THE 6 BIGGEST MYTHS ABOUT SUCCESS IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY…BUSTED!
The question every artist asks is “How do I ‘make it’ in the music industry?” As if there is one clear path to success. You only need to watch a handful of documentaries or read a few interviews telling the stories of those who have succeeded to know that each story is unique. There is not one clear defined path, otherwise everyone who wanted to have a music career would take that path! There are some steps you can take to increase your chance for success, for sure. But today, we’re going to bust some of the myths that are out there about what it takes to be successful.
“Successful artists have rich daddys who paid for everything” - It’s true that if you are in a family with money, you have advantages. But is that the reason why someone is successful? I can’t even tell you how many stories I have heard (usually from the parents of an artist) crying about the over $100,000 spent on what they thought was going to be the best album, the best music video, the best promotion and all they have is a proverbial lump of coal in their stocking. The “lump of coal” sounds fabulous but there is no audience listening to it. No demand for their concert. Nobody streaming. No “successful music career” on the horizon for you (or your child). Money can pay for the best production quality but it cannot *make* an audience connect with a song, nor with an artist. Especially now in the "new music business" where the playing field has become more fair. A true artist who is genuine and “serves” their audience on social media for free has just as good a chance to build an audience as an artist with a big label budget. Will it take time and effort? Absolutely! On the flip side, using the fact that you don’t have enough money to “make it” is just an excuse. Like any start-up, capital is required to get it off the ground. Companies like Amazon and Apple, famous stories by now, started out in dorm rooms and garages on a shoe-string budget. Approach the building of your business with the solid vision of what success looks like to you (not everyone wants to be a superstar but may only want to simply make a living making music, so first define what success looks like to you) then be resourceful and smart. Learn about fan engagement, learn how the music business works so you can use your limited resources in the smartest way possible. If you don’t know where the revenue streams are and how to tap into them, how do you expect to earn any money with your music?
“Successful artists had connected daddy's (or uncles or friends) and didn't have to work for their success because they knew everyone.” - Same as #1. Connections may help get the music on the radio. Connections may help get an artist “signed”. But no connection with any huge music big-wig guarantees that a song will be a hit and will connect with an audience. If you have a hit song on your hands and have no connections and a small marketing budget, get to work and connect with fans one person at a time. Stories like Lauv and Tate McRae should inspire you. Pay close attention to the timelines of these artists, however. These stories took several years to play out. Though to us, they may have appeared to have overnight success, we’re looking at sometimes a decade long journey. I also love the story of Lizzo. Her story is a perfect example of slowly building success by building upon little successes. She built a following by being the most authentic version of herself, connecting with fans on social media and networking in her own music community, eventually garnering attention from labels who were then able to fund and support her artistic trajectory.
“Successful artists are sellouts and only make music that they think will sell” - All I can say is that if you buy into this myth then just be a hobbyist so you never have to worry about thinking of your music as a commodity. You be you! If you want to earn a living with your art you need to think about your art as a commodity. This doesn’t mean you need to copy, imitate or dumb down anything. As an artist, you need to understand what is appealing about popular music. If you study a bunch of popular songs you’ll find they differ in so many ways, you can’t even call them all “pop”. But there are key elements that make them resonate with large numbers of people. I have my own ideas about what those elements are but do your own experiment. Make a list of the top 10 songs over the past 10 years and see what you can figure out. Often, there is something unique and fresh about the songs that made them stand out. Is it a unique beat? Really great lyrics? The most catchy hook you’ve ever heard? Stellar vocal performance? A combination? If you are critical of others who are continually striving to write a hit song then you are in the wrong business. Writing a hit song or at the very least, a song that resonates with a large audience is one of the greatest accomplishments for a songwriter. The benefits and residual royalties will continue to flow until you are old and grey and even continue to pay your family after you are gone. What better way to leave a legacy for your family but most importantly, bring joy to the masses! If this thinking sickens you then keep making your music in your bedroom and stop worrying about it.
