- Charles
Bukowsk
Many of us artistes believe that because we are so talented we automatically deserve to become successful. We imagine this happening in various ways- being discovered and signed to a major record label for millions of dollars because of how fantastic we are, or magically striking gold with a hit song we recorded about seven years ago. Perhaps you might have taken your hustle a step further by posting your songs on social media and hoping to be discovered by Clive Davis, Jay-Z, and the likes of them. Well, this article is for every artiste that is jaded by the lie that talent is everything.
What we need to realize is that with record labels, ‘nothing for something’ does not exist. No artist should expect a label to invest thousands of dollars and turn him/her into a star, but then have a problem when the label takes the majority share from their album sales.
I am sick and tired of artistes complaining about not earning enough money, not getting paying shows to play or how tough and unreceptive the music industry is. It is exhausting to listen to an artiste moan about their records not moving any units when they sit still expecting all of mankind to take their music seriously.
If you do not talk about your music, who will? Is the universe magically supposed to magnetize to your incredible sound and diffuse to every nook and corner of the planets? By ‘talk about your music’ have you invested enough into your art and brand to excite the potential labels you shop yourself to? Do you at least have a well designed website that focuses on your music and image with an email marketing plan?
Have you been in touch with a distribution company and a promotion company that can help your music supplied by the distributor sell?
Have you put yourself out there and pitched songs to publishers seeking new material for their artistes? Have you put in your songs for contests? Have you played those local non-paying gigs so you can have your merchandize sold? Have you taken time out to stop and analyze what you may need to change in your strategy assuming you believe you have done everything you can?
I know a company that is willing to help you. Their sole job is to digitally distribute music but they have friends/partner services that can plug your music on radio stations around the world (as long as you are as talented as you believe) and marketing services that can do a marvellous job of projecting your unseen brand globally. Have you whispered the magic word to yourself –‘Patience’?
Try to look past how annoyed
you are with me for writing all this and click on www.jtvdigital.com. They just could be
your light at the end of the tunnel.
(Article by: Christine Ben-Ameh)
