You are a success in any endeavor whether it's business, artistic, or even personal, if you achieve the goals you set out for yourself. In many cases, we may have those goals set for us by others, but that is success by their measure, not ours.

Too often, we can find ourselves measuring our own success by somebody else's ruler. Sometimes we need to do that. I work in sales, that's what I was *hired* to do. If I don't meet that goal, I have failed. It doesn't make me a failure. I may be unemployed, but I'm not a failure.

What Mr. Boland said is right on the mark. If Matthew is reaching his own goals, he is being successful. If he hasn't, he needs to keep at it. (Personally, I want him to keep at it, but that's because I'm selfish that way and I want to keep enjoying the fruits of his labor.) That doesn't mean that he's failed. Goals are simply steps on a staircase. If you reach one, there had better be another one above it. If not, you are at the top of a fairly short staircase.

What I take umbrage in with Mr. Boland's comment is what I take as his assumption that *he* gets to set the goals.

As Matthew said so much more eloquently than me. This isn't 1985. The venue has changed. It doesn't work the same way any more. Sure “successful” acts still pack arenas and stadiums. To be sure, it's really good for those musicians. That's mostly because the proceeds from those concerts are the bulk of their income. The “industry” takes the rest for most of them. They *may* see a dime (more likely a fraction of a cent) for that CD you bought.

Matthew and others like him are at the forefront of a new business model. Some may say that Apple started it. They did, at least they were largely responsible for legitimizing it. Music consumers have more choice and say in what they “consume” than ever before, and artists like Matthew Ebel have a greater insight into and a stronger connection to their “consumers” (or fans) and what they want as well. That insight and connection probably hasn't been as strong since the days of sponsors and patrons during the Renaissance.

That brings me back to goals. In recent years, “successful” musicians have the ones that allowed their goals to be set by “The Industry.” This is very much like my boss setting a sales goal or quota for me. (Too much like that, in fact…eerily similar.) “Success,” by that measure, is usually all about the numbers. How many “records” did you sell. Where are you on “the charts.”

In Matthew's case, he gets to set his own goals. He has his fans and sponsors. His fans can be rabid (in more ways than one.) that is something that “the suits” will never measure. He's been eating, he's been getting exposure. Unlike Mr. Boland, I don't pretend to know what his goals are. I just know that he works hard to achieve them. *I* think he's a success, even if he does still have work to do. More important, though, is if Matthew sees his own success. Given what he's written I'd guess he does.

In the future, I think we are going to begin seeing more of these new measures of success. The “Music Business” is changing. Somebody ought to tell the “Music Industry,” but I doubt they'd believe it. They're too busy suing Grandma.

You are a success in any endeavor whether it's business, artistic, or even personal, if you achieve the goals you set out for yourself. In many cases, we may have those goals set for us by others, but that is success by their measure, not ours.

Too often, we can find ourselves measuring our own success by somebody else's ruler. Sometimes we need to do that. I work in sales, that's what I was *hired* to do. If I don't meet that goal, I have failed. It doesn't make me a failure. I may be unemployed, but I'm not a failure.

What Mr. Boland said is right on the mark. If Matthew is reaching his own goals, he is being successful. If he hasn't, he needs to keep at it. (Personally, I want him to keep at it, but that's because I'm selfish that way and I want to keep enjoying the fruits of his labor.) That doesn't mean that he's failed. Goals are simply steps on a staircase. If you reach one, there had better be another one above it. If not, you are at the top of a fairly short staircase.

What I take umbrage in with Mr. Boland's comment is what I take as his assumption that *he* gets to set the goals.

As Matthew said so much more eloquently than me. This isn't 1985. The venue has changed. It doesn't work the same way any more. Sure “successful” acts still pack arenas and stadiums. To be sure, it's really good for those musicians. That's mostly because the proceeds from those concerts are the bulk of their income. The “industry” takes the rest for most of them. They *may* see a dime (more likely a fraction of a cent) for that CD you bought.

Matthew and others like him are at the forefront of a new business model. Some may say that Apple started it. They did, at least they were largely responsible for legitimizing it. Music consumers have more choice and say in what they “consume” than ever before, and artists like Matthew Ebel have a greater insight into and a stronger connection to their “consumers” (or fans) and what they want as well. That insight and connection probably hasn't been as strong since the days of sponsors and patrons during the Renaissance.

That brings me back to goals. In recent years, “successful” musicians have the ones that allowed their goals to be set by “The Industry.” This is very much like my boss setting a sales goal or quota for me. (Too much like that, in fact…eerily similar.) “Success,” by that measure, is usually all about the numbers. How many “records” did you sell. Where are you on “the charts.”

In Matthew's case, he gets to set his own goals. He has his fans and sponsors. His fans can be rabid (in more ways than one.) that is something that “the suits” will never measure. He's been eating, he's been getting exposure. Unlike Mr. Boland, I don't pretend to know what his goals are. I just know that he works hard to achieve them. *I* think he's a success, even if he does still have work to do. More important, though, is if Matthew sees his own success. Given what he's written I'd guess he does.

In the future, I think we are going to begin seeing more of these new measures of success. The “Music Business” is changing. Somebody ought to tell the “Music Industry,” but I doubt they'd believe it. They're too busy suing Grandma.

Success is doing what you love, loving what you do, and still being able to keep roof, food and clothes.

If I could do 1 and 2 without whoring myself out to The Man to get 3, I'd be all over it. I don't need to be rich & famous; I'll take comfortable and happy. You can't begin to imagine how much I envy you, man.