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Redefining Success In The Music Business [Video]

Success

Being good is never good enough to become a success story, but what you do today may decide whether or not you’re tomorrow’s brightest star.

A few years ago, I worked with an up-and-coming artist that I believed could be the next big name in alternative music. The artist only had a few songs out when we first met, so I was fortunate enough to be working alongside them as they prepared the release of their first proper EP. We spent a ton of money on branding, packaging, designs, and three great music videos. We had everything we needed to make the record successful on paper, but I could not stop fighting this feeling that I wasn’t ready enough.

I began sending the songs to my friends in the music industry. As much as I wanted to know they liked the music, I was more concerned with whether or not they thought it was as good as I did. I feared that I overestimated the quality of the band based on personal preferences. I didn’t want to invest much time and energy into a project that I thought would take the world by storm only to see it fizzle out.

One of the people I contacted, A publicist at a famous punk label, hit me with a response that I did not anticipate. They said:

“It’s good, James. But you should know by now that being good doesn’t matter. Most artists are good. Some may even argue that most artists are great to the people that like what they create. Even being great is not enough. We sign artists that we believe are great only to see them fall flat on the public stage. Talent alone is no longer enough, and it probably never was in the first place.“

They continued:

“The only way this project becomes what you want it to be is if you do everything possible to make it that. You and the artist you’re working with need to plan and commit to doing everything in your power to make this release a success. You will need to make sacrifices. You will need to spend late nights and early mornings replying to messages and sending new ones. You will probably need to spend a little money on advertising. The band will need to perform often, and they will need to maintain constant contact with their audience. You need to be creating content, scheduling content, and posting content regularly. You need an email list. It would be best if you had all of these things, and doing every single one still won’t guarantee that this will become what you want. Breaking through on any level in this industry is a mix of preparation and luck. Sometimes, people succeed without planning, and it goes poorly. The people who succeed and then continue having success are the ones who prepared themselves for the moment when they were allowed to show the world who they could become. They did all the things I’ve outlined here and probably more, all on the hope and the far-fetched chance that they would be the next group or solo performer that the world wants to embrace.”

Some may read this advice and feel defeated. We all like to believe that if you do everything right, then things will go your way. That may be true for many things in life, but it is never the case with the music industry. Countless performers believe they deserve to be the next big thing. Most of them are doing everything in their power to position themselves for success. They are reading articles like this, watching videos, attending conferences, reading books, consuming podcasts, and constantly working on their craft. They are spending untold amounts of money to create the highest quality content possible. I would argue that most believe success is right around the corner, and in a way, it is, but they never know which corner.

You see, what my friend was trying to tell me and what I now know to be true about the music business is that the best any of us can hope to achieve is to position ourselves for success. We have to do the work hoping that one day the rest of the world takes notice while accepting that such a day may never come. It’s not a matter of “hope for the best and prepare for the worst.” Artists should “Prepare for the best and the worst.”

When I work with artists now, I always have them create a list of goals that get increasingly small. Most have big ambitions, like reaching number one on the charts or selling out a large venue. That kind of success is excellent and entirely possible for many talented people, but there are countless smaller steps you must take to reach that point. Rather than focusing on the big goals, I like to work on the little ones and slowly build up momentum for my artists. We work on hitting the next listener milestone on Spotify, the next follower goal on social media, and writing the next great song. We focus on the little things that position us for big success, and while the process takes time, it’s far more rewarding than holding out for overnight success.

Can you be the most prominent artist on the planet? Sure. Is it possible for you to sell out a stadium tour? Maybe. I believe you can take your career as far as it can go in the music industry as long as you do everything in your power to make it great. It’s not about doing one thing well or acting like you deserve to a rockstar. Those who reach the highest echelon of success do so by constantly refining their craft. They focus on the minutia of entertainment, and they find joy in doing the work. That approach is the only one that can lead to long-term success. Everything else is scattershot, messy, and headed for disaster.

Everyone needs friends that will tell them the truth. It would be best if you had people in your corner who will tell you when you were doing wrong or less than average. People who will fight for you, criticize you, and uplift you when the time is right. You cannot buy that kind of reality check. Only authentic friendships provide the type of clarity you need so that you understand whether or not you’re on the right path. Even then, you alone can decide what to do next.

