This is me

I spent a fair share of my adolescence lying for no reason whatsoever, kind of like Natalie Portman in Garden State.  I usually felt guilty and confessed, but occasionally I rode the lie until it was at a point where it was too late and awkward to admit the truth.  The same bullshit happens in the music industry, except these lies can hurt your reputation, get your fired, or get you arrested.  During A Full-On Major Pitch Session, one of the panelist (I forget who) went on a tangent about bands who lie and RIGHTLY SO, so don’t be one of them.

Here are a couple examples of potential lies and how to prevent them.

• With live music, don’t lie to promoters telling them you’re good for 100 people when you can only bring 20.  Show them your tour history and how many paid to see you with references from club owners and talent buyers to verify.  If you’re playing the market for the first time, be honest and say you can’t guarantee a certain number, BUT I will do X, Y, and Z to help promote and get my name out there, which leads to the second lie…
• Execute on all promises and document your efforts for proof.  Pictures of posters around town.  Link to comments on chatboards or social networking sites.
• Don’t tell A&R reps you’ve sold 75,000 copies of your album, for example, if you don’t have Soundscan numbers to back you up.  If you don’t have proof, they won’t believe you and will essential discount anything you say after that.  Don’t burn down bridges you haven’t even built.
• Don’t hide a dark truth if it directly effects someone else’s reputation or livelihood.  For example, don’t take credit for anyone else’s work whether it’s a elevator pitch to describe a band on your label or a guitar riff on a song your friend played for you.  Also, another example, is if you fuck up reeeeal bad (like legal trouble bad), don’t bring your band and/or employer down with you.

This is an industry built on relationships, so don’t be an idiot…tell the truth.  Be accountable for anything you promise and give it your best to follow through.  Don’t lie or make bullshit excuses.  Man up and admit your failures or shortcomings, but don’t repeatedly make promises you can’t fulfill.  They’ll respect you more in the long run if you’re an honest person.