I came across a pretty interesting radio interview (courtesy of www.preciseselling.com/Radio.htm) with Michael McDonald: co-founder of ATO Records (with Dave Matthews and Coran Capshaw)  and  manager of John Mayer, Ray LaMontagne, Natalie Merchant, and  Brett Dennen.

He talks about getting into the music business, starting out on tour with Dave Matthews , managing John Mayer, and more.

What separates a good artist from a great artist according to Michael?

…A magnetism to watching someone perform, listening to a melody for the first time, or  lyrics that you just think, “They just said that better than anyone I’ve heard say that.”

…An ability to continue to develop and grow creatively.  If John (Mayer) had written 4 more “Your Body is a Wonderland“, maybe the 2nd may have had success, the third would have been ‘meh’, and the fourth would have been detrimental to his career.  He’s continually evolving and taking more risks.

..Connecting with 55,000 or 80,000 people in a stadium is a skill and art. I don’t know if you can always teach it. You have to own it.

Take Control of Your Music,

Hoover

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