The place where music professionals meet, Grammy365.com

The place where music professionals meet, Grammy365.com. The 55th annual Grammy Awards are nearing and many might wonder how they too can become apart of such an elite group of professionals. There are many professional associations and organization one can join to stay connected, network and build on the professional music careers but in my opinion none like this. The greatest award in music provides an even great opportunity for up and coming industry professionals.

Grammy365 is the members site like Facebook, Twitter and Myspace used to stay informed and connected to where music is and where it's going. They've provided 12 chapters across the United States allowing members access education, advocacy and dental care through it's Music Cares affiliation. Members not just have access to Grammy events but discounts to other organizations events such as SXSW among a host of others. Membership also includes an invite to music's biggest night, the invitation only Grammy Awards.

They are three types of membership one can take advantage of: 

Student Member: primarily between ages 17 to 25, who are currently enrolled in a college, university or trade school with a desire to work in the recording industry upon graduation. Student members do not need to be majoring in music or in a music program to qualify for Student Membership. This allows students to join and take advantage of the industries top resources through volunteering, internships and networking.  

Associate Member: is for individuals who are creative and technical professionals with fewer than the required credits for Voting membership and other recording industry professionals such as executive producers, writers, publishers, attorneys, record label staff, music merchants, music educators, and artist managers who are directly involved, on a professional basis, in the music business.

Voting Member: This classification is for creative and technical professionals who qualify in at least one of the categories of eligibility. All recordings must be commercially released in the U.S. either through traditional distribution channels or recognized online retail settings. 

This information along with annual fee's and required documentation can be found under the Grammys membership section.

I have been a student member of the Grammys for the last two years and looking to become an associate member by 2014. During my two years of membership I have traveled to many different networking events from Chicago to Atlanta and New York. I've met the next big stars to the current ones like Brian Michael Cox and Mama Jane of Jane Smith Studio's just to name a few. While I'm not typically one to request pictures with stars, I'm learning the importance of doing to as my careers grows. You not only make good contacts at these events but learn a host of information that you may not have learned in the classroom or on your musical journey.

How to live before dying by Steve Jobs

On any given day we can find ourselves with our spirits down and looking for some motivation to press on ahead. Motivation is all around us but greatly depends on ones perception of the information they're receiving. Ted.com is an interesting site with a host of amazing speakers sharing their life stories, wisdom and knowledge that can be used for encouragement and growth. What I have found most encouraging about the site is that the speakers come from all walks of life (careers, race and regions) but have found ways to make the best of the cards they were dealt. 

How to live before dying by Steve Jobs was a speech he had given at the 2005 Stanford University commencement and named as a Best of the Web video by TED. Have you seen it or heard any excerpts from it in the media? If yes, what did you take from it and how are you applying it to life today? Steve Jobs an already great speaker and presenter had delivered possibly his best speech ever. His speech had three key topics about what he's learned from living his life: about connecting the dots, love and loss and death. 

In connecting the dots, he spoke of his parents giving him up for adoption but only to someone who would make sure he went to college. While his biological parents couldn't give him the life they wanted for him they assured he got it but first spewing and demanding it over his life. He went on to college but would drop out after just 6 months of attending. Steve would still continue to drop in classes but just the ones that interested him most. 

When Steve spoke of love and loss, he spoke of building up his business Macintosh only to be fired 10 years later. How could he be fired from his own company you ask, well so did he. He felt like running away as a failure but realized he still loved what he did and decided to start over. He fall from the top allowed him to rebuild himself and without even knowing it the Macintosh brand. The start of Next, Pixar and finding his wife were all apart of rebuilding himself as Macintosh purchased Next he would again become the head man of the company.

The last subject he would cover was about death and how he was diagnosed with cancer. At 17 he read a quote, If you live each day like it's your last, one day you'll most certainly be right. Steve would gone on with that quote in mind for 33 years asking himself, "if my life were to die to day would I want to do what I'm about to do today". His message was about doing what you love and if you haven't found it keep searching until you do. The heart will know when it finds what is right for you.

What I take from his life and this speech is that no matter how high one goes they can fall but no matter how far you fall you can rise again. The only thing certain about life is death and as he said it's our only shared destination. Knowing that he was able to build what is now known as Apple out of his parents garage is encouraging itself. But him losing his seat at the top and having to start over only to regain his position is absolutely amazing. In parting he said, stay hungry, stay foolish. My perception of those words are never lose you desire for more.