Seven Tips For Getting In Contact With Influential People In The Music Industry

People who possess valuable contacts tend to progress much more quickly in an industry that is people orientated such as the music industry. It is therefore not only imperative to acquire contacts but also to keep them over the course of one’s career.Below are seven sources of quality music business contacts:Tip 1: Record Shops: Independent Record Stores are one of the richest sources of information because they are a hub where everyone meets. DJ’s, Promoters and Labels Owners are just some of the music business professionals that hover around records stores.Visiting your local store regularly and making friends with the people who work there can be one of the best uses of your time. Recently I put this to the test again and found that the person behind the counter is a good friend of a major label executive!My advice is: “Visit record stores regularly”Tip 2: Music Business Courses: Apart from the knowledge that you will gain from attending a music business course; you will also be in the room with others who are in similar or better positions which allows for tremendous networking opportunities.A good goal for attending an event is to make at least one contact whom you can help and one contact that can help you! Break times and workshop times are great for this and other networking purposes.Always attend courses regularly; they are an excellent source of contacts.Tip 3: Music Studios: Record producers and engineers tend to meet good cross sections of industry professionals like Managers, Label Owners and Artists. With these types of individuals constantly passing in and out of their offices, they have developed a very large number of contacts.Such contacts could be open to you if you use their services, if they consider you a friend or if you meet them at an event!Tip 4: Industry Seminars: I am referring to events like Midem, SXSX, Great Escape, etc. These are a great source for international contacts that are very much needed in today’s global landscape.Although visits to such places can be quite expensive the benefits can (if properly nurtured) far outweigh the costs. Developing international contacts is essential to the success of any artist and just one good synchronization deal can more than cover the cost!Tip 5: Referrals – Asking Active People: The Bible says: “Ask and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you.” You would be surprised at the number of people have who a need but neglect to ask for assistance!Referrals are one of the best contacts anyone could have. As a matter of fact, someone said just the other day that referrals are the most valuable contacts. The greater the number of referrals you have, the more contacts you will develop!Tip 6: Using Directories: As mundane and tedious as this may sound, generating contacts straight from an industry directory can still be most effective method. It is a more time-consuming process, but is a rich resource that should not be ignored.Tip 7: Industry Service Providers – Lawyers, Business Advisors, and Accountants, etc.: Finally, industry professionals are a key to unlocking tremendous numbers of contacts. A music business accountant is so familiar with how his clients are doing and what their needs are that if you can help him then he is willing to make the connection! The same can be said of Solicitors/Lawyers. Professional service providers are becoming involved in brokering deals now more than ever.The next time you visit an accountant or business advisor make sure that you leave their presence with a valuable contact.You should never ignore people whose good graces you may one day need.

The Best Way to Clean Teak Furniture

Teak has extensively been used in the construction of furniture, houses and ships for centuries. It is a robust hardwood with a dense grain pattern, that is ideally suited for outdoor furniture as it is resistant to environmental degradation. The timber contains both hard and soft fibres that eliminates the risk of warping, and makes it termite resistant.Teak is an oily timber, the natural oils protect the timber and make it resistant to many chemicals and fluids. Over time the timber can dry out, if it is exposed to continual ultra-violet radiation and rain. Though it is far more resistant to environmental exposure than inferior products such as plastics, which quickly decay. The constant exposure in outdoor settings can cause the normally bright ruddy timber to dull to a bland silvery white hue. This process is not structural, but merely cosmetic and is referred to as patina. Patina is an environmental buildup of acids and oxides, which causes the colour of the timber to change hues, but will not effect the strength.If you want to maintain the colour of your teak furniture, then there are two main goals in caring for your teak furniture. First, you want to prevent the buildup of dirt, and reduce the amount of environmental exposure. Secondly, you need to ensure that the natural oils in the timber do not dry out. This can be achieved by routinely applying teak sealer to your teak furniture.How to clean your teak furnitureTo clean your teak furniture, simply use warm soapy water and scrub the piece with a soft abrasive, cloth. Routinely cleaning with a mild soap will prevent the buildup of oils, that can oxidise and cause unsightly spotting on the furniture. Your main goal is to remove the build up of accumulated dirt. By protecting your teak furniture from direct exposure to UV rays, you can obviate the need for additional regular maintenance.How to choose your teak furniture sealerModern teak sealers contain complex technological advances to provide optimum protection to your furniture. Choose a sealer that contains UV protection, to prevent the whitening of the timber. Some sealers also contain complex enzymes and chemicals to prevent the growth of mould and fungi on the furniture. This may be valuable if you live in warm humid environments, where fungus spores may build up on your furniture.Ideally you are looking for a sealer that will highlight the natural deep honey and ruddy tones in your teak furniture, and prevent UV degradation.How to seal your teak furnitureIt is advisable to not seal your teak furniture in the first month after you purchase your item, this will allow the waxy build-up on the furniture, that comes from the factory, to become slightly weathered, therefore providing a more attractive appearance. Whenever you paint it is vital that you clean the surface diligently. Any imperfections, environmental buildup, or foreign objects can cause the coat of paint to not adhere. This will therefore result in reduced protection, and will require you to seal your teak furniture more regularly. After cleaning the furniture with soapy water, let it to dry thoroughly overnight.Apply the sealer over the furniture using a soft brush, be liberal on your first coat, but ensure even coverage. Depending on the brand, the sealer should be dry after a few hours, and be ready for the second coat. On the second coat of sealer, you will have to be more careful with your application, but you need not be pedantic, as any imperfections will just add to the personality of the piece.The ideal timber for eco-friendly furnitureOnce you have sealed your teak furniture, you will have an extremely durable and aesthetically pleasing item to liven up your outdoor setting. As teak is such a long-lasting and durable timber, it is increasingly being used as an eco-friendly furniture, as it can be forested in sustainable ways. By applying these few simple methods, your eco-friendly furniture will continue to be resistant to the environmental elements, and a practical addition to your house.

