today was full of good news

There just are not enough hours in the day! My to do list will never be blank.

I received some great news late last night – we have our baby band as support for an upcoming tour, for an artist that I respect and like live. Woohoo! The venues vary in capacity, but hover around 1,200. The artist that we’re supporting has been recently breaking into the scene and has a lot of indie cred. Though we don’t have any product yet (CD won’t be out until after), we are in the talks of merch and promo at the show. This is especially exciting for me since I thrive on live shows and can relate to the target audience. Now is my time to shine in being innovative on how we can get the crowds to remember and be excited about our opening artist. Though I’ve got some good ideas formulating, I’ve called upon my fellow concert buddies and artist friends for their input. Hopefully by brainstorming we’ll all come out more knowledgeable and progressive.

Towards the end of the day, B1 was in B2’s office and asked if B2 had told me I was going on the road with our baby artist for some of the dates. Oh hell yes!

In other news, the TM that often gives me shit was actually pretty decent today. We knocked out a few stuff regarding the world tour and I was criticized or put down. The only issue that remains now are the tour busses, but that is out of my hands. B1 is going on some of the tour, and of course I have done all that I need to do regarding travel arrangements, just waiting on the TM and travel agent to give me some itineraries and numbers. I don’t like when people take too long.

I had to FedEx show contracts to one of our tour accountants. Naturally he told me to send them to the venue where he would be at the next day. These contracts have now vanished – and no one at the venue knows the name who had signed for them. Now what the hell do I do?

So we are meeting with the artist that I mentioned previously in my blog. Yes, the one whose music I didn’t really enjoy. I spoke to her on the phone for about 20 minutes today and we have a good rapport going on. She has a music video that she recently made, so I watched it. Ehhh…she has great style, the video was shot pretty interestingly – though slow at first, but the music is still so-so. It’s not bad, just got a good first single.

Before I left the office I was talking to one of the assistant tour managers that I talk to several times a day. Come to find out she lives in NYC so once she’s off her current tour, we’re going to go out for some drinks and shows since we have a lot of the same music tastes. Nice – I’m really excited because she’s always fun to speak with, and its funny because she asks me if she is doing things correctly. I just don’t know how old she is since we only speak on email, aim, and the phone. What if she is 55? I doubt she is – but still, that would be funny.

Yes, tomorrow s Friday. See, some people live for Fridays, but Fridays sometimes scare me. Most people have a two day vacation, for me – it’s just two days away from the office where I have to be prepared for any random question that comes to be while I am either driving, drinking, sleeping, or ignoring my phones.

score one for me

Not too long ago we had an artist come into our office to feel her out about possible management. B2 and I don't really enjoy her music. I've listened to a lot of her tunes, and though she is very marketable and fits into that young girl pop rocky niche, I don't feel the music. Rarely do you when you fall into that category. I still gave it a chance though and there are a few songs on there that have potential - not to be groundbreaking, but to sell albums.

B1, B2, and I met with her even though B2 and I went into is with the mindset of just talking with her, not to be proactive about anything. This girl has her cards lined up all right: already signed to a major, great booking agency, and her dad is pretty well respected in the industry. Those factors do overshadow the music at times. The girl has talent, she's been on stage, on film, on tv, and recordings - perhaps she is still just young so there isn't much substance and doesn't know who she is, or wants to be yet.

B2 and I have very similar music tastes and are very realistic, whereas B1 is all about the trends, but obviously knows the game. There's no second glance if B2 doesn't like something at first glance, and it comes off as attitude. I can read B2 and really mesh well with his personality, which is the main reason I think we get along so smoothly - mostly everyone new that he meets, not so much. B1 is slightly different, if he likes you - you know it by his attention, time, and willingness to personally open up. If he doesn't dig you, he is still cordial, but more straighforward businessy.

We are still courting the artist, pretty much just waiting to see how one of her auditions went. Today B1 and B2 said that she didn't have much to say about them, but spoke very highly about me to her father. NICE! That made my evening - especially how it came as a surprise. I still don't think I want her to be one of our artists though.

Yesterday sucked

Ever have one of those days that within five minutes of being in the office, you know it is going to be hell? Yesterday was it. I hadn't been so frustrated and close to tears since I first started. To make matters worse, I wasn't responsible for any of the craziness, I just received everyone's anxiety.

As soon as I walked into work, early, the phones were going crazy. I had booked B1 a vehicle for a big meeting with one of our artists. He was also with a few of the best agents and label heads in the US. Their car wasn't at the confirmed location - it was 20 miles away. The company had made a mistake, and granted though it wasn't my fault and I was able to fix the damn situation, it didn't put B1 in a good mood.

Once he was in the car, I had to navigate him to the artist's house because the rental company made another mistake by not equipping the vehicle with a navigation system. They were trying to drive out of a city, but most of the roads were closed due to an event and a storm. His frustration, again, was taken out on me. I finally got him out onto a highway and he pleaded with me that I was taking him the wrong way. I ensured him that I was following the map and reading it to him exactly how I should. He became exasperated with me and hung up to get directions from a gas station. An hour later he called to apologize saying that I was right all along, it just didn't look familiar to him.

I'm now 2 hours behind schedule my day. I usually do my artist ticket counts and guest lists first thing in the morning, but obviously I am already into the afternoon. Oh, I almost forgot, B1 also had lost his blackberry over the weekend, so in addition to answering all of the calls and emails directed to me, I also had to keep tabs on all of his incoming emails. I'm already behind schedule, have to deal with his correspondence along with my own, but now I am on the search for a new blackberry. He has a model that was new 6 months ago, there is now a newer one out - he doesn't want that one - so most of my day was spent searching for said blackberry. Once found, I had to run out downtown in the rain - not that pleasant.

Midafternoon he asked me to check for flights for his daughter. I have artist stuff to work on! So while still searching for all possible flight scenarios for his daughter, I was juggling setting up worldwide phone interviews. I was yelled at for not finding a flight fast enough!

I don't get upset that often, and though I'm pretty high strung, I have a high frustration threshold. I've dealt with a lot of crap during my childhood that pretty much all obstacles thrown at me as an adult have been pretty mundane. So I just don't let it get to me. Not today. I could only get yelled at, hung up on, and let down so many times. And of course I am upsetting our artists because I can't get any of their stuff done due to having to run around with B1.

Could it get worse? Yes, his cell phone stopped working. By the way, he was in a different time zone. He just lost both of his life lines in less than 24 hours - his cell and blackberry. So now I have to field all of his calls and emails while trying to do EVERYTHING ELSE. Oh wait, B2 had left mid afternoon because he was sick. So add all of the responsibilty he left me with my already crazed day and you get one frustrated and overworked assistant. I ate lunch at 5:30 pm.

I was at work for about 13 hours and left after an apologetic phone conversation with B1. I'm not tht upset anymore - I was just completely burnt out yesterday, and thought I was drained, I felt unsatisfied as my work day was pretty much unsubstantial. Sigh, there will be days like this.