A must read for any STARVING ARTIST
5 REASONS WHY MOST ARTISTS AREN'T SUCCESSFUL (AND WHY MARVELOUS WORLD OF COLOR MAY BE MY LAST ALBUM) by Jason James aka W.E.B.
So as I went through my usual list of things to do this morning, for some reason or another, I found myself looking from the "I'm never gonna get there" perspective. Here's 5 reasons why this album may be my last and why most artists never even make it to their first.
5) THE DREAM- Every moment of greatness in time begins with a dream. The thought of something better or extraordinary begins there. A dream is the most important thing that we as human beings can have. But at the same time it can be a hinderance. So many artists I've met are so far up in the clouds that they don't approach their dream realistically. Most of them spend their time waiting to be "discovered" but never doing anything themselves to push themselves closer to that end result. The truth is, you have to put yourself into position for success. Nobody can do that for you. As artists we all feel like we're the best at what we do, but in most cases we aren't. It's for that reason that your drive and determination has to by far outweigh your talent. Simply put, YOU AREN'T THAT SPECIAL. Having a myspace page is a good first step, but that's all it is, a FIRST step. Remember, you may feel like you're destined for greatness but you're one in a million people who feel that way. You have to go out and get it. Which means being your own manager, publicist, a&r and anything else that may be missing from the equation. And that means learning how to do their jobs and executing in a precise and timely fashion.
4) THE BUSINESS- Artists are not business people and smart business men make terrible artists. All great artists are eccentrics who have a completely warped view of the world we live in (myself included). Therefore, they can't exist in the black and white world of numbers. It's just how it is. Of course there's the Jay-Z factor, but keep in mind, for the first 7 years of his career he had Dame Dash to guide and direct him. Even now I'd be surprised if he didn't have a team of people around him that knew how to market better than him. Marrying the world of art and business has always been an extremely hard thing to do if not impossible. So if you're on your own you have to be careful how you navigate this world. One will always hinder the other and it's for that reason that most artists will ultimately fail without a strong team behind them.
3) THE INDUSTRY- "Everybody had a deal, I did it without one". Sure, Drake didn't have a record deal at the time "So Far Gone" came out, but he had a co-sign from the biggest name in Hip Hop music (Lil Wayne). Which is just as good, if not better, than having a record deal. And so along with that co-sign came management, publicists and a handful of other people that came together to make him the success he is now. The biggest misconception in situations like his is that he was completely self-sufficient, which couldn't be farther from the truth. Even before he signed on the dotted line, he and the rest of the world knew he was already a Young Money artist. If he had've been playing the role of "independant artist who's just so damn good that the biggest name in Hip Hop wants to be on the bandwagon" I can guarentee you he wouldn't have been as visible as he was. The fact is, the machine was behind him. Every move made in his career from his entrance up until now was calculated. The people who worked around the clock branding Drake did so because they knew that their work would equal a dollar amount. That's how this industry works. Artists have to realize that the industry could give a fuck less who are. What they see is how much profit you can generate. You may very well be the next greatest of all time, but if they don't see a way to capitalize from your talent, you're on your own. The music industry works along the same ethics as a bank. You can walk in with a great idea, but if they don't see it happening they won't grant you the loan. Always remember, RECORD LABEL=BANK.
2) THE "FRIENDS"- As an artist myself, I can tell you that the majority of people who consider me a friend, I don't view them the same way (for the few of you that I truly love and and appreciate, you know who you are). Here's the reason why. So many people come around me and say, "Man, I've been down since day one!" when in fact you absolutely unquestionably WERE NOT. I've found that when I've needed people to support me and what I do, everybody but my "friends" came out and did their part. When it came to something as simple as sharing a link to a song, coming to a show, taking a millisecond to click a fuckin button, it mostly came from people around the world who've never met me. It's these people that have pushed me up through the ranks of millions of other artists fighting for attention in the much loved/hated world of blog culture. I went from the very bottom to being supported by some of the biggest blogs and websites in Hip Hop strictly because people who never met me believed in the art I create. And still to this day, I check out my songs on http://djbooth.net/ and 90% of the people who comment on and rate my songs are people I've never spoken to, but people who when I finally have the chance to meet them I will be buying them a beer. What most of you out there don't realize is that at every turn in my life as an artist, there are eyes out there watching. So by simply rating my song and writing, "I like this", you're playing an intricate part in my success. Most people, not just artists, have trouble seperating who's really down for them and who isn't. It's important that everybody does this, but I think even more importantly for artists because these people only provide a distraction from the things that need focus and concentration. My advice is to cut off the cancer and move on.
1) THE ARTIST- Personally, I'm just tired. As I said in the intro to this piece, I've taken insane risks and sacrificed everything for what I do. Music is and always will be my passion but I'm at a point in my life where I've come to realize how much I've missed out on. How many opporunities to live, love and laugh I've missed because I'm in constant pursuit of success. The most painful part of it all is hearing about the great experiences the people I love have had and coming to realize that I've never travelled anywhere in my adult life that was purely to explore and not music related. I am 27 years old and I live out of a suitcase. I constantly find myself thousands of miles away from the people who bring me happiness. This album for me is my last straw. Marvelous World Of Color will either be my grand entry or my final exit. I guess we'll find out in the next few months what fate has in store for me.
Posted by Missy B at 07-31-2010 
Categories: music business
Tags: artist music grind web jason james marketing
Categories: music business
Tags: artist music grind web jason james marketing
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