How To Get The Cheapest Health Insurance Cover

Lots of people are either searching for, or are already reaping the advantages of cheap medical insurance. Either for themselves and/or their family, cheap medical cover brings relief and peace of mind in the event of ill-health striking.If you’re not fortunate enough to have employee health protection, and  you also have a limited income, cheap health insurance is necessary if you want a superior alternative to healthcare provided by the NHS.Whilst there are lots of companies offering cheap health policies, such plans, inherently, are inclined to offer a limited amount of cover in comparison to the more comprehensive plans. Therefore, it will serve you well to shop around since the options and scope of available medical cover can vary enormously between health insurance providers.WHAT YOU REALLY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CHEAP HEALTH PLANSIf you have been a smoker, and in particular, a heavy one for a number of years, you probably will not be able to obtain cheap health insurance as smoking is one of the largest factors, amongst others, such as heavy alcohol consumption, which insurers categorize as a high level risk.AVOID USING NON-DISCLOSURE TO OBTAIN A CHEAPER  HEALTH POLICYSome people try to disguise their smoking in order to acquire cheap health insurance, despite this being a somewhat naive idea. Insurers are not dim-witted and cover will generally be denied pending the investigation of any conditions that may be associated with smoking.Similarly, it is not prudent policy to withhold any information relating to your health that might materially affect your cover in the future simply for the objective of getting cheap health protection. Cheap healthcare cover can only be validated as such where all conditions have been truthfully and thoroughly declared on the application form.HOW OCCUPATION AND LIFESTYLE AFFECT CHEAP MEDICAL COVEROther reasons determine whether inexpensive health insurance is a realistic prospect. Certain types of career and hobbies are potentially more high risk than others and will therefore render a cheap health insurance plan doubtful. Hazardous sports like skydiving, scuba-diving, snow and water sports typically raise health insurance premiums.Physically risky or treacherous careers also have the same effect. Such lifestyle or occupational hazards do not mean that getting appropriate medical insurance isn’t achievable, only that cover probably won’t be inexpensive. As with not disclosing smoking, drinking and other pre-existing conditions, it is not recommended that dangerous pursuits are not declared in order to acquire low-cost cover.LIMITING THE OPTIONS TO OBTAIN CHEAPER  HEALTH COVERIf you are willing to consider restricted cover by being thoughtful and selective regarding the options, it follows that cheap health insurance is a very real possibility. Simply being flexible rather than being adamant on a plan which facilitates lots of range, will bring the premiums of cover down.For instance, you might want to exclude health cover for pregnancy and childbirth as you may well think these options non applicable.By removing all of the options that you consider are unwarranted on a policy, or that you can do without, will result in much cheaper health plans. Leaving out the more specialist and luxurious options of cover, whilst keeping the essential elements can result in a significant drop in health insurance costs.A good place to start the quest for cheap health plans is online. Use some of the online insurance agents and comparison sites to check and compare the marketplace for the most competitive rates for suitable low-cost health insurance cover. Investing the time and effort to research the available options will pay handsome rewards in the form of cheaper premiums.

An Overview on Automotive Body Tools

After our homes and offices, the place where we spend maximum time is our vehicle. So, the proper care and repair of our vehicle is a very important task. We must take it very seriously and do periodic check-up of our automobiles, be it car or truck or any other vehicle. So, how aware are you about your vehicle maintenance. Do you carry all necessary automotive body tools with you? If not, then you must immediately shop for at least the basic automotive tools. Imagine if you are driving alone and suddenly your vehicle breaks down, then in this hour of emergency how will you manage without these tools. My intentions are not to scare you but to make you aware of this situation which can come up any day. I am writing this article with the aim of increasing the awareness amongst the people who are ignorant about their life’s wellbeing.Automotive body tools are of several types which are designed to perform an intended task. So, if you have this feeling that one tool is just sufficient then take a break and think again. If you want to make sure that you have the utilities necessary to keep your vehicle in shape, you need to know which the most important tools are. These automotive tools are not very expensive and can fix any problem efficiently. Few basic tools that are most important are jacks, wrenches, different screws, brake bleeders, pliers, gloves jumper cables, spare fuses, battery terminal brush, road flares, flashlights duct tapes, a reflective vest, oil and some spare tires. If you are planning a long trip, you must pack your bag with all these automotive body tools for an uninterrupted journey. These automotive tools are easy to find anywhere, but remember purchase the best that comes in your budget.When it comes to a vehicle of your daily use, it’s always better to be well prepared with the tools. With that, a periodic check-up is again a must to do. Emergency can come any moment, so be equipped with all the essential tools and enjoy a safe journey.