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Artist vision - [aw * tist vi shun] A state of misperception (believing that the industry owes you help or wants to help you), by an upcoming artist about the music industry. This condition usually results in bad attitudes and a lot of assumptions beginning with an “I” statement (e.g. I’m the hottest artist in years. My crew can tell you. I’ve done more than him. etc.). One of the main problems with independent artists and labels is what I like to call artist vision. Most are disillusioned into believing that the music industry is all blunts, forties, women, and easy money. They also believe that everyone is more than willing to or should be willing to stop everything that they are doing to give their project that much needed attention. As you may know, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Yes, it is true that the brand names (the big artist who sell over a million each time out) make lots of money, tend to get thousands of groupies, and live life from a better perspective than most. But they also have a minimum amount of private time, do constant traveling, and give up a lot of their own time to entertain fans. While this may sound easy, it can become extremely uncomfortable at times. The lack of home cooked meals, time to just rest, and keeping a smile on your face even when people watch you eat, rush to put your personal business out to the public, wait for you to finish using the bathroom to get your autograph or interrupt your family time tends to irk most. You may ask, what does this have to do with your “artist vision” and independent hustling? Well it’s simple. If they are at the top of their game, and they are still having to cope with many nuisances, and irritating parts of work, what makes you think it’s gonna be any easier for you and you’re still building a name? See people with artist vision can’t look beyond their side of the story to understand the whole picture. A classic example: A local group comes to Club XO around midnight and gives DJ Pay the Bills their latest CD, “You gotta respect me.” An hour and some change later, the club is about to close and the local group approaches the DJ and begins to complain. “Our shit is hotter than all this stuff your playin! We got whoopty wham featuring on it! You’re just a sell out, f**king prick! Blah, blah, blah.” And then the local group is escorted out of the club by security with their music in hand. What do you think happened? I’ll tell you. The local group is 86ed from the club, never to return or do a show. The DJ is thinking, “what a bunch of morons, I’ll never play their music.” And the owner threatens them that if they come back they will be arrested for trespassing. Nothing positive gained in that. And if the person’s case of artist vision is really bad, then they will be content on blaming everything on the DJ. When in fact there were several ways they could have handled this. First you must understand that DJs get paid to keep the dance floor packed. If the owner sees that the floor is continually empty or shallow he will ultimately replace the DJ. So the DJ will always do what is best for him/her. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t play local music, but more that they have to know what it is that they are playing and what is the chance that people are gonna dance to it. |
So with that said, stop worrying about being cool and delivering your music to the DJ at midnight and expecting him to play it before 1:30am. Instead try coming early like 9:30 when the club will most likely still be fairly empty, and the DJ will have some time to check out your music. Or you can come late and then allow him a few days before asking what he thought about your music. Either way, you will have done your part by handling your business appropriately and considering his options as well as your own. The saddest part about this mental virus in which I’ve titled “artist vision” is that it is most common in those who have not put any money behind their dreams and visions of being an artist. Everyone and their families believe that every label is constantly looking for groups and ready to toss out millions like matches. Again, this could be no farther from the truth. Big labels are down sizing and limiting their losses now in the new millenium. Hip Hop in the music industry, which was once desperate for new acts, is now extremely over populated with groups. You also have to understand that out of every ten groups a label signs, they’ll probably stay in business by the income of only one to three of those group’s stardom. That means they are losing on seven or more acts. And with the internet decreasing the amount of money MAJOR labels are making they are looking for a way to save that extra money. The easiest way is to focus on those groups that are generating the gold or platinum sells and jettison the rest. With that said, why would someone just want to give you a million and you sound like 20 of the other thousands of acts that submits their demos to that label daily? What have you done that will make them say we need you on our label? Have you sold over 7,000 units of one title independently? Do you do at least 6 shows per month? Are you receiving regular rotation on the MAJOR stations in your demographic region? If you answered NO to all those questions, then that is probably the same answer the label will be giving you, NO. Artist vision can be cured when one realizes that “I” have to make this album sell. No one knows the good and bad points about your music like you. No one cares about your music like you. And guess what, no one believes you got what it takes like you. So it is all up to you. Once you begin to use this concept, and add the hard work with it, eventually someone, whether distribution, another indie label, or a major label will notice you. That’s not the end of the story but rather, a good place to start. Everything begins from within. So if we start on ourselves first and make sure our stuff is tight, then we have set a solid foundation as well as put our self in a position to advance. Until next issue. Mr. D.O.G. |
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