Music Biz is brought to you by Haulix, the music industry’s leading promotional distribution platform. Start your one-month free trial today and gain instant access to the same promotional tools used by BMG, Concord, Rise Records, Pure Noise Records, and hundreds more. Visit http://haulix.com/signup for details.

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What Artists Can Learn From DaBaby’s Success [Video]

After two straight years of radio and streaming success, DaBaby has created a blueprint for artists that everyone should follow.

It’s hard to find a more public figure in music than DaBaby. With almost half a dozen releases in a two-year span, not including guest verses and high-profile appearances, the North Carolina rapper turned superstar is a staple of pop culture conversation. He’s achieved a level of success where every single makes an immediate chart appearance, and every artist looking for attention asks for his help. In essence, he is the go-to creative for anyone trying to capture the pop and hip-hop spotlight.

But DaBaby did not reach his current level of success overnight. There was no singular event or track that catapulted the rapper from underground sensation to platinum-selling star. DaBaby’s achievements were earned over time, and it took years of scattershot marketing efforts to find an approach that could create a lasting impact. His tireless work ethic and constant fan engagement are now ushering in a new standard for artists in all genres that may seem insurmountable at first but is entirely within reach.

In the latest Music Biz update, host James Shotwell breaks down the four key elements of the DaBaby’s success and what other musicians can learn from each. He examines how transparency, storytelling, and thinking strategically about the streaming era of consumption make a difference in an artist’s career trajectory. He also touches on experimentation and how constant reinvention can hold the attention of increasingly distracted consumers. 

Music Biz is brought to you by Haulix, the music industry’s leading promotional distribution platform. Start your one-month free trial today and gain instant access to the same promotional tools used by BMG, Concord, Rise Records, Pure Noise Records, and hundreds more. Visit http://haulix.com/signup for details.

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What Every Musician Needs to Succeed in 2020

Forget ‘Best of 2019’ album lists. The Haulix team is sharing the best content to help you land on ‘Best of 2020’ lists when the year comes to an end.

No one envies young musicians. The business of music has grown exponentially more complicated over the last decade, and further complications will no doubt arise in 2020. Between fighting for attention on streaming services, the need to always be engaging fans on social media, and the everyday struggles of improving one’s creative output, there is too much to do for anyone to maintain their sanity.

But there is hope. HaulixDaily is a resource for music industry guides and understanding. We aspire to curate content that helps artists in every genre further their careers through smart business practices and personal development. We post numerous articles every week with this goal in mind, including more than three-hundred posts in the last year, and we have no plans to cease our efforts anytime soon.

With 2020 now officially underway, we went back and reviewed the most read content we posted in 2019. We see there is continuing interest in emerging social media platforms, the battle over streaming royalties, playlisting, and a severe lack of organization amongst artists on the rise. Everyone is trying to do everything all the time, and it is creating mediocre content with a side of burnout.

The majority of the industry will be out of their offices until at least January 6. Use the links to our most popular content below to educate yourself on what is happening in the entertainment business and how you can position yourself to succeed in the year ahead.

FIRST AND FOREMOST. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Music Biz, for exclusive industry news and tutorials from experienced experts.

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Now is the best time to start a music career. Here’s why:

The music industry is an absolute mess right now, and that’s good news for artists big and small.

The music industry, as we know it, is roughly one-hundred years old. Comparing the business of music today to how it looked even a decade ago is practically impossible. There have been many changes throughout the last century, but in recent years, the number of changes and the speed at which they happen has increased dramatically.

As a result of all that change, it is not hard to find people lamenting the state of music today. People will claim it’s too hard to make a living as a musician. Others will say there are nowhere near as many rockstars as there were in decades past. While there may be some truth to every criticism, the music business as a whole has never been better. There are more opportunities than ever before, and there are more musicians changing lives with their creativity.

The shifting landscape of the music industry has finally created a space for artists from all backgrounds to get ahead. Virtually everyone with an internet connection has the same opportunities for success. As long as you have a smartphone or laptop, you can record and upload your latest creation in a matter of minutes. Once online, your song or album has the potential to reach billions of people. You can start earning money on virtually every stream of your next release as soon as it is available online.

Compare the paragraph above to the state of music in the 1990s. Musicians would need to purchase recording equipment or rent studio space, which could easily cost hundreds of dollars per hour. After recording, artists would spend hundreds or even thousands more to make their music available on cassette, CD, or vinyl. Those physical units would only turn into money if the artist sold their material in stores or at a gig (because practically no one was shopping online).

