The 6 Secret Keys to Master Your Music, Amplify Your Brand and Build Your Dream Career

Do you sometimes wonder if you’ll ever fully achieve what you came here to do with your music? 

You’ve put in your 10,000 hours, and worked on your craft. Put out a few records. You’ve made significant attempts to promote and get your music out there. You go hard at it for a while.. but then don’t see the results you hoped for.

You wonder if maybe your music simply isn’t reaching the right people, or the market is oversaturated. Or maybe your music is not connecting. 

It feels like your dream is within reach, but you can’t figure out what’s missing. 

You wonder, what am I doing wrong?

If you’re tired of spinning your wheels, I have good news for you! You’re likely only a few steps away from reaching the success and impact you dream of

–but it might not be what you think it is!

Often times we are too close to our music, and it blends with our image of ourselves, that we can’t see what’s going on. What if you are only a few tiny adjustments away from living the dream?? And it’s right under your nose the whole time?  

What if you had a crystal ball and could see the problem and peer into the future?

What if you saw that what was holding you back was YOU? Something you were doing (or not doing) that you were completely unaware of? 

Over the years I have found that artists are often missing 1 or 2 of the 6 secret keys to success. 

These are the key ingredients in your music, brand, business steps that will hold you back left undetected.  I find that most times a few of these keys are missing, creating holes in the music or brand that is holding the artist back from reaching their full potential. 

Sometimes we’re just too close to our work to have the perspective we need to realize what’s missing. When often what’s missing is right under our nose the whole time.

Once we identify the missing keys – it’s relatively easy to move the artist forward exponentially— to ensure the success of their next project on a creative and business front. 

What if you could see with absolute clarity exactly what you’re missing, and found the bridge to take you where you are from where you want to be–just like you would with a manager?

While working with artists during the past 30+ years, I noticed these very distinct and familiar patterns across the board. Most artists have gaps… and this isn’t the kind of stuff your fans or friends will tell you, because they aren’t experts. In most cases, it’s only 1 or 2 key pieces that are missing – but because you’re so close to it— you don’t see it. 

So I created the 6 Secret Keys to identify these hard-to-see keys that once identified make it easy to set the course and move forward freeing up the path! 

This is the exact same expertise that world-class artists have at their fingertips – without the heavy price tag. What would it feel like to finally see your music connecting with the world, knowing that your dream is coming true?

Stop imagining and find out! 

You’re so close to reaching your full potential.

Let’s unlock the keys and get you moving forward faster. 

1. Secret Key 1: The behind-the-scenes methods of world-class artists

What if you had access to the expertise and guidance that world-class have? The same techniques and methods that help them shine were yours? 

What a lot of people don’t realize is how hard artists work on their craft. Just because they don’t talk about it doesn’t mean it isn’t happening because it is. Those of us in the business who work with big names see the work they do—we help them do it. 

The first piece of advice is to look behind the curtain. Often times our identity or image of ourselves is too connected to our “art”. So we don’t get help because we don’t want anything to judge or threaten what we have worked so hard for. 

But this is a HUGE blindspot and keeps you from tweaking things that need it! 

Start here: The Step Up Your Music Module 1 in my Step Up to the Spotlight unlocks this secret key! 

Click here for more information!

Secret Key 2: The secrets of an abundant musician mindset

Mindset is a huge piece of the artist journey. The 10,000 hours to become a viable contender and the countless rejections and wrong avenues you have to take on the climb. 

It’s easy to start on a downward spiral with all of these obstacles on your way. 

No matter where you are in your career, it’s our mindset that runs the show. 

Start with tuning negativity out. Stephen Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, defined an abundance mindset as  ”a concept in which a person believes there are enough resources and successes to share with others.”

Is success born inside the fertile ground of our imagination? How can we cultivate a healthy soil, plant seeds of abundance and remember to water it frequently?

Every single creative being has to wrestle with these voices. Every singer, songwriter, artist, band, musician, music producer, filmmaker, screenwriter, actor, actress, author, dancer, comic, painter—you name it, they’ve got that doubt. And worse, no one believes them at first. Many are laughed at and rejected for years, even decades before breaking through. They’ve got to push up that hill past the signs of failure too. 

