I had started on this article a while back. It was a painful article to write to be honest. I wanted to hit delete many times as this article started outlining some real pain in the industry which would frankly not be accepted well by musicians (and I didn’t want someone shooting the messenger).
It reminded me of my own success and failure with original music but ultimately started to make me a bit depressed for the future generations looking to become successful recording artists. The information and stats kept leading to the same question, “How on earth can someone beat the odds?”
Although I’ve rewritten to include only a few sobering stats, my intent, as always, is to share some experience and hopefully provide some information to help others make smart decisions.
Please note: this article is not intended to be gloom and doom but exposing some realities for those who may be interested in pursuing this life.
Let’s talk about original bands. Some are loved, some are hated. I’ve had the great opportunity to be in original bands that toured across the southeast in the early 90’s. In my mind, I still remember them as the “good ol days” but even over 30 years ago, being in an original band was difficult and there was still a lot of love and hate. I think people loved us though.. i think?
Fast forward today, everyone is still opinionated (probably more due to social media) and we’re in a world with over 100,000 songs a day published to Spotify (Jan 2024). Even back in the day, there was a network of folks who would burn cassettes / cd’s and if you were in the know, you had opportunities to get your music heard through those underground channels or performances (when clubs used to book original bands). I always remember a guy who would load me up with tapes when we did shows in Orlando. The underground music scene was alive and well.
Ironically, now bands and artists have the unprecedented ability to put their music worldwide, yet it seems harder than ever to be found due to the sheer volume placed online.
In hopes to resolve that, bands and artists are forced to spend money to even be seen or heard through paid promotions, tour buy-ons, or other marketing strategies. Even the labels themselves have used paid promotions and fake streams to kick start an artist or band. It’s not an uncommon practice and just reenforces the challenges in the industry.
The sobering thought that you released a hit song today and so did over 99,000 other people is a hard pill to swallow, but it happens every single day and growing. Worse, when coupled with people being overwhelmed with other solicitations such as memes and videos and the average human attention span of 8.25 seconds (which is less than the attention span of a goldfish – 9 sec), it’s discouraging at best.
The ugly truth is as an original artist, you’ve selected something which is saturated, and the laws of supply and demand are in full swing. Those desires to be heard, become rich and famous, doing what you love while paying rent quickly become extremely difficult to make happen in a cut throat industry. There is a reason many top artists came from wealthy families.
To add to the sobering state of things, it was discovered that 0.2 percent of artists are “mega” stars, 0.9 percent are mainstream, 1.4 percent are mid-sized, 6.8 percent are “developing” and the whopping 90.7 percent are wholly undiscovered in a study next big sound did.
90.7% UNDISCOVERED???
Getting booked as an undiscovered artist, you don’t want to know those odds.
Geez, thanks for the buzz kill!
Don’t lose hope though. Please continue reading.
Although I don’t have a solution to all the world’s music problems, I would offer a change in mindset may be warranted.
Mindset change #1: maybe we are NOT in the music business anymore and we need to accept that music itself is just a conduit to something bigger.
The music business: the business of selling recordings.
If you’ve not looked around, folks don’t sell albums much anymore. Sales are mostly singles and those are generally streamed. RIAA equates 1500 streams of a track equals one album sale (10 songs). The math can get difficult pending where it’s streamed but it can quickly give you an idea that nobody is getting rich on streams. Spotify is paying $0.003–$0.005 per stream and apple generally does $.01 per stream (not including splits).
How can an artist’s live on that? (many don’t. many, by their own words have become t-shirt salesmen to survive)
Even the traditional record deal doesn’t exist anymore with the introduction the 360 deal in the early 2000’s due to declining revenue of album sales. The days of large advances rarely exist (unless you have millions of followers) and the 360 deal is going to take a piece of anything you put your likeness on.
Point is, selling records is hardly enough to survive on and record label recognize the need for other revenue streams from the artist. This is also an indicator why many artists from the past are now touring.
So what has the industry become?
In simple terms, THE ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS. That’s embodies selling an experience, media, brand, and something that gets people LOOKING at you.
I say LOOKING at you because people expect to connect with your brand visually now more than ever.
Unlike decades ago, a hit song these days must have some form of media to enhance it to get a look. It doesn’t mean you have to put big budget video on everything (although it helps) but it does mean you have greater odds of a 10 second video view than a link to SoundCloud or Spotify with your latest hit.
Mindset change #2: We must be SEEN to be heard.
I suggest bands shift their mindset on not just music but embrace and invest in their most powerful tool in their arsenal, their ability to connect with people and share their story and experiences. At the end of the day, people are not sold just on a song but the person, band, or artist singing it and their story that makes them unique. There has been many an artist developed strictly from viral videos (that had no previous musical experience). The number of followers indicated potential sales from that brand and labels jumped on it.
People love a good story. What makes you tick? What makes you interesting? Videos that share some insight and maybe a behind the scenes or day in the life will likely engage more with an audience than a simple link to a song.
What else can I do?
Be a good human and connect with people. Whether online or in person, get out to other music events, support other bands and the community. I learned early on that the music industry is smaller than you can imagine. Your reputation and ability to network while treating people well is just as important than the product you create.
What else?
Have a deep understanding of connection within performances. Even with AI at our doorstep writing decent songs in less than a minute, nothing is going to replace the power and raw energy of artists conveying their story and looking people in the eye and sharing a moment collectively. Invest in those opportunities.
The thing is, as an original band, you’ve selected one of the most fulling things in life which is creating art and sharing your gift and message through music. It’s truly amazing when you see others singing your songs. There is no better feeling when people embrace your art. It’s better than the best drug and likely why there are so many attempting it as a career.
Mindset #3: Be real with yourself
When I look at those sobering stats apply this to my own original projects through the decades, was I really ever discovered?
Statistically, NO.
Did I feel like I was doing something huge, of course. But if I were to be real to myself, I was just one of thousands of bands doing the same thing. Being more real, I didn’t hustle as much as I should of because there was this overarching thought that eventually “someone will see us”. In today’s world, you’ve got to either do something really stupid to be put on TikTok or make something so engaging that people can’t look away.
So, did I just waste a decade of my life pursuing original music?
ABSOLUTELY NOT.
Those were some of the best times of my life. The memories of those times are priceless to me. My bandmates still joke about stuff that happened back in the day.
And that’s where I want to conclude this article and focus everyone’s attention.
The music business / entertainment business is hard but rewarding at times. Even when the odds are stacked against you, making music is magical. Regardless of if someone “makes it” (i.e. able to pay bills and rent) or struggling on the road to get someone to listen to their material, making original music is about the journey. Although talent, hard work, strategy, funding, hustle, and lots of luck factor into getting to the top, nothing can replace the journey and connecting with folks in the process.
Being original in life is hard when faced with what society deems popular, important, or a standard..etc. The ironic thing is many times, to get to the popularity point that folks dream about, it requires not being original, but I digress.
So, what actually matters? After writing the article, I am reminded this stuff isn’t a race and none of us are curing cancer, although some of us take things WAY to seriously. It’s music, it’s fun, it’s a journey. Remember why you write songs and play in a band in the first place. It’s the most fun you can have with your clothes on. Although the odds are stacked against everyone in this industry, be smart, know the landscape, know yourself, and let your story be heard.
If you are doing the original thing, I salute you for your dedication and wish you all the success you are looking for. Rock on.