approach the first one you come across. When dealing with the counselor too, make sure to carefully go through all the terms and conditions.

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Advertising on the Net used to be all about email marketing. This was a very effective advertising medium and ruled supreme for many years. But as is the way of things and people it was pushed beyond its uses and the result was spam. The fact is it rose to such an extent that governments throughout the world actually passed legislation outlawing many forms of email marketing and the businesses operating it. In so much as they almost killed it off completely.
After email marketing we had adwords and various other pay per click systems. Although very effective initially. Paid advertising campaigns can get very costly. Yes you see visits and the system can work very well but its nowhere near perfect. Pay per click campaigns can quite easily cost you much more than you could ever hope to make if the product or the information you are promoting carries a low ticket price. Even more so when you witness top keyword bids going beyond the $100 mark per click.
Then it moved on to list building and permission based mailing and every site you visit wants your email address prior to being able to view what they have to offer. Following which you get blasted with emails advertising all things from Viagra to hardcore porn and Russian babes. This is no more than a new method of email spam only it’s permission based. And, so was born the term opt in. Great if your site is constructed in a way as to capture or collect email addresses from the visitors and you’ve got Viagra to promote but you need the surfers first or you won’t sign them up to benefit from your product.
What methods do we employ without using spam, adsense or adwords.
What we all need is to get their site viewed. Either by utilizing the methods outlined above or reverting back to Search Engine Optimization. Search Engine Optimization isn’t a viable option for the majority of purely because it has become blatantly obvious that the quickest method to push your website to the top search results is to chuck unbridled quantities of money into it to bring in the all important back links.
As for links. There was a time when it was completely accepted that setting up reciprocal links with websites which complimented yours was the way forward but now with the emergence of adsense this is being cast aside also.
Adsense is just another method of adwords only these days instead of just finding it on along side your Google search you see it on almost all the sites you visit. This isn’t dollar friendly promoting because of the connection to adwords and pay per click so where does that leave us and what of the future.
The Web is well known for its inventive approach to any and all obstacles that are placed in its way and promoting your site without exhausting your budget is just such an obstacle.
Now we witness the rise of the Search Sub Engine a fresh innovation thats poised to move free site promotion online to a much higher. With the Search Sub Engine you can promote your business for as long as you wish for free, and as this phenomenon grows it will also bite into the advertising business already enjoyed by the search engines themselves. Search Sub Engines are totally adsense free and external advertisement free which won’t place any pressure in the way of the visitor. This will get them directly to your website without any distractions. Search Sub Engines also revolve your business so everyone has the opportunity to reach the pinnacle No1 position and pull in those sales which is more than we have ever had from any of the previous forms of advertising.
Seems to be a great idea and a fantastic method to advertise for free and so not exhausting your budget. Here’s hoping it succeeds and when it does, that they don’t aspire to all the others by becoming too complacent.

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