Please help!

[Absolut Archit Tripathi]

I came to the US on a student visa, and during that time I became involved in the music industry. Upon the end of my student visa in 2009 I received an O-1 visa which expired in May last year, at which time I re-applied for the standard 1 year extension of status. When I filed my first petition in ’09 I was lucky enough to have an attorney file everything for me, but unfortunately the second time around I couldn’t afford those services and had to file everything on my own. As a result, I had some misunderstanding of what documentation was needed when I was asked to provide an advisory letter (as I thought, mistakenly, that it was letters from industry professionals as opposed to from a labor organization such as ASCAP), causing delays and resulting in a denial with the option to appeal. I realized my mistake, appealed the decision, and obtained the necessary letters from ASCAP this time around. I was ecstatic to receive an approval notice last week informing me that my petition was granted.

Unfortunately, since the approval was for the original petition, my newly extended status expires fairly soon and I would like to extend/amend my status ASAP. I was wondering if I should apply for yet another O-1 extension, or if I should try to apply for an EB-1 visa (which would be preferable as it would eliminate having to constantly renew my status every year)? I read that this can often be a good option for someone already holding an O-1, and that the O-1 has a positive bearing on the process of an EB-1 visa. Should I file both jointly, file the extension first and then the change of status, or just go for the change of status?