Nick Edelstein

Posts Tagged ‘business’

Secrets Of Success

Thursday, January 27th, 2011

I’m going to give you the secrets of success. As I tell my students, this may be the most important advice you ever receive. Sure, I still have goals to achieve - but I’ve reached some and am confident you’ll find this post helpful. It was inspired by Tuesday’s event in Nashville, where my band won regionals in the Shure SM58 Give It Voice Tour:

Two bits of wisdom – well, one biggie in two parts. #1: Talent is code for strong work ethic. There is no substitute. The FX pedal shown here does not exist. You have complete control over your talent level. People often think of talent as being assigned by G-d, but it’s time and effort. Every athlete is born with the same muscle and skeleton structure. Every guitarist had to learn how to play at some point. When I began singing, I was horrible. Like, really bad. I worked on it. I got better. On Tuesday, a gentleman from Shure said I had “an amazing voice” (they make microphones). Look at Larry Bird, who was probably told as a kid that he could never play pro basketball due to his height. Work hard, practice, improve your game and you can achieve any goal. You may have to work harder than anyone else – not everyone has the same hill to climb – but you’ll reach the top eventually. Which brings us to #2, the formula for distance: Time x Effort = Distance.

The harder you work, the less time it will take to reach your destination. If you only practice once a week, it will take you seven times longer to [play guitar well] than your classmate who practices daily. Sometimes my students are discouraged by this part; they want that Talent Simulator. I think it’s because American pop culture encourages quick fixes – microwaves, magic diet pills (or liposuction), tanning salons … I’m sure there are better examples but you see my point.

The harder you work, the farther you will go in the same amount of time. Rat Race? No worries when you are working harder than your competition; you will go farther. The only risk is burning out. Recall the astronomical metaphor commonly heard when famous people die young, “the brightest stars burn fastest.” This may be true, but with moderation you can avoid becoming a burnout. Moderation is key. Everyone has different limits, everyone has different struggles. Maybe the tools you need are not available? Maybe you have it harder than the next person. But maybe you can work a little harder and focus more on what really needs to be done to achieve your goal(s).

Tags: Arts and Entertainment, astronomy, business, ethic, give it voice, giveitvoice, Larry Bird, Nashville, Nashville Tennessee, Shure, tour, United States, work
Posted in Tangents | No Comments »

New Logo Designs by Andrew Reifman

Saturday, January 1st, 2011

We are thrilled to begin the new year – 2011 – with brand new logo designs by our buddy Andrew Reifman.

One good thing about Andrew’s designs is that we’re not the only ones who like ‘em. He’s one lots of awards for graphic and web design, including a “Site Of The Day” ribbon from The CSS Awards! If you need anything done, we highly recommend him. And yes, Andrew is going to give this website a graphic face-lift, but that’s another blog entry!

Now on to the goods:

10 Tips for Designing a Brilliant Company Logo (skyje.com)
Three Things Your Web Designer Needs From You (xemion.com)
The Best (and Worst) Startup Logos of 2010 (readwriteweb.com)

Tags: andrew reifman, award, business, Business Services, CSS, design, Designers, Graphic design, logo, Web design, Website
Posted in Press | No Comments »

After Karma

Saturday, October 30th, 2010

This venue [Karma] was really hard to find but worth the effort. Good beer for cheap, friendly staff, and a decent-sized stage with great sound gear and an engineer who knows how to work it. The road it’s on is dimly lit, however. Mixed commercial and residential buildings were not comforting as we pulled up. But less than 2 miles up the road, at the major intersection of Poinsett Hwy & N. Pleasantburg Rd., one can find numerous places to dine including a Subway with a drive-thru window!?!? Aaron and I could not resist this urge, and split a 12″ sub. Tim ate at the Greek place (I grabbed a steak fry and it was delicious). So basically what I’m saying is, even though Karma appears to be in the middle of Nowhere City, there is civilization right around the corner.

Now for the not-so-great aspects: the reason it was so hard to find? – no sign! Bands and fans BEWARE you will need your GPS. The owner, Kevn told us that he applied for his sign permit months earlier but it hadn’t gone through yet. Meanwhile he had placed a temporary marquis near the curb, and police made him take it down. I felt bad for the guy. He is a genuine enthusiast of Indie music scene. Basically, Greenville could use more folks like him. But on the plus side, there is a stripper pole

Tags: business, club, gig, greenville, karma, sc, Subway, tisdale
Posted in Tour Diary | No Comments »

Denial? Nah!

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

Can’t believe I’ve waited this long to write my first blog post of 2010! I guess I’ve been in denial about the decade coming to an end. As Dave Matthews said, “so much to say …”
Many of you know I’ve been working on my next studio album “Year Of The Ox” for some time – two years to be exact – and it’s almost done. Soon you’ll start seeing signs of completion, like new web elements and logo design. I’ve decided to give everything a facelift! Updates are appropriate as the century moves on to it’s pre-teen phase.
I’m really exited, perhaps more than Axl Rose was about “Chinese Democracy,” because I’ve been playing some of the tunes for a long time already and they’re crowd favorites! The rest of the album rocks too, so the prospect of sharing this brainchild with you all makes me giddy. Yes, giddy. You know what that feels like, don’t deny it!

Tags: 2010, Asian, Axl Rose, business, Chinese Democracy, Dave Matthews, first, fortune, guns n roses, logo, ox, Politics, Rose, year, YOTO
Posted in Studio NEws | No Comments »

Vista b-day!

Friday, November 28th, 2008

I awoke today with a realization: it’s my “Vista Birthday!” Yes, today 4 years ago, I ordered my first business cards from VistaPrint.com. As I reflect on my *modest* triumphs in the Music Industry, I know they were all thanks to networking – made possible by VistaPrint’s affordable cards, which I used to begin building my image.
THE most recognizable name in online printing, VistaPrint.com is also a great status tool; when I exchange cards with someone and theirs has VistaPrint on back, I know immediately where they are in their business growth. Especially in Music, where “image” sells. Why? Because, soon as I had enough money, I ordered nicer cards with custom artwork and backside printing. I can only assume that my collegues do the same, unless they are cheap in which case I’ve still learned a valuable detail – all thanks to VP’s “free” business cards (you pay $3-5 shipping and handling for up to 500 cards, which have VistaPrint.com on their reverse).
So THANKS! for all the fond memories of desinging my first biz card, passing it around for the first time, and receiving others’ over the years. I’ll probably never use VP again, but for my first 12 months as an entreprenuer, it was a GREAT way to loose my biz-card-virginity!