Today’s musicians don’t have to save for months or accrue debt to release music. Artists today can create and release music as soon as they’re ready to do, which is one of many reasons there has never been a better time to enter the music business. Here are several more:

New episodes of our Music Biz series debut every Monday on YouTube. Subscribe to our channel today to ensure you never miss another update.

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Music’s discovery problem is not going away

Closeup of a needle in haystack. Isolted on white background

Streaming has given more artists than ever a shot at short-term popularity, but that alone is not enough to build careers.

The music industry has a discovery problem. As audiences increasingly turn away from television and radio, opportunities for mass exposure are limited. Streaming is a stopgap offering exposure through popular playlists, but with millions of playlists in existence across numerous platforms, each with specific themes and audiences, the likelihood of any song propelling an artist or group to widespread popularity is low.

People may complain about radio’s repetitiveness, but it remains the platform most likely to break an artist into mainstream popularity. The problem is, most radio stations have limited space for new artists in their rotation. Labels may be able to convince stations to add more slots for new talent, but figuring out how to do so without driving away listeners looking for certain levels of quality and familiarity is a complicated formula that the industry has not cracked.

Discovery also cannot be dependent on the influence of money. That has long been the case, which is why labels are still useful to many artist’s careers. Business savvy talent may be able to make themselves known in the digital space with viral hits and creative marketing, but going from clubs to theaters and larger venues requires an added level of success that digital popularity alone cannot manifest.

Think about Lil Nas X for a moment. His knowledge of internet culture and a knack for creating memes helped propel “Old Town Road” into the spotlight, but it wasn’t until he had the support of a label that the song reached number one on the Billboard charts.

Another example of funding pushing an artist over the threshold between notoriety and rockstar level fame is Billie Eilish. When the teen songwriter’s debut album dropped in March, it was plastered across every major streaming service. That level of exposure is not provided for free by the companies behind those services. Eilish’s label had to negotiate deals, create exclusive content, and work many hours to make that level of promotion happen. Would she still have an excellent record without the label’s help? Most likely, yes. Would she still be selling out arena tours nearly a year in advance? Probably not.

Streaming may have created more avenues to short-term success for independent artists, but there are no clear paths to mainstream exposure without succumbing to the same industry machine that has been chewing up and spitting out talent for the last century. That said, there is a glass ceiling of sorts that a select number of forward-thinking, consumer-focused artists can achieve without giving into tradition. These are artists who build communities around their music that propel them into longterm success through fan retention and consistently strong releases. Such careers are often the result of multiple albums and tours. Rarely, if ever, are they possible without years of work.

An example of this ‘outside the machine’ success would be Drew Holcomb, a singer-songwriter from Tennessee who has dedicated the better part of two decades to his career. Holcomb’s Americana-influenced style has developed help him develop a community of devoted fans who seek out his tours and releases. He does not need placements in prominent publications or mentions by popular music influencers to continue his career. Holcomb plays to packed theaters, and that level of success is more than enough to support his family. It’s a good life, but the chances his profile raises much, if any, further without a substantial amount of third-party funding is low.

The myth of the independent success story has grown transparent over time. People know the ‘self-made’ stars promoted to them on any significant platform owes a high debt to an office of hardworking industry professionals. Streaming was meant to usher in the future of music, but instead, it has retrofitted classic industry schemes for a new generation of talent. Unless there can be a low-cost entry for unsigned artists to reach the masses, the major labels will continue their reign over the business.

But the discovery problem also exists outside streaming and listening. With more artists touring than ever before, the opportunities for young talent to gain exposure through performances appear to be shrinking. Legacy acts are not taking unknowns on tour with them, nor are those few artists able to fill stadiums. Mid-level talents are filling their tours with other mid-level talents to justify playing venues they might not otherwise book. The few opportunities for newer artists that do exist on prominent tours and festivals are often pay-to-play scenarios. Others are gifted to artists who live on the same label or management company as the headliner.

With all this in mind, where do young musicians go to excel on their own merit? How does an artist today start a career and work their way to the top without submitting to the authority of the industry machine? Is it even possible to do so?

The age of streaming has not delivered on its promise of making the industry better for independent talent. It has opened more doors, yes, but all those doors lead to the same system that has been in place since the dawn of the industry. The margins are slimmer, the opportunities are limited, and the ability to do anything truly independently is disappearing at an alarming rate. To build a better industry for everyone, we must create paths to sustainability for all musicians. Discovery is one part of the problem, but exposure alone is not enough to build a career. We owe artists more than we are giving them, and the time to make a change is now.

