Declaring Independence...
As an independent artist you will find that many experts in the music industry will be more than happy to feed you great morsels of advice. Often they will present this advice as a “reality check” or a “wake-up call” to dispel any naïve misconceptions you may have about establishing your career. Unfortunately this advice can sometimes be exactly what a budding artist does NOT need.
The truth is that all around the world, wherever you look there are people making music who are successful without ever “making it” in the conventional sense. They can do this because they have realized that, “You can’t please everyone so you’ve got to please yourself”. They may never make enough out of music to quit their day jobs but they are appealing to the only audience that really matters – themselves. The lucky ones have even discovered that once they start making music they can be proud of a broader audience suddenly develops.
If you listen to the advice of the industry experts we will always be pushing you in certain ways. Producers, promoters, and yes even Managers like me, we all want to shape your sound. What we are trying to do is make you more marketable. This is all very well if you are primarily interested in making money, but take a listen to the music on the charts. How much of it, in your opinion, is wack? And this is the stuff that is successful! If you spend all your time trying to be marketable then you’ll be stuck in a downward spiral towards mediocrity. To be successful on your own terms you need to take risks, and taking risks will inevitably lead to a vast majority of people labeling your music as crap. As an independent artist it makes more sense to be true to yourself, and then try and seduce people around to your way of thinking.
Of course if your goal is to be like Beyonce, Lil Wayne or Kanye West and sell millions of records then follow all the expert advice you can get, and good luck to you. But don’t try and call yourself an independent artist.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m not telling you to ignore expert advice. What I’m saying is that only you can judge whether the advice is good or bad. Just because it comes from an “industry expert” doesn’t mean its right for you.
Make music to please you - then find an audience for it. The music business is all about seduction. In the end it all comes down to self-belief and marketing.
I guess in the end what I am saying is that there is no one path to success because there is no one definition of success. The music industry may think otherwise but who says we have to be part of this industry to be successful? I believe that independent artist should educate themselves so that they can use the services of the music industry to achieve their own form of success. If you subscribe to the industry’s definition you must either become a part of the machine, or a victim of it. Enuf said.
Nate Anderson is an Artist Manager and Music Business Consultant for SuperStar Entertainment Group, Inc based in Chicago, Illinois. He is available for private consultations regarding career development and artist representation. He can be reached by email at: managementmoves@gmail.com
The truth is that all around the world, wherever you look there are people making music who are successful without ever “making it” in the conventional sense. They can do this because they have realized that, “You can’t please everyone so you’ve got to please yourself”. They may never make enough out of music to quit their day jobs but they are appealing to the only audience that really matters – themselves. The lucky ones have even discovered that once they start making music they can be proud of a broader audience suddenly develops.
If you listen to the advice of the industry experts we will always be pushing you in certain ways. Producers, promoters, and yes even Managers like me, we all want to shape your sound. What we are trying to do is make you more marketable. This is all very well if you are primarily interested in making money, but take a listen to the music on the charts. How much of it, in your opinion, is wack? And this is the stuff that is successful! If you spend all your time trying to be marketable then you’ll be stuck in a downward spiral towards mediocrity. To be successful on your own terms you need to take risks, and taking risks will inevitably lead to a vast majority of people labeling your music as crap. As an independent artist it makes more sense to be true to yourself, and then try and seduce people around to your way of thinking.
Of course if your goal is to be like Beyonce, Lil Wayne or Kanye West and sell millions of records then follow all the expert advice you can get, and good luck to you. But don’t try and call yourself an independent artist.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m not telling you to ignore expert advice. What I’m saying is that only you can judge whether the advice is good or bad. Just because it comes from an “industry expert” doesn’t mean its right for you.
Make music to please you - then find an audience for it. The music business is all about seduction. In the end it all comes down to self-belief and marketing.
I guess in the end what I am saying is that there is no one path to success because there is no one definition of success. The music industry may think otherwise but who says we have to be part of this industry to be successful? I believe that independent artist should educate themselves so that they can use the services of the music industry to achieve their own form of success. If you subscribe to the industry’s definition you must either become a part of the machine, or a victim of it. Enuf said.
Nate Anderson is an Artist Manager and Music Business Consultant for SuperStar Entertainment Group, Inc based in Chicago, Illinois. He is available for private consultations regarding career development and artist representation. He can be reached by email at: managementmoves@gmail.com
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