GET EDUCATED: THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT THE INDUSTRY

This section is all about complete transparency and opening the doors to the truth about the state of the music industry as witnessed by those who have lived in and been a part of it – those who have been chewed up and spit out, and those who at one time did the chewing. Everything here is based on facts. What facts? The fact that is experience.

We present everything to you below to show you that the power to be successful is in YOUR hands. Scroll down to read everything, or feel free to click through the various sections.

THE FUTURE OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
albums – labels – how to reach success

THE FUTURE OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY

CAMERON’S STORY

By age 25 I had experienced a plethora of noteworthy come-ups as Singer Songwriter, Artist Development, Management, A&R, Vocal Coach, Composer, Entrepreneur. This was all after DIY building and branding myself as a singer-songwriter starting with nothing, and over the course of three years gaining major label attention, as well some cringy MTV/Laguna Beach/MySuperSweet16 airtime.

Then I became part of the machine.

There are very few individuals who share my capabilities, knowledge and experience in both the artist world and the business world of music and the arts while also having the proof to back it up. Josh Napert is one of those individuals – arguably my most valued relationship, because our conversations keep me sane. In an industry teeming with narcissism, manipulation, illegal device management/spying, poaching, thievery, tax fraud… it’s so easy to drop into depression or insanity. I’ve been gaslighted (don’t know what it is? Click and learn!) so many times I’ve lost count, and having Josh to verbally spew at has been a literal life saver.

I decided to start documenting some of the recurring conversations we have, including recorded phone conversations. It’s the most valuable information you’re going to find, because it’s truth. You would be shocked to see how much time is wasted on arguing facts with others with absolutely no experience individuals who often command more trust simply by placing “management” to their names.

THE END OF THE ALBUM

The need for releasing albums is outdated. Albums were originally designed to be released in a world that’s already behind us; a world where there was no online music industry and artists recorded on analog gear in a market with fewer bands. Nowadays, artists have the ability to engage more with their audience as they work on music more quickly, and release singles more frequently, putting all of their focus into making one hit at a time.

The attention span of listeners only wants to focus on one song at a time (with the exception of veteran super fans), and this leads to some songs in an album being left out. When the artist disappears to make an album after a year of having released one song, they lose their fanbase’s interest and have to start from the bottom every time. Fans want fresh, focused, continuous content.

Releasing only singles continuously builds an artist’s fanbase by feeding their demand for content. These singles can be compiled into one collection (“album”) where a listener can get it in one place as one piece, and regardless of whether the artist’s sound changes and grows with time, grouping similar sounding content into these collections will allow an artist’s music to be publicly accessed more easily.

LABELS AND THE WAR WITH ARTISTS

The only artists who are at war with the labels are the ones that don’t see art as a business; and the only label people at war with artists are the ones who don’t see the artists as artists.

In order for music to be your career, you have to understand that just as music is your passion, it’s also a business. Nobody can get a good deal without leverage. Leverage is created by working hard every day, putting in the dedication you’d put into any other 9-5 job; short breaks, menial tasks, meeting stressful deadlines, and a lot of learning curves, with being unsuccessful the equivalent to being fired.

As an artist you should know how to use your connections, spend your money wisely, and grow your audience organically while creating and selling the best product you can. You will need to keep track of all of your metrics and numbers yourself, and always create new plans and timelines to push for continuous growth. When there’s something you don’t know, find someone you can trust to learn the skill for yourself. This saves you two things: (1) The stress of having someone drop the ball and leave you stranded… in other words, TIME, and (2) MONEY. Coincidentally, time and money – and the efficient use of them both – are the two most important factors to a successful business.

WHEN DO I NEED A LABEL/MANAGER/AGENT? When your business (band) has created jobs and is generating income to the point where it needs an extra push to go the extra mile, an investor (label), or adviser (manager/agent) will want to team up, and the negotiated terms will be fair from both businesses’ perspectives.

For those labels that are wrong, it comes down to the situation of approach. Some people are great, but some people are suits trying to talk to creatives like suits. That doesn’t work because there is a different kind of language involved when dealing with artists. The language of an artist can be sensitive, meaning that an artist’s writing and future direction can and probably will change, which is a reality that labels must come to terms with.

If a label is working with an artist, they need to trust the artists and let them decide what they want, and then provide an open door both physically and financially for the artist to open. Too many labels want to decide what the music should sound like, what they should do, how they should look and sound, etc. but they don’t have any audio experience or play an instrument. If they don’t like the creative decisions the artists make, or the business they’ve generated themselves, then they shouldn’t have signed them in the first place.

The label is screwing over the artists they signed only to change them. It’s unfair to the artists and to their fan base. A label is also screwing an artist over if they signed them without any traction without investing in their development simply with the hope or expectation that the artist would get big on their own; if they don’t (and usually they don’t) the artist is stuck on a contract without support which is a dead end situation.

SUCCESS IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY

The ideal artist / label relationship looks like this…

The artist is successful and popular in their market, making lots of money with a consistent growth of numbers on all levels of media (social, streams, etc.).
Seeing the proof that with their ability to market, create fans and sell their product the label is interested in partnering with the artist.
The label signs the artist and gives the artist creative freedom, letting them create the content they want and making it available in a larger market that only the label can provide via their money and connections.
The artist continues to grow and profit; the label profits as well. The artist is happy and can be themselves; the label is happy and can continue handling business as normal.

As an example: Michael Jordan was a larger-than-life basketball player. Because of his skill and popularity, he signed a deal with Nike wherein they capitalized on his popularity and fanbase and he capitalized on their production and marketing to create what became his own sub-brand and eventually led him to a networth of 1 billion dollars.

Moral of the story: Don’t wait on a label/manager/agent to make you famous or successful – only you can do that. Make your band/brand/business something to be worthy of note, and you will find genuine partners to help you enhance the success you’ve already attained.