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On Death, Creativity, And Caring What Others Think

There are a lot of reasons to disregards your critics, but one applies to almost everyone in any creative pursuit.

Everyone wants to be successful in their pursuits, but there’s always a catch. The problem with finding success in the arts, especially at an early age, is that it establishes a standard that might not align with your goals. Maybe you dream of writing pop music, but your metal band takes off first. Perhaps you want to be known as a musician, but all your friends consider you a great promoter.

Breaking from the standard sounds easy enough. After all, most of us were told at some point in our adolescence that we should always strive to be ourselves. But something changes when success enters the picture. Once people like you or appreciate you for something, the risk of doing anything else can trigger fears and anxieties, you never knew you possessed.

Before you let the fear of rejection stop you from pursuing something I want you to consider death, which will inevitably come for us all. We have lost some great people in recent years, including legendary musicians such as Prince and David Bowie, but how often do you find yourself thinking — or more importantly, talking — about them in your daily life? The world may have mourned them when they passed, but how long did that last? Two days? A week?

Information is now exchanged at speeds never before witnessed by the human race, and a lot of that is owed to the rise of social media. We consume news and opinions at a rate that is almost hard to wrap your head around, and all signs point to that speed rising as technology continues to advance. If the best of all-time is only given 48-hours of attention when they pass, how long will people talk about you?

The answer, for both you and I, is probably not long at all. Our family and friends will care, of course, but their opinions probably aren’t the ones you’re worried about when considering a new endeavor.

As for the haters, those anonymous people whose opinions haunts your every ambition, they will be forgotten just as fast as the rest of us.

If we accept that we and everyone who knows us will be forgotten almost as soon as they have died, then why give a damn what people think about you now? Their opinion of you is meaningless in the grand scheme of things, but how you feel about yourself and the things you pursue will last as long as you have air in your lungs.

All we have is now. Lose yourself in the moment. Take a chance on yourself because you may never have the opportunity to do so again. Squeeze the juice out of life until your last breath.

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Redefining what it means to ‘make it’ in music today

Everyone wants to ‘make it’ in music. What does that mean, and how has the definition changed with recent changes in the entertainment industry?

“How do I make it in the business?” That is the number one question any aspiring professional in any field asks their peers. If you want to tour the country full time you look to someone who is currently performing 200 shows a year for advice. If you’re going to write the next great novel, you talk to an author or two who knows what it takes to finish a book. If you want to run a record, label you look at how your favorite labels operate and build off what they have found to be a proven method for success.

Some might call this an act of imitation, but most would call it research.

Some might call this an act of imitation, but most would call it research. You have to ask questions to learn what you do not already know, and if you’re someone looking to work in entertainment, then your first question to any peer is probably some variation of what I wrote above. How do you make it? How do you do this full time? Who pays you? Where did you find a job? Who do I talk to about a job? How do you keep a roof over your head? And so on.

The most frustrating, yet entirely accurate response to any version of the question of how one ‘makes it’ is one that has been around long before the internet:

Find something you love to do, pour everything you can into doing it, and — eventually — it will be what you do.

Maddening, right? But it is absolutely true.

I wrote about music for more than half a decade before I met anyone willing to pay me for my words. The years before that had been spent writing in between class and shifts at whatever miserable job I could find. I woke up early and stayed up late, often splitting my nights between covering concerts and writing about what I had seen so that I could go out and cover something else the following evening. Everything in my life took a backseat to my passion for writing, and even though I wasn’t making much, if anything, through doing it my continued efforts to improve gave me an immense sense of personal satisfaction. I wrote with hopes of becoming a writer just as much as I wrote to make myself happy.

By the time anyone other than PPC (pay per click) vendors were willing to pay me for my work I had already established a presence and personal brand in the world of music. I knew the people I once wanted to be, and they knew me. I posted about securing a paid gig, and several of those same people congratulated me, but within hours they — and I — had moved on. The news that money was coming in soon was nice, but I had to focus on the present to reach that point where someone paid me. I had established a routine for writing that remained largely unchanged by the presence of paid work because in my mind I was going to be writing either way. My passion for writing was never tied to money, so the fact it was starting to come in was — to me— no excuse to act in any manner than the way I was behaving when it felt like no one cared at all.

