Do the research

This actually happened. I once had one artist say “Hey Danny, you know who you should look into working with? Oddball Productions” For those of you who may not know, Oddball Productions is my company. My immediate response was to joking say “no way, I hear they suck” assuming that his suggestion was his own attempt to be funny, but much to my surprise the artist actually started to defend Oddball and really tried to change my perception of my own company to be a more positive one. He even went as far as to say he 100% vouches for the company based on the experiences he's had with them. The whole time not knowing Oddball Productions was my company. 

This isn't the first time something like this has happened. Since starting Oddball Productions I've had a variety of artist contact me, send me tracks and simply say "Let us know what you think". When I follow up with these artists one of the first questions I usually ask is "What do you know about Oddball Productions" and the response 99% of the time is "we actually don't know..." And every single time this happens I can't help but wonder if this is how this artist approaches other people in the industry. 

If my assumption is true, here's a little piece of advice. Do yourself a favour and take some time to do some research. It doesn’t matter if you are booking a show, pitching a single to radio or even just introducing yourself to an industry professional, being prepared and knowing a little bit about who you are talking to will help. 

I’m not saying go out and learn their life story, but at least know the basics and once you learn the basics REMEMBER THEM! When you take the time to do a little research and learn something about who ever you’re approaching it will have an impact on their perception of you. Your creditability will increase, you will be seen as professional and because you took the time to learn about them, it will translate into them being open to potentially dedicating some time to you.

When you don’t take the time to do a little research and approach the conversation not knowing anything about who you’re talking to, chances are the conversation will be over before it even starts.