It’s not unique to you—so stop thinking it is. Blaming yourself will steal every moment of believing from you. It’s the kind of thinking that punches you in the stomach, knocks the wind out of your sails—and you need every kilometer of wind you can get to reach your destination.

Start here: The Step Up Your Mindset Module 2 of my Step Up to the Spotlight unlocks this secret key! 

Click here for more information!

3. Secret Key 3: The secrets of a compelling music brand

Branding can be mysterious and elusive but is one of the most important keys to drawing the right audience to you. 

Our approach to branding is to work from the inside out. We align the brand to fit the artist – who you really are because we know that will identify key features of the artist themselves. We start with an interview and start the process to extract the key elements that stand out and help to set them apart. 

We start that process in our Step Up to the Spotlight Program and build it out more in our Signature Songwriting Circle. In the Circle we we build what’s called an A&R Profile to build out the artist sound + direction. This helps us to identify the sound + direction along with the key themes in the artists message and sound. Then we build the brand out from there. 

Start here: The Step Up Your Brand Module 3 of my Step Up to the Spotlight unlocks this secret key! 

Click here for more information!

4. Secret Key 4: The secret steps to stardom no one shows you

There really is no path I’ve ever seen outlined like we detail. There are so many different paths in music —the most difficult part is identifying the right path for you. There is so much advice out there it gets super confusing. Plus following generic advice can send you on a wild goose chase down rabbit holes that aren’t going in the right direction for you and your music. 

Your knowledge of how the industry works is elemental in knowing the right path for you. 

Start here: The Step Up Your Plan Module 4 of my Step Up to the Spotlight unlocks this secret key! Click here for more information!

5. Secret Key 5: The secret artist development plan used by managers & labels

Artist development is the cornerstone of solid career development and progress. It’s critical on the journey and often overlooked. Many artists like H.E.R were signed by artists in their teens to develop their craft in order to have the time to develop correctly into a viable artist. 

Our philosophy is that music is a garden that needs weeding and watering to flourish. If you skip this step you will only end up stabbing at it and people can feel the lack of substance. 

Do yourself a favor and dive in! 

Start here: The Step Up Your Artist Development Plan Module 5 of my Step Up to the Spotlight unlocks this secret key! 

Click here for more information!

6. Secret Key 6: The secret roadmap to become the artist of your life used by artist developers & labels

If you could just throw money and connections at an artist and make them a star every label in the world would make stars a dime a dozen. But it doesn’t work that way. Even money and connections cannot build a star. 

Learn the secret roadmap to become the artist of your life, build a real sustainable career and success in music. 

Start here: The Step Up Your True North Module 6 of my Step Up to the Spotlight unlocks this secret key! 

Click here for more information!

“Cari helped me tap into something that is uniquely me and that no one can take away from me. I found Cari’s Step Up Program at the perfect point in my life when I realized I was ready to be the artist of my dreams. I knew that I had something really special to share but I didn’t exactly know what it was, what it was going to sound like, and how to offer it in a way that the world would understand. Step Up guided me through all the foundational work I needed to define who I am as an artist and a clear roadmap to launch my career!” ~ Meagan Sky

Meagan Sky grew her audience to 9k and signed with management post Step Up with her new self-love niche and album!

“Working with Cari Cole has been an incredibly transformative experience for me, especially during the pandemic when everything felt so dark. Her Step Up program inspired me to take my craft more seriously, and it opened me up to writing new music. Cari’s approach to coaching is so much more than just teaching technique. She takes the time to understand her students’ goals and empowers them to take control of their own learning and progress.” ~ Sam Shaky

Sam went from almost giving up on his music to the cover of Rolling Stone and placing #2 on the iTunes charts! 

In my Step Up to the Spotlight Artist Development Program in just 6 weeks, you’ll…

• Find the pieces you’re missing
• Learn the 6 Secret Keys
• Become the artist of your life
• Chart your unique artist path (instead of following generic advice that doesn’t fit you)
• …and bring your music to the world