Why Are Artists Selling Themselves Short?
In my travels spanning the country this year giving my free
workshops, I have seen hundreds, if not thousands, of musicians
who are selling themselves short. What does that mean? Artists
who regularly sabotage themselves from obtaining a higher
level of success.
For example, thousands of artists who I met over the last
few years, clearly have little to no idea of how to promote
their live performances (other than either sending out a flyer
or postcard or even calling their existing mailing list of
fans). Even after the vast majority of these mailing list
“names” have not come to the group’s last 6 months worth of
shows!
Another example is many artists razor-fast ability to not
analyze what obstacles they are truly dealing with in promoting
and marketing their music. Most artists will quickly say to
me that, the main reason they are not selling enough CDs is
not based upon their non- existent marketing plan or their
lack of understanding of state/regional strategic marketing
but that college radio airplay didn’t sell enough records
or they couldn’t get quality distribution.
The greatest problem with the music business today is not
with the inability of record company executives to have creative
thoughts when it comes to marketing and developing a new artist
(most never have any), its the artists who lack the basic
knowledge of how to direct and develop their own careers.
To make matters worse, when some artists figure out that their
future success has to be developed starting with them, they
seek help from people who are “flash in the pan gurus” who
lead them back to the same philosophies they are trying escape
from. Despite the fact of knowing that what they where just
doing didn’t work, some artists seek out these new “authorities”
on the industry. To make matters worse, most of these new
“experts” which have little to no real experience in fully
developing an artist, (or have spent the last 5 years as a
radio-only promo guy, “actually a college radio tracking rep”
for a major label) preach to them that they helped build the
career of some currently “hot” major label artist by doing
the same old strategy, but with a new “twist”. While the new
super-star artists they seemed to work with at the major quietly
disappear over the next 3 years (due to a lack of material
and proper marketing foundation), this great guy attaches
himself to almost any artist with any remote talent.
Unfortunately, this is what is dragging our industry backwards
at a great pace. Even though the media is often paid off to
write great stories about how we are making more money then
even before (because the CD prices are higher), artists claiming
to have tremendous results from the internet (I still haven’t
seen an independent artist prove to me they have sold 10,000
copies through internet marketing only), and radio’s great
impact on record buyers (sure for the 10 artists whose songs
are being played every stinking hour), it still comes down
to the artist lack of knowledge about what they are doing
in the music business and how to market their product.
One simple fact remains, without a proper marketing plan,
designed in 3 month segments, with the correct structure and
foundation design, your music career isn’t going to last 10
years like you want it to. If you don’t know how to design
a proper marketing plan, contact me and I will teach you how.
If you do know how to put together a proper one, then go do
it!
After all, it's only your career you're dealing with. Or
better yet, let me leave you with this thought from an artist
in Detroit who came to my workshop, and after learning that
he has to spend time developing a plan of action and not just
play shows, his famous quote, “If my music career doesn’t
work out, the Post Office is always hiring.”
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