Early in my career, I was the pop music critic for, respectfully, the St. Petersburg Times and the Tampa Tribune. In that role, I had frequent contact with up-and-coming local bands that always believed in their heart of hearts that they would be The Next Big Thing. A few of them, such as Savatage, the Johnny G. Lyon Band, The Headlights and the Bobby Friss Band even achieved a modicum of commercial and regional success. LOREN WEISMAN AUDIO EXCERPT: "Prince allowed all of his contracts to expire and created his own digital kingdom."  But the thing that drove me crazy about almost all of them was one in the same: they knew and understood bupkis about the business they were in. They made horrendous deals with managers, nightclubs, promoters and record labels. They put no effort into self-promotion, assuming that if they played great in their garages and warehouses, the world would know about them and beat a path to their door. Music producer Loren Weisman, author of 'The Artist's Guide to Success in the Music Business' I’d hear about this because many would complain when their appearances at local clubs or in concert weren’t publicized in the paper. I’d ask, “Did you send in a press release or announcement?” “No,” came the standard reply. “Everybody knows all about us!” If “everybody” included Mom, Dad and the stoner chicks down the block, maybe so. But the rest of us didn’t know squat about them. So when Loren Weisman’s new book, The Artist’s Guide to Success in The Music Business, recently crossed my desk, it was an easy “Yes” to having Loren on the show. Loren Weisman • • • • •  • • • • •