Don't Beat A Dead Horse!

Last week R., one of the best international sound engineers and record producers, wrote to me. We had not touched base for some years, and I was saddened by the tone of R.'s letter. It sounded depressed, almost desperate. That was absolutely not like him. After all he used to be a winner. Now he told me that he was out of work and short of options. Two songs were attached to his letter which I was asked to rate. Beautiful songs with emotional lyrics, both clearly without any chance to make its way to the charts. Times have changed, the music industry we knew belongs to the past, to say the least. R. had built his career on studio work, and there was never a better musical producer than him. Unfortunately even first class studio pros struggle to survive nowadays. First I did not know how to react. Should I console him, praise the quality of the songs he had sent me and give him false hope? I couldn't do that. I decided to tell him the truth. Even the best rider can't advance on a dead horse. No use beating it. He must dismount and look for another way to move on. A man (as well as a woman) who's talented, smart and active must change direction if he finds himself trapped in a dead end street. I want R. to do something totally different. I know he can, and I'm sure he will succeed if he forgets what used to be his recipe for success. He  will ask me what exactly I think he should do. I'll answer: Burying your dead horse would be a good start.