When family should step aside.

We all love our families, right?  I mean I do, I know we sometimes can butt heads but when it comes down to it, I love my family no matter what.  But I also know because of my work, my family doesn't really get to have a say in anything I do.  Not that I won't take their advice but I ultimately make the best decisions for me...especially my work and the field I participate in.  Enough said.  (But don't worry, my family is actually very supporting of what I do and I am fortunate for this).

However, not everyone can say no to family.  Take Jessica Simpson and her father Joe.  It was recently reported by PopEater.com that because Joe has been her "manager" since forever....doesn't mean he's made the exact or right choices for her as an artist.  Apparently she had a meeting with former President George W. Bush a few years ago and then good ol' daddy cancelled.  Hmm....the President?  Bad call!

So my up and coming moguls and artists!  Really think about who should be your manager or on your team representing you and if its worth it!  Or if you can't afford anyone yet, see who can help out (and really dedicate their time to you) in the mean time until you get yourself a professional.

(To read the article, click on the title.)

Unusual Spotlight

For those of you artists struggling in this terrible, terrible, did I mention terrible economy?  Have no fear, Ikea is here?!  Well not so much that I want to mention Ikea, but at least the company's commercial that airs  pianist Mara Carlyle's music.  The commercial begins with an empty Ikea store and soft piano notes that is suddenly taken over by cats!  Yes cats!  Kittens, big, small, cute cats!

According to the Guardian, a United Kingdom paper, the ad is a hit and "reviving" Carlyle's career.  Now I'm not saying all of you should run out to Ikea and pitch them your song(s)...but that wouldn't be a bad idea now would it?!  Hmmm....the point is that any artist should be willing to be crafty (not that you all aren't already) and promote it in areas that will definitely get you some major attention!  Whether its a furniture store or some form of guerilla marketing.  Make your music stand out and it surely will.

(To see the furry felines in action, click on the title.)

Give it up for the ladies!

No really, give it up for the ladies because Billboard.biz is and so can you!  Women working in the music industry can be nominated for Billboard's Power Player series, which acknowledges

"women executives who drive our business forward with their vision, dedication and hard work."


Yep, that's right!  This will be the sixth year Billboard has recognized women in all aspects of the field.  Even executives are eligible.  However, these VIPs should be nominated primarily as individuals!  To nominate your leading lady, click on the title and it'll take you right to the nomination page.

The Printed Blog

In case you haven't heard about The Printed Blog, then I'm here to tell you about it. It's a magazine...but not your average magazine....it's filled with content from bloggers! Yep, that's right, bloggers! Not to mention this is the first magazine of its

kind...definitely revolutionary.

Aside from its content, you should just look at some of the contributing editors: Brittany Snow, from Hairspray, Sara Paxton from Superhero Movie, and Matt Dallas from Kyle XY. Pretty damn impressive if you ask me!

Oh, and there's more good news! Bloggers and photographers who get their work featured in the magazine get paid! Of course this is based on subscription revenue but compensation for doing what you love best, awesome!

Make sure to check it out and as always just click the title and it'll take you to the site!

Updated Resume

So I figured it was that time again to pull out my resume and get it looked at. Yes, I know it may sound crazy but I usually update my resume every so often...and I've probably had it "updated" about several times since its creation. Yes, you heard me...seven times! Oh and this one will be the eighth time!

I went to my school's career development department and dropped in where a very nice adviser looked over and immediately praised the fact that I even had a resume....I'm 26...who my age doesn't have a resume? Well turns out most students on campus don't and that was just sad to hear that none of these kids have a resume?! I've had my resume since I was 19 (barely 19 actually, I had just turned 19 and yes I will rub it in your face) and adding jobs left and right!

She then proceeded to tell me that there were some items I wanted to keep and others I could cut straight out and I agreed. Out with the old, in with the new! But she also recommended that I'd want to save/put things that would target an employer based on what I wanted to do. Seemed smart...and here I thought putting everything would land me a job....man was I wrong!

Anyways, I could go on and on about this stuff all day but I'm not gonna so here's a list of things to do in case you need to update your resume or make one!

-See an adviser if one is accessible to you. Take their feedback if you feel you're both on the same page. If not, kindly thank them for their help and proceed to someone else or leave your resume as is. And if you don't have a resume, they can help with giving you some examples.

-Don't have an adviser? Try the Internet. There are tons of places to look online but check out a reliable source. Not that I'm trying to promote any of these sites but Fastweb or Monster always have examples of resumes.

-Go to the library! When I was studying for my first degree...the library was literally my home away from home! I'm not kidding, you can ask my mom that for a fact! Believe it or not the library is one of the best or not the best place for any kind of topic you're looking for...and you know what else is best? Librarians! They make your research a lot easier, trust me I've had tons of help from them. (Maybe I should thank them for all those As and Bs for all my papers!)

-Don't want to go to the library, check out Barnes & Noble or any book store. Again, not trying to promote any businesses here but I've gone to Barnes & Noble plenty of times and have seen people relaxing and checking out books....especially students! And you know what? Its free and no one is nagging you!

-Last, once you've chosen which format to use for a resume just write. I'm serious, write about every title, occupation, what you did at work, what you did that improved work and so on. This will give you the chance to go back and overlook anything that you may have left out and don't want to.

Happy resume hunting! You're gonna need it!