Goals are easy.
Accomplishing them…not so much.

In Ariel Hyatt’s book “Music Success in Nine Weeks,” the first chapter, which covers Week One of this 9-week journey, is devoted to setting goals… and writing them down with projected dates of accomplishment. And not just your music goals, but your financial and lifetime goals as well.

Now, a lot of what’s in Week One is nothing you haven’t read before. And because of that, it may be the weakest chapter in this book. BUT, from what I can tell, the intention of all this goal-setting is to get you mentally prepped for the rest of the book which is a lot more demanding of your time, creativity and willingness to step outside of your comfort zone.

What I do like about this chapter is that Ariel not only stresses the importance of getting your goals written down but she also hands off some tips on HOW to get those goals accomplished. Because, let’s face it, that’s the tricky thing about goals; they don’t complete themselves while we’re watching “Live at Abbey Road” or dreaming of our next big break.

For instance, “Goal Achieving Tip #4” (on p. 17): Make One Happen ASAP. Ariel advises that you start with the easiest goal on your list and just do it! Or, rather, give yourself a reasonable deadline and then just do it! By accomplishing at least one of your goals, you are more likely to feel motivated to dig into your other goals which aren’t quite so easy. Like calling the guy who books the venue you’d love to play. Or writing your pitch, which Ariel explains in Week Two.

Interestingly enough, since I read the Week One chapter thinking, “Ah, this is just more goal setting stuff. I already know this,” I didn’t actually DO what Ariel suggested. I didn’t write down my music goals. They are always floating around in my head so I figured, why bother?

Well, as Ariel states in the book: “3% of all people have their long-term goals written down and it has been proven that by simply writing down your goals you are ten times more likely to achieve them.”

So… don’t be a fool like me. Go write them down! But first, read Ariel’s “Before You Get Started” Section on pg. 15. There are three excellent suggestions on HOW to write your goals. Oh, and be sure to put a target completion date next to each one!

Okay. I’m writing my music goals down right now.

1. Create a pitch I love — Jan. 1, 2009

2. Complete Phase One of my website re-design by May, 2009.

3. Create budget, timeline and promotion plan for February Show at Jackson Theater — Dec. 31, 2008

4. Create budget, fund raising plan and promotional plan for new CD by March, 2009.

5. Finish new CD by end of June, 2009.

6. Book a show in New York City for April/May 2009! — February 10, 2009.

Wow. My heart is pounding.

While these goals have been in my consciousness forever, I’m surprised by how scary it is to actually write them down WITH DATES NEXT TO THEM. It becomes clear that if I’m going to meet the deadlines I’ve set, I better get a move on. Now.

Next episode: Week Two of “Music Success in Nine Weeks” where Ariel coaches you on how to write your pitch. THIS is where it starts getting really good.

I want to be Ariel Hyatt.
Rather… I want her job.

Ariel is the powerhouse President of Ariel Publicity and CyberPR, which specializes in getting musicians maximum exposure online. Her background is in what I call old school Public Relations where one’s success is determined by your ability to secure the media’s attention in favor of your client. Years ago, I used to do this same thing in the wine industry, working hard to get wine critics and food & wine media to write features and shining reviews of the wineries I represented.

But what Ariel discovered, as she pushed hard to get her touring bands booked, noticed and written about, was that it was getting harder and harder to get any results using the traditional PR channels. The effort to pay-off ratio wasn’t paying off.

Gradually, Ariel turned her attention and efforts to the wonderful world of the internet and the unique promotional opportunities it offered. By January of 2007, it was clear to her that she could better serve her clients through internet marketing and social networking. By following these new rules of marketing and pr, beautifully defined by David Meerman Scott, Ariel started (and now continues) to teach musicians how to use these “new rules” to increase their fan base, boost their music sales and get noticed. She changed the name of her company to “CyberPR” though she still uses ArielPublicity in her url: www.arielpublicity.com.

So, why am I going on and on about Ariel Hyatt other than the fact that I would love to be her and do for jazz and cabaret artists what she does for her bands? Because I just finished reading and re-reading her book, “Music Success in Nine Weeks.” And it’s so full of information that every musician must have if they want thrive in this world of internet marketing and PR that I thought I’d give this little gem a thorough review here.

Especially NOW, because I feel so many of my singer friends are totally missing the boat when it comes to promoting themselves and their music. They are still operating from within the old world of traditional PR and promotion. And I see them suffering and feeling immensely frustrated because of it.

But instead of just writing a quick summary review of “Music Success in Nine Weeks” I thought I’d dig into each one of the chapters, week by week, so you can get a good sense of all this book has to offer. Better yet, go buy the book and let’s work through it together.

By the way, not so ironically, I discovered Ariel and her company on Twitter, a fact that is sure to delight her since she is such a big proponent of social networking. As you will soon discover when we get into Week Four.

So, go get the book and we’ll jump into Week One next week.