Because I've been working with musicians for about a million years, I've learned a great deal about the subtle hints in conversation, styles of pitching oneself and overall accomplishments in assessing the success and happiness of working with artists quite quickly.

Aside from the obvious (see Rock and Roll Confidential's Hall of Shame), an email is as telling as anything. Despite the constant appeals from music industry folk via interviews, panels and other advice outlets, the "be yourself" suggestion often goes unheeded, despite the fact that we really, really mean it. Because if you're not, we can tell. We all like working with musicians who are actual people, we swear. And real people are easier to work with because we're really all in the same boat together.

Some giveaways on what does and doesn't make a good working band:

Advertisements: I receive pitches from artists mostly via email and here's a hint, if the heading begins with a "dear sir", it's difficult to get beyond the greeting. Also warning signs: "now available for listening" and "now offering tracks for licensing", often accompanied by html embedded graphics of the band. What it comes down to: I don't want an advertisement, I don't need to be hyped, and the music will speak for itself. Over hype makes us industry types suspicious and I've found that the best artists also tend to be simple and sincere.

Failure: Artists that have failed at some time in the past are great. I love them. I work with artists who have been signed to major labels and dropped, written crappy songs and go on to record something brilliant down the road, survived horrible band breakups and re-form new groups. Artists who have failed and are still in the game are still making music because they're true musicians; they can't do anything else and they'll continue to do so no matter what. Artists that believed their own hype so heartily don't continue on and thus don't improve. Those that have had some failure in their past and forge ahead always, always succeed on some level and they truly appreciate what comes to them much more deeply.

Overhype: Something I learned late in my management days, artists that over-hype, insist that others absolutely love them when those others ultimately claim they do not, speak with amazement that they drew 5,000 people at their show (when they didn't) and exaggerate tells me they're not as good as they think they are. Again, the music speaks for itself and if you're great but still have an audience of one, there will be more fans to follow.

I've worked with, and continue to work with artists who truly love making music and of every single band I've signed to my roster, not a single one thus far has happened to include selling points and super-hype in their introduction. Bands in it for the long haul tend to want personal relationships with the people they work with just as much as we on the business side do.