There’s this idealized image of a music executive that I have in mind.

Picture it with me:

This executive comes into work at the studio and sits down at his desk. He listens to a demo of an incredible artist and realizes “that’s the one!” He convinces the other executives that this artist has what it takes, they sign the person, and everyone makes millions of dollars!

Sounds AMAZING, right? Probably doesn’t work that way though.

This week at Idle Tuesdays, we listened to three incredibly talented artists audition for a unique opportunity to record a free 5-song EP with us over the summer. The problem? They were all amazing.

I’ve never had to make such a tough business-related decision before. The other interns and I deliberated over who the best fit was for over an hour. On the one hand, they all offered music that definitely has an audience that needs to hear it. What it ultimately came down to for us was which artist was in a position where we can help push them along and they’ll get the most out of it.

Momentum matters.

Even though this choice was tough and had each of us splitting our hearts in two, it was important for us to have a bottom line. That seems to be the best way to make decisions.

Find the bottom line and ride it to the end.