This Thursday night (January 21st) marks the beginning of a new year & decade for Test Press and the Flux Summit.

Over three years in, the Test Press music review events have become a tradition at Pyramind Studios. The addition of The Flux Summit has upped the ante and made this quarterly event into a gathering that allows for topical discussion around hot-button issues of the day, coupled with a much larger community mixer.

This week's topic will be focused on the issues local live event venues are having with the ABC (The State Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control) and their threats to issue massive fines and revoke permits.

The following is an extract from the soon-to-be-released Pyramind Books, due January 2010 from Alfred Publishing

Planning for Success (Book 2)

"I have often heard it said that it is easier to win the lottery than it is to find financial success in the music industry. Many say that it requires a tremendous amount of luck to succeed in this business and there are others who will tell you there is no such thing as luck.

"I will respond that luck is fifty percent being in the right place at the right time and the other fifty percent is simply being ready for the opportunity when it presents itself – the marriage of opportunity and preparedness. Being 'ready' is never the result of any one action but a culmination of much preparation and determination. Being in the right place at the right time almost always has to do with whom you choose to surround yourself with. Realizing your potential in any endeavor is challenging and at its core is being able to understand the secret of how things really work – and how to work with people as passionate as yourself (whether or not you agree with them!).

'The secret of how things really work, the secret to achieving true and lasting success in our everyday lives and our business endeavors, is something deep, and not easily seen without effort. But it is certainly worth the effort.'

I am very honored to have been elected Trustee by the SF Board of NARAS. This amazing opportunity to grow and learn from some of the best in the business comes at a very interesting time in Pyramind’s own development.

As you may already well know, there is no such thing as an over night success in the music business. Every win is its own unique combination of dedication, passion and determination. This summer marks another landmark in Pyramind’s development as we experience growth and new opportunities on numerous fronts.

For over a year now, Paul Lipson (President of GANG and now COO of Pyramind) has been working tirelessly to develop new relationships for Pyramind’s production division. Together, he and Dave Earl are now furiously composing for AAA video game titles which I will be mixing and mastering for. Due to the high level of NDA secrecy around these projects, I can’t yet reveal their titles but suffice to say you’ll be hearing about them very soon!

This posting is a copy of my Trustee nomination speech which I presented to the SF Board of Governor's of NARAS. I know it's a bit long winded but I feel it is relevant and important for people to understand my goals and vision for being an active member and trustee of the recording academy.

To my fellow Board Members:

I am honored and grateful to accept the board’s nomination to run for Trustee of the SF Chapter’s Board of Governors.

I have been a voting member of the Academy for eighteen years and since becoming a board member in 2000, I have committed myself to being an active participant of the San Francisco Chapter. As the CEO and Director of Pyramind, a leading digital audio production and training company in downtown San Francisco, I work directly with professional clients and students alike. I listen to their dreams, desires and frustrations with the industry and help them both realize their goals. My twenty years of experience as a studio owner and entrepreneur have taught me the need to adjust to difficult economic climates and to adapt to new technologies with cautious optimism. I have been a part of the boom and bust years brought on by the internet and have worked to embrace the inevitable changes that it has brought to our every day lives. My relationship to our community and my interactions with you, my fellow board members, make me keenly aware of the challenges we face today. I say this because I understand that if elected Trustee, it will be my duty to represent our collective voice to the national leadership of the recording academy.

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Lot’s goes on in congress these days with respect to the future of the recording industry. With the economy in shambles this is no time to loose track of some of the VERY important initiatives being brought to congress!

As a co-chair of the SF chapter of the recording academy's Producers and Engineers Wing I do my best to keep up to date on the latest congressional wrangling and I encourage you to do the same. Grammy.com has recently had a significant overhaul and provides a great resource for important advocacy issues. I encourage you to visit http://capwiz.com/grammy/issues/bills/ to get a great overview of all that is at stake!