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Sometimes, unsigned and up-and-coming bands will reach out and ask about rates and packages for them. When they do so with politeness, general curiosity, via a recommendation from an associate, and with good business sense, I will vet it and see if it's something I can work with. Or, at the very least, I'll see if it's something I can recommend to a colleague who might be a better fit if I'm unable to get involved.

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Want to be a professional musician? Great. You need to look and dress the part. If you're a rock 'n' roller onstage, then it's okay to rock jeans and leather jackets when offstage. If you live it, look it. But if you've yet to cultivate your onstage persona or image, that's fine. Or if you find yourself in a situation where your stage clothes aren't appropriate, not to worry! There are options.

Also, looking like a pro musician isn't always about the clothing on your back, either. You can present yourself as a professional musician in these five easy ways.

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Music industry newbs are easy to spot. Whether they're as obvious as a globe-sized ink stain on a rug or they try to deftly escape detection, trust me – rookie vibes will be noticed instantly by anyone who's been in the industry for a while.

That's understandable, though. No one provides a handbook about how to navigate the music biz and its players. But you can learn from trial and error, as well as experience.

Relax – there's no newb shaming here. Rather, I want to help you avoid these behaviors. Take note of these four telltale signs that scream, "I am a newb!" so you can shed the behaviors.

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Bad habits... we all have them. Who isn't guilty of eating before bedtime, biting their nails, or using the "F" word too much? Bad habits are a part of everyone's personal and professional lives. What's virtue without vice, right?

However, as a musician, there are certain bad habits that have to be broken, since they can stunt or stall your career. Here are some not-so-obvious bad habits that you need to squash, stat. Getting rid of these problematic behaviors is like removing roadblocks to success. 

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Love it or hate it, you can't escape social media. If you love it, awesome. You're already a step ahead and you know it's an indispensable tool to help promote your music. But if you hate it and think that we, as a culture and society, need to stop burying our noses in our phones and engage in actual, face-to-face communication and enjoy a legit connection with other people, well, I don't blame you. I know that I personally spend too much time on my socials. But even if you hate social media, you can't abandon this form of digital communication. It's just too much a part of our lifeblood.

You can, however, make it work for you without having to be addicted. Your online platforms do not need to take over your life and your existence. Here are the ways that you can make social media work for you.