Learning how to read metaphorically was a major turning point in my life.

At Berklee College of Music our teacher Rob Rose made us read the book “Positioning”, about defining a marketing niche for your business.

It was the first assignment of anything non-musical in years. I resisted. (“But that’s not about music! There’s no mention of music at all! What the hell is this? I just want to be a successful musician, not learn how to be some corporate suit!”)

But then he showed us how to apply this to our music: Even though they make no mention of music, just translate the examples to whatever you’re doing.

Aha! So obvious, but I’d never looked at it that way before.

• My band might get more famous if we dominate a tiny niche instead of trying to please everyone
• My recording studio might get more business if I specialize in recording only vocals, and make that clear in my name and marketing
• As a freelance guitarist, I might get more gigs as a funk specialist instead of general-purpose

OK. I was getting the lesson. This isn’t even about Positioning. It’s realizing I can learn how to advance my music career by reading books that make no mention of music. (In fact I’ll have a competitive advantage by doing so, since most musicians won’t!)