I’m thankful that I’ve spent the bulk of my musical career in film and television. One of the interesting aspects of visual media is that success is based on ratings. Ratings are not usually related to much more than what holds people’s attention. Its open season every day in TV land and the show, that is watched most wins.
It seems today’s music programming for FM radio is entirely different. All it takes is a day or two of careful listening to see that the simple objective of radio programming is: don’t touch that dial. Corporate-based radio doesn’t really want anything all that great or over the top. This explains, by the way, precisely why alternative isn’t alternative anymore, and, why “Sounds like…” syndrome rules the airwaves.
Most of us are not privy to what goes on behind the scenes of big corporate entities. But it would seem that they hold tight to tradition, as do their counterparts: the recording companies. Artists complain and gripe about how things ought to change. But do nothing. Why? Well, for those of you who are regular churchgoers, you can get a first hand view of imbedded tradition every Sunday, and how brutal a fight you’re in for if you’d like to shake up the status quo. You won’t have to go far to hear stuff like “that’s the way we’ve always done it” or “that’s our tradition, and we’re stickin’ with it.” Oh, yes, the semi-comatose pastor is probably preaching out to a sea of blue hair from the pulpit. The board of directors probably has an average age of 55+. The church is, no doubt, in a huge decline. The kids don’t want to come anymore and there are fewer young families every year. This church will be up for lease in the future. It’s only a matter of…time.
Seems like the bigger the entity, the slower the change. Thankfully, we live in a capitalist democracy (sort of) where the ultimate acid test is the bottom line. Radio stations, churches, magazines, newspapers and the like are all experiencing the financial reprimands of boring the crap out of people for years now. A few embrace change and actually survive. But most do not and will not, and I am beginning to see, first hand, exactly how well the expression “Real change happens one funeral at a time” applies in today’s world.
As artists, we have a responsibility to feed others and ourselves. It’s about money and art. The line separating the two can be a little fuzzy and in constant motion. But the difference between a number five hit on the top 40 charts and a number one hit is usually originality. The number one hit most often employs ideas that are unique, fresh and new.
Now, I would never suggest to you that you go the starving artist route and recreate the wheel. I would, however, strongly advise you to learn the rules, and then break them often. When you can do this successfully, you really have the makings of a music career. Getting above the media smog and the noise requires a lot more than a pretty face and a nice song. You’ve got to have a #1 attitude and something unique to back it up. This means doing it in a fresh new way with conviction and enough momentum to bulldoze straight through the traditionalists.
Those that can pull this off will thrive. I don’t know what the magic formula is for you, but there has to be a bit of tradition and a bit of new. Introduce new ideas gradually. Taking your time and testing ideas out in front of live audiences along the way is the realist’s key to success. You don’t want to spend an entire year writing left field songs and rehearsing a band only to find out a year later that your audience won’t embrace it. You want to pepper new ideas in the familiar landscape and keep adding to it until you either cross the line successfully, or drop off the edge. If the worst happens and you find yourself free falling, it was only a performance or two and you can backtrack to where you know the line is. Also, along the way, you’ll build a reputation as a very creative person. Artists that are known to be genuinely creative can cross lines without too much damage to their careers.
And once you’ve come up with something that is truly unique, you’ll find a lot more cars in the parking lots where you play. Everybody is hungry for something that is traditional and unique and fresh.
Go forth with gusto, dear young’ns.
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