“I just need to be ‘discovered’, then it will all happen for me” - Maybe you’ve watched too many movies but this doesn’t really happen. Not as simply as it seems anyway. First of all, you need to define what success is going to look like for you. Second, the stories we’ve heard of so & so being discovered by singing in a coffee shop or whatever, that story is just a tiny little tip of a large iceberg in most cases. All the work that happened leading up to that person being discovered in that cafe is easily dismissed. It possibly included years of lessons, hours of learning and fine tuning original songs until finally writing the one that got them noticed. Then what happens after the “discovery”? Did everything just happen magically from that moment on? No. There was still more work to do, more money to spend (attorney to review the contracts being offered), and the hardest requirement of all; the patience required to say “no” to the deals that aren’t smart and make the best decisions for your career.
“If I can just get on the voice or American Idol or AGT then I'll be ‘discovered’ and it will all happen for me” - If you haven’t already noticed, winning these shows are not guaranteeing success. Think back to how many winners or even contestants these shows have had over the nearly twenty years they have been running. How many artists can you name that have had huge success? These shows are….shows. Getting on the show is about being cast. They want you to have a story. They need there to be drama. They want to play that sad music when you talk about your past and how you overcame whatever horrible fate came to you. They even cast you based on your look and stereotype. “Oh, we already have a cute young blonde with a southern accent, we need maybe an ethnically ambiguous R&B singer.” They call these shows “unscripted television” now because everyone knows they are not a reflection of reality. My own personal story behind the scenes on one of these shows was interesting. I began coaching Timyra-Joi on songwriting, vocal control and as a music producer when she was only 9 years old. When she made it onto The Voice, she was 15. She had an incredibly powerful and mature voice, especially for her age. She had also been working with another vocal coach for even longer than she had been working with me. This coach was fabulous and TJ loved her, just as she loved me. Each contestant on the show is allowed to invite a few non-family visitors whom they consider to have been of great significance in their lives. TJ invited me as well as her other vocal coach to be a part of this experience with her. Once there and as soon as discussions with casting directors began, it became evident that they were not sure how to handle “two vocal coaches” for TJ. They hummmed and hawwwed about how they could paint the picture, even though in reality, we were coaching TJ on very different elements that is often required for professional vocalists. I was helping TJ learn to write her thoughts and feelings into her own original songs and also sing with more control while the other coach was giving TJ opportunities to perform in plays and developing her stage performance as well as nailing her “money notes”. But the show producers were just not able to figure out how to include me. So, I was just a friend. Any of the “interview” moments they filmed where we talked about songwriting and producing her music were not included. It was “too confusing” or “too time consuming” for them to include. So, I stayed in LA for a week, spent hours being filmed and interviewed but the only time you actually get to see me is in “the room” with Carson Daley watching the performance. Ahhhhh well. Hey, you can even watch my 5 seconds of fame (from the room) and the amazing TJ (who is now a beautiful young woman with a successful singing career going strong) right here.
“Once a record label exec hears me, they will sign me and then I’ll be the next big pop star. I just need to get signed!” Getting a record deal is not necessarily the key to pop-stardom, especially now. According to Ari Herstand, 98% of record deals end in failure. There are a million stories like this one about artist Keisza . The reality is that for many artists, signing a record deal with the right record company at the right time can be the key to making it happen. Like this perspective of an indie artist. Pay close attention to what Imad says at the end of the article, “The only advice I would give is not to sign too early. Push yourself as far as possible independently so that when you do get signed, the label has a lot more trust in you creatively and is willing to give you a larger budget to work with.” I would add to that by saying that labels aren’t interested in signing artists anymore until they already have momentum going on their own. They will look at numbers, followers, streams, etc., but will also be looking at your engagement, your professionalism, the quality of content you are sharing and the viability (uniqueness) of your brand. You need to already have this going in order for them to notice you and then have the desire to invest in you. This also gives you a lot more power in the negotiations. Remember that the music business is a business. Money is the spokes in the spinning wheel. A company or individual will most likely want to invest in you if they believe that you will be successful. In other words, if they are confident that they will get their money back and then make additional revenue. It’s the hard truth but what you need to understand before signing on any dotted line.
Post your comments and questions below if you agree or disagree with me or if you have another myth worth busting!
