Rising Star Systems

The Shy Singer an Interview with Vikki Flawith

Debra was thrilled to interview singer/songwriter Vikki Flawith, former Artist’s EDGE Member, Champion of the Creatively Introverted & Socially Terrified, opera-howling Blogger, procrastinating Painter, housework-hating Vocalist, power-napping Composer and Aquarian Cyber-Geek. Vikki is a well-respected vocal teacher. And she has signed multi-track deals with several music publishers.

Debra Recommends ifanz

contact management, sales, marketing

ifanz is a very cool resource originally developed for musicians, but really applicable for creative professionals in all walks of life who are building their career by building their relationship with their fans.  More than just a database and newsletter management tool, it also offers one-stop shopping for many of the needs of the small […]

Debra Russell Recommends Indie Band Manager

sales, marketing, administrative

My friend, Charlie Cheney, designed this system based on filemaker Pro for his own career in music.  But when he saw how many musicians, agents and other professionals in the music industry needed this product, he made it available to the public. This program is a comprehensive contact management, booking and tour management system. And […]

Debra Russell Recommends ReverbNation

fulfillment, marketing

I’ve been hearing nothing but great buzz about ReverbNation as a one stop shop for contact management and social networking for your music business. Here’s what they say on their website: ReverbNation.com is a Music 2.0 company that is responding to the changing music business paradigm. We provide innovative marketing solutions that musicians need to […]

Debra Recommends Audition

acting, film, theater

I studied with Michael Shurtleff for 2 years when I was acting in NYC, in the 80’s. In my opinion, this book solidifies in very simple terms the choices an actor must make in order to create a believable character. What’s so beautiful about this, is it enables you to make those choices in the few minutes you have before you step into an audition.

Debra Recommends Turning Passions Into Profits

business, success

Turning Passions Into Profits – 3 Steps to Wealth & Power by Christopher Howard This is a book by my NLP and Hypnosis teacher.  What surprised me about this book was what it wasn’t.  It wasn’t another “follow your bliss” woo-woo book.  And it wasn’t a “Business” book.  It is a concrete instruction manual to […]

5-Year Plan: Got Goals? Get a Plan

Artists MBA, Professional Program

Why would you go on this journey – your life’s journey – without a plan?
In this hands-on session, we’ll work through the 5 steps to a 5-Year Plan. You’ll find that creating your life’s Plan isn’t so hard or complicated after all! And you will walk away with a real-world plan for your goals and the tools to get you into action.

Meetup.com Creating Community in Your Community

social media, networking

Meetup.com was mentioned in response to a question from the March 2009 Ask Coach Debra call.  The question was about finding and/or building community with fellow artists.  I have found meetup to be an incredible tool for finding and creating community centered around common interests. I have been both a Meetup organizer with my Bay Area […]

Debra Recommends Songsalive

songwriting, business

Since 1997, Songsalive! is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to the nurturing, support, promotion and education of songwriters and composers worldwide. Founded in 1997, by Gilli Moon and Roxanne Kiely in Sydney, Australia,  Songsalive! is run by volunteer songwriters for songwriters and has reached the far corners of the globe with over 25 chapters worldwide. […]