Good Karma

For those of you who peeped last week’s newsletter, you read about an artist who agreed to have my agency book a tour for him, only to find out he already had a fully capable agent that he didn’t mention.

We had 30 individual show offers, as well as an additional 15 city national tour offer in ready to roll, when the rug was pulled out from under us. But instead of throwing a fit or creating problems, both my partner and I came to the same conclusion— we needed to share the offers with the rightful agent and connect him with the promoters who were looking to book the artist.

I don’t share this story because I think it was some sort of righteous move. It was just the right thing to do— and for a couple reasons… What would be the point of us blocking potential business just because it didn’t benefit us? And, when you have the choice of an enemy or an ally, based solely on your actions, wouldn’t you rather choose an ally? I know I would.

So we did exactly what I said we would last week. And whether it benefits us or not in the future, we can feel good that we didn’t resort to ego driven pettiness or greed.

However, as mentioned last week, my only concern was the potential blow to our credibility, as we were pitching an artist we weren’t authorized to book (kind of). Luckily, we had developed enough good faith over the years with promoters around the country, that they know we don’t just pitch artists without approval. But the fact that nobody tripped is only due to years of building a solid reputation.

Another reason for our unorthodox decision is because I’m a firm believer in karma. In fact, my mom raised me around a Tibetan Buddhist sangha from the time I was 5 years old, and karma was the first concept I was taught and truly understood. And it might be the biggest lesson I still carry with me to this day.

I firmly believe many of the blessings in life come from having good intention, which leads to serving others and operating with integrity. A simple mindset, which creates a more fulfilling life. In the music industry, we serve others constantly, so this should be part of our DNA; but not just when it in turn serves ourselves.

At the beginning of my music biz tenure, I sought out a couple internships; the latest being with a publishing company, simply because I wanted to understand publishing better as an artist. But my biggest takeaway wasn’t necessarily scholastic. One day, I was sitting in the CEO’s office, when he started breaking down the social aspect of the game.

In our conversation, this successful indie publishing exec broke down the science, and gave me one gem that I use consistently to this day. I’m paraphrasing, but he said something like “I just introduce people I think could help each other. I never worry about if there’s something in it for me. I just make the introduction and step to the side".

Since that conversation, I’ve always tried to do the same. It’s the opposite of gatekeeping. And once again, it’s the right thing to do. Who cares if we benefit immediately or even down the road. Our good karma will take care of us.

Once again, thanks for subscribing. And thanks for sharing. Let me know if there’s anything I can add to this newsletter to make it more beneficial to you.

Til next week.