Obvious, right? Not so much. Here’s an anecdote from today and some thoughts on the issue.
At Music Xray we send out a mass email every Tuesday to tens of thousands of artists who have signed up on our site to receive them for free. This is a link to the one we sent today: http://eepurl.com/rX8D
Today, we got back an email from a disgruntled artist that said, “YOU PEOPLE ARE THE WORST KIND OF LOW LIFE LEECHES THE SLEAZY MUSIC BIZ. HAS TO OFFER… I’M NO LONGER STUPID WHEN IT COMES TO THE KIND OF SCAMS YOU’RE PEDDLING”.
I’ve said before that I do not blame any artist for feeling jaded. The music industry has a long history of mistreating artists and you don’t have to look very far to find artist-facing internet sites that are well-meaning but that can’t live up to their promises. Many times that’s due to the fact that they can’t muster the traffic it takes to help an artist promote their music. Other times, they don’t have the ability to attract industry professionals to their sites to do deals with the artists. Either way, there are simply a lot of dead end sites for artists out there. Artists end up uploading their music over and over again to tons of sites and have little to show for it. Frankly, with over 13 million artist profiles on MySpace alone it’s no wonder it’s harder than ever to stand out.
Yet, we keep hearing all about the new tools that make it easier than ever to do it yourself. Get a MySpace page, a ReverbNation presence, a website, a digital distribution deal and you’re set. Except it’s not working. I’m not saying artists shouldn’t have that stuff. They should. They have to just to be in the game. But it’s nowhere near enough. Most of the time, it’s still going to take a mass-exposure event (or series of events) to break a new act. To break out. To break through.
Nevertheless, the harsh reality is that if you’re and artist and you’re planning on making any money with your music you have to either be good at the business or you have to go into partnership with people who are. Most people aren’t good at both sides of that equation so teaming up is the only option. But revenue generating deals are like pretty girls at the dance. They have no shortage of suitors. It’s easy to resent that (I know I did) but resenting it doesn’t change it.
The fact is, deals between artists and industry people happen every day but if you’ll permit me to continue with the analogy, the pretty girl is definitely not going to dance with the boys who don’t ask. Getting discovered as an artist is very much the same these days. Just because an artist has a lot of fans and plays on MySpace isn’t likely to get the artist a deal. The artist must submit music to and interact with industry professionals. They must build relationships. They must get feedback and advice on how to get deals. Industry professionals aren’t out looking for artists these days because they don’t have to. The artists come to them. Artists have to hustle. That’s just the way it is and artists can decry it but it’s not going to change until there are more opportunities than artists – and if an artist waits for that to happen the opportunities will continue to pass them by.
So, when we get an email like the one I quoted above my reaction is not to get angry or to feel attacked. It makes me motivated to help artists get over feeling jaded and help them find the real opportunities to generate revenue with their music.
What do you think?
Posted in Marketing, Music Industry, social media, Uncategorized | 16 Comments »
Thank you for this article. I am a disgruntled artist myself, but I’ll just keep on keeping on until I succeed to my destiny. I will admit that I am grateful for the small accomplishments that I have made, but I have been taken advantage of before in the process.
People need to hear these things sometimes to remind them that it’s not personal and you have to work extremely hard to get your name out there and there is no one way on how to make it.
Thanks again Mike. I love your articles/blogs. They are very informative.
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Music Xray is a great tool — it has something for everyone. But that doesn’t mean that every opportunity is for every artist. I’ve made some great contacts and I’m always interested in networking in the music industry. The secret is to know your own music and focus on what fits best. I’m a decent songwriter, but that doesn’t mean I should submit to every opportunity that is taking submissions. I’m not hip-hop, r&b, metal or several other genres. I do know what I’m good at, and it’s those opportunities on which I focus. I’m also patient. That’s not to say I sit back and wait for something to pop up. It means that I continue to work on my craft so when that perfect opportunity does come knocking, I’m prepared to walk through the door. I also do a little research on the person/business/entity featured in the opportunity before I commit to an interaction. I look up who they are, how long they’ve been in business, who their clients are and what’s happening now. I’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly in the music industry in the last 30 years. I’ve learned how to spot the red flags and how to trust my own common sense. I also looked up Music Xray and the who/how/why behind it — and I trust them too.
Wow I like this, i also think that artists who just do not have the talent get frustrated also, if you sombine that with zero responces then you just do not have a clue and that gets frustrating. But I liked this I look forward to reading more from you.
Wonderful entry Mike, I think a lot of artists have a cloudy view of what it means “to make it” I constantly run into players who are obsessed with one thing, and one thing only, getting a recording contract. They seem to think its the be all end all and the ultimate goal in music period. Most of which have no understanding what a recording contract means. And now more than ever (as you mentioned) getting exposure is next to impossible. Most bands do not no where to turn stylistically, the fads come and go and most bands experience a rather short shelf life. With 13 (+) million Myspace profiles its obvious the supply outweighs the demand. Technology has given the advantage to many unskilled “artists” and it seems being naturally gifted at a particular instrument does not carry the weight it used to. Gimmicks and appearance dominates the headlines, very rarely do you ever see an article about a wonderful new song that has just been written. Instead we are battered with articles about what so an so wore on the red carpet, and how so and so wore a see through dress. Anyway it takes me back to the original statement about recording contracts, if the average person knew how many behind the scenes meetings were taking place, how many staged stunts were being planned and how much marketing went into promoting an artist they would mist likely rethink their career choices. And that (sadly) the art form of music ends up suffering.
mmm, no, they come to me & If you’re good enough and dazzle enough to shine through, they will come to you.
I think what you’re missing is now the perception that many artists have – it’s not necessarily that they don’t want to work for it (although clearly many don’t) – but it’s more that the old industry scam model, of labels shafting new artists by signing them to awful contracts – is now being superseded by snake oil sellers, self-help gurus and the like; the ultimate aim of which is still to separate artists from their cash.
Of course I’m not suggesting that XRay are snake oil sellers, but everywhere an artist turns these days there are people offering them great new ideas for cash, from getting a million followers on twitter to consultations with marketing experts and all the rest of it. It is, like the rest of the music industry these days, rather hard to separate the wheat from the chaff!
Excellent feedback guys. Thanks for contributing to the conversation.
I agree Ed. And when you combine jaded artists with jaded potential music consumers the picture is even more bleak.
Larry – You’re right about contracts but I’ve been reading a lot lately about the 360 deals and they seem pretty onerous too. Nevertheless, the labels are re-taking the upper hand because even fewer artist are able to break on their own than through the label system. This isn’t over however. There will be many more changes and shifting of power before we return to some sort of stability.
I’M NO LONGER STUPID WHEN IT COMES TO THE KIND OF SCAMS YOU’RE PEDDLING”.
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Thank you for sharing. Very happy to see your article, I very much to like and agree with your point of view. Have a good time.
Of course, you cannot. Who pay for the music, order it. Same could be treat for the business as well. Good article.