I recently saw part of a VH1 documentary on Bryan Adams. It was the behind the scenes variety of coverage which gave the viewer the chance to be on the road with one of the more consistent acts, currently playing before huge audiences around the world. During the special, they announced that that evening's concert would put Bryan Adams tour past the 2,000,000th audience member. That's a lot of people to play for on a tour, and it's the kind of goal to aim for as you seek your own success as a musician.
Bryan Adams is a talented performer and sometimes he makes success look too easy. He's easy going, has short hair, kind of a fraternity brother kind of a guy. He may not be everyone's favorite in this day of more aggressive metal or alternative music, but he has built a successful career on know how to create hit records and especially important, to sell those records by entertaining his audiences. No head trips, no posturing, no style over substance. He never comes across with a negative or anti-social attitude and he seems to really connect with his audiences. This was more than apparent when watching the film of his concert performance in a huge arena somewhere. Think of the experience, business skills and risk that went behind mounting a tour of performances of that proportion.
If you think about enduring artists, you will find that a similar story can be told for most of them. Some are still playing arenas, some have scaled back to smaller halls or the club circuit. Solid careers, each perhaps with ups and downs, but in general you will discover versatile careers with a mainstream commercial approach to their music and a connection with their audiences that goes beyond the superficial flavor of the month. Success of this sort does not happen by accident. It is true that luck (being in the right place at the right time) plays an important part, but in the end it comes down to a few key elements. . ..a requisite amount of talent, hard work and a winning attitude. To these elements, I would add direction, sensibility and last but not least ...a strong dose of reality. Today more than ever, creative artists need career guidance to make sure they are going in the right direction, and to reverse them from continuing to move in the wrong direction.
We receive calls and mail each week from strangers and from referrals about musical acts who are all looking for record deals. More and more artists place the responsibility of getting record deals in the hands of lawyers who the musicians hope will get them to labels because they think they deserve it. This has been the case for years, but in the past, there was more substance in the groups who were looking for their windfall opportunity. In most cases, the artists who got their breaks had played the circuit, paid their dues, built up local and regional followings, and created their own "buzz". It is still amazing to me to see how many artists want to go from recording their songs and selling 300 CD's to wanting to get signed by a major label. Except for the true exception, this will not happen, at least not now.
But that is not to say that the future may not hold that possibility if the aspiring artist/group seeks out advice and guidance as to where, if anywhere, they are on the road to success and what steps they should be taking now. Most groups are acting without management or career guidance. This is the most important information the musical artist needs to push their career ahead and in the right direction. Artist management is an expensive venture, and it is harder and harder for artists to get professional guidance. This has become true for many reasons. There are less gigs to play (they used be called engagements), and there are less audiences paying money to see the bands to create revenue for the band and for the manager. Yet nothing has really changed, except the attitudes of many of the bands to create innovative opportunities to entertain audiences. As far as clubs, and pay-to-play situations, this has got to be a low point in being a musician, since true musicians should be "paid" to play, not have to "pay" to play. The whole thing is upside down today, and I attribute one of the reasons for this sad circumstance to the unwillingness of bands to embrace a broader range of music to reach the audiences that would truly like to be entertained. More and more, today's thousands of groups are involved in their own form of self-indulgent original material. They sight the Nirvana's and Metallica's and Stone Temple Pilots as their models, thinking if they can do it so can I. This is a noble motivation to be sure, but a course to follow to play music professionally? ....Not really.
The advice for this month is to seek out professional guidance. Some music lawyers can give that to you. Get the story straight and listen to objective reality, not just hearing what you want to hear. It's not that the business is so bad or unfair. It's just that writing songs, making good records, reaching audiences and entertaining people is serious business which takes a lot more capability than just wanting to do it, or having the right look, or suffering enough. Ask anybody who has survived more than a year into their first record deal. When you get that record deal, make sure you are ready for it, or you may run out of air (or requisite talent) fast.
Now that I have explained this month's lesson, you may want to consider a few more truisms to help you on your way to where you want to be. Try this simple true-false test and see how you do.
1. Artists need outside professional guidance, such as a knowledgeable manager or music business lawyer.
2. Repertoire, the song, is the most important element for success in the music business.
3. Most unsigned "original" acts today lack sufficient musical versatility to last.
4. Without a unique quality and musical direction, it is hard for a new artist to be noticed.
5. Artists need more than a good lawyer to get a record deal.
6. Today's new breed of musicians are too closed minded to build successful careers in music.
7. Artists should concentrate on reaching more audiences.
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Robert Rosenblatt
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© Copyright 1996 Robert Rosenblatt