Years later and I am now a full-time professional doing what I love in the field I love. The journey to this place was filled with ups and downs, but in hindsight, I am able to understand every step of the way was necessary in order to handle the demands, challenges, opportunities that working full time in entertainment can present. I have a thick skin, and I know that in order to be my best self creatively I have to care for my mental and physical well being. I understand how to network and I know how to write.

There is still plenty left for me to learn, but every morning when I wake up, I know I am able to handle whatever life throws at me because of the time I have invested in my craft. Others recognize this as well, which is why I am able to have a job and continue building my connections. People know I can handle the work, and they know it is ultimately not money that motivates me, but rather my passion for the business. The music industry runs on passion.

Once you harness your passion and set to become the best you can be at whatever it is you want to do the rest will begin to fall into place. It won’t happen today, tomorrow, or even next week, but if you stick with something and constantly work at improving yourself the day will come when you finally lift your head and realize you’re where you always wanted to be. It sounds foolish and maybe even a little delusional, but I am telling you it is the truth because it happened to me in spite of the fact I believed such ideas to be nonsense.

No one wants to tell young minds how few of them will actually grow up and do the work needed to reach their goals, but it is the absolute truth. Most people are not willing to do the work, and of those that are many will only work for so long before they demand the world give them something in return. The world owes you nothing. If you want to be something you have to make something out of yourself. Do the work, and you will succeed. It’s that easy and that hard.

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How When-Then Plans Can Help You Succeed [VIDEO]

We’ve all heard how the best-laid plans of mice and men will go awry, but that’s where when-then plans come can save the day.

When people ask us about achieving success in music, we often tell them there are two things they need to master: The ability to practice and not let failure break them.

Everyone needs to practice. Whether you plan on being a famous musician or someone who works with artists, practice is what separates hobbyists from professionals. Those who make and maintain careers in music do so by learning to never settle for their current skill level. They are hardworking, driven individuals who know that they are only as good as what they bring to the table, and they always make sure to work towards being better than they are right now.

Failure comes for us all. Even if you have a plan to practice and make good on your efforts to see it through, life will throw curveballs your way. You will need to take time off, and you will need to keep that passion you possess for music alive while you do so or it could burn out for good.

When-then plans are a series of checks and balances that ensure failures or shortcomings do not deter you from chasing your dreams. A good example is:

When I am unable to work on songwriting, then I will spend my lunch break reviewing recent compositions and making changes as I am able.

When-then plans will not make up for the time lost, but they will ensure you don’t lose focus, so take the time to develop and implement them today.

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The ‘Give a Damn’ Factor

This morning when I woke up the last two things I wanted to do was exercise and work.

You know what I did today, in addition to the dozens of small tasks that consumed my time?

I worked and I went to the gym.

It wasn’t fun. In fact, I struggled frequently in both endeavors. But I still did what I needed to do.

Why?

Because I give a damn.

This may sound dumb to you, but it makes all the difference in the world when it comes to success in any form. You have to give a damn, plan and simple. It is the foundation of every bit of progress we make. It is an absolute essential.

You have been told this in various ways throughout your life, but any successful adult will tell you most people never listen. They want things, they might even have talent at them, but they never really give a damn. They expect passion to be enough, but it’s not.

Don’t get me wrong. Passion is important. It is the second building block of success immediately following giving a damn, but without a foundation it is still not enough.

There are thousands of people who want any position in life you seek to hold professionally, possibly millions, but when you get down to it there are a few hundred – at most – who are truly qualified for that position. If you are fortunate enough to be one of those capable of doing the job well you still have to stand out as a leader, and that begins with giving a damn.

Giving a damn may sound easy, but it is a daily struggle everyone faces. There are a million excuses we tell ourselves to get over the fact we aren’t doing the things we want to be doing, and the only way to make that stop is by making a conscious decision daily to live in a different manner. To do the things you don’t feel like doing because it is what needs to be done. To going the extra mile when others would rather go home. To make sacrifices, within reason, in pursuit of a better life for yourself and those around you.

If you have struggled with this before now, don’t fret. Everyone struggles every day. It is how we respond to that struggle that defines our path in life.

Life won’t wait for you or anyone else. Start today.

James Shotwell is the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. He is also the host of the Inside Music podcast. 

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