Picture this: The year is 1972, and you and your band are enraptured by the latest releases from the Rolling Stones, Lou Reed and David Bowie — records that would go on to be immortalized and revered for generations. It’s time to take your place among these musical greats; you’re ready.
After several sleepless nights of endless takes and splicing (and many, many strings pulled later), you have your first 7-inch demo. Your life’s work is slumbering on magnetic tape, poised to make you and your buddies rich and famous beyond your wildest dreams.
You write letters to all the music industry gatekeepers to get the investment you need, but a few weeks pass and you haven’t heard anything back. Days tumble into weeks, into months, and before you know it, a year has passed since your important recording session. Are the labels still considering their offers perhaps? Did we ever hear back from the radio folks? What about the club DJs?
Four decades later, you’re clearing out the attic, and you stumble across the dusty old demo. What a record. Brian’s solo comes screaming into your ears like it was yesterday. You had the looks, the talent and the vision—so what went wrong?
Why have I been waxing lyrical about a fictional 1970s band for the last few hundred words?
To illustrate a simple truth: The music industry today is more accessible, consumer-driven and tech-driven than ever before. Things in the past were tough for artists, perhaps even tougher than now in many ways, and those who ascended to the top were the exception.
Elements of a Successful, Modern-Day Music Career
I work with hundreds of artists and creators to help them achieve success in the industry they love by accepting the obstacles and opportunities it presents. Based on this experience, let’s look at the modern-day music industry from an artist’s perspective. What tools do we have to forge a successful career?
Fan Engagement
A modern artist’s toolbelt is brimming with ways to communicate directly with their audience, without having to pass through media gatekeepers or risk-averse investors. Your audience can know all about you and your life at the flick of a thumb: your ambition, personality and art. There is room for all of it to be seen and heard.
The Rolling Stone Culture Council is an invitation-only community for Influencers, Innovators and Creatives. Do I qualify?
Engage with your fans as much as possible. Fans love routine and consistency, and they’ll return to your channels time and time again if they dig what you’re doing. If a piece of content flops, no problem, onto the next; nobody will remember in 10 minutes and, in the meantime, you’ve learned something invaluable about your audience and the content they enjoy.
Technology
That poor, fictional band from the Seventies had to pull all manner of strings to lay down their demo and, once it was done, they had no means of showing people without investment and support. This created a monopoly for labels and investors — without them, your chances of “making it” were impossibly slim.
Fast-forward to today and you can emulate production greats like George Martin, Steve Albini or Kanye West, all from the comfort of your home (if you’re willing to put the hours in).
You can, feasibly, record and release demos or polished records from home. Stick it on SoundCloud in the time it takes the kettle to boil, or get yourself on all the major streaming platforms with a relatively nominal investment in the blink of an eye. Presto: You’ve just allowed billions of people and tastemakers all around the world to vibe to your music and get to know you, the artist.
Income
We now have the means to access direct income from our art like never before. When you play a live show, submit your set list to the Performing Right Society (PRS) who’ll pay you for playing your own music. Landing that editorial spot on your favorite platform and the volume of streams could mean you’re one step closer to leaving your day job and focusing full-time on music.
Why not set up a way for you to receive donations and support from your fans directly? The price of a coffee to them could make all the difference to you and that desperately needed tour support or recording budget. Build a community and engagement, and the money will follow.
Competition
While historic income from physical record sales was undoubtedly more lucrative to artists (than, say, the value of a single stream), we all saw what happened with the digital revolution and the inevitable piracy that ensued in the Nineties and early aughts. This income stream, in hindsight, was precarious. It was also enjoyed by relatively few artists — in other words, only those who were lucky (and talented) enough to secure the necessary investment into forging a career and legacy in music.
In the short story at the beginning, the band was inspired by the greats of the time, the ones who would still be considered so today. But now, we can take inspiration from myriad artists and creators around the world. Listen to everything to better inform your sound — how can you cut through the noise?
Mindset
The whole point of this article is to discuss mindset — specifically that of a modern-day artist. It’s the same as it ever was; it is just a question of hard graft, vision and creativity. Don’t let yours stand in your way. Let’s get to work.
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August 21, 2023 at 11:30PM
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Artists: Is Your Mindset Holding You Back? - Rolling Stone
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