Success = thanks to the artist!
No success = bad record company, bad manager, bad booking agency!
If an artist achieves mega successes, it is undoubtedly thanks to the great talent of the artist, thanks to their extreme commitment, thanks to their ambition, dedication, attitude, virtuosity, plodding through the misery they have experienced, … and so on. That is certainly the image that an average audience has about groups and artists. And you can’t blame them, ordinary people who aren’t in the music business usually have absolutely no idea who really drove the artist’s success behind the scenes. I have no problem with that in itself.
But what doubles me down is the toddler-like attitude and big egos of some artists. If he or she has mega success, it is thanks to himself or herself. If the success fails, the artist often puts the blame on everyone but himself, bad manager, bad booking agency, bad record company, bad road manager, bad personal manager, bad marketing agency, etc etc. And even worse : “the audience doesn’t appreciate my music 🙂 ” ! When I hear people talk like that, they remind me of adults who have stuck in their adolescence.
Moral of the story. Stop whining, and stop blaming someone else! If the success is not successful, first look in the mirror, watch videos and listen to recordings of yourself. And ask yourself some important questions. Is someone waiting for my music? Am I playing the right genre? Is there a market for my music? Do I have enough talent? Am I going hard enough? Should I stop practicing? Do I have the right songs? Do I bring the right songs for my type of voice? Am I the right age for these songs? Am I aiming for the right target group? How do I stand on stage? How do I come across when I give an interview? Am I wearing the right clothes? Do I have the right musicians around me? Do I have the right support? And so we can go on.
If you as an artist score a failing grade, the best manager, the best booking agent, the best record company can’t help you. You can spend a lot of money on marketing yourself. It may work for a while, but it will be over just as quickly. There are countless examples where huge amounts of money were pumped in, and where the success actually did not materialize … amen 🙂