Music Biz Articles
How To
Survive the Music Business
By Learning To Musically Mature
By: Bobby Borg
AGE DISCRIMINATION
is a sensitive and real issue in our society. After a certain age you
can't become a police officer, join the military, or become a flight attendant.
As ridiculous as these rules may or may not be, you can always find success
as long as you're open minded, proactive, and creative in finding new
ways to achieve your dreams.
The Half
Life Of An Artist
There's a
general prejudice that exists in the commercial music industry, which
views music as a youth-oriented business! The conventional wisdom seems
to be that musician's life expectancy in the pop, rock, R & B, and rap
genres parallels that of an athlete's life span in the sports world. As
you approach 35, your chances of succeeding are significantly diminished.
This is rather an ironic paradox considering musicians skills improve
with age and experience. But that's not what sells records. The record
companies heavily rely on youth, vitality, and sex-appeal to sell albums!
Additionally, labels prefer signing younger acts that, if successful,
can bring them a return on their initial investment for several years
to come. Record companies are a business just like any other and they
view their business from the bottom line first and foremost.
Not Makin'
It With The "MTV Generation"?
Does all
this mean that unsigned artists nearing their mid-thirties should throw
in the towel and abandoned their life dreams? No. Professional performers
who keep health and image their priorities can often convince the masses
their younger than their years. Of course, there's always the rare exception
to the rule where a more adult artist breaks all barriers and is signed
strictly on his musical talent and songwriting abilities-bravo! But even
if you're one of the lucky artists who gets the "big break,"
it's the few creative and business-minded artists who can still appeal
to younger audiences, both musically, and physically, as they approach
their 50th and 60th birthdays. Do I agree with this type of thinking?
NO! But, this is what history has shown us....repeatedly.
Time For
DIY
In the entertainment
business, age is not something you think about when you're in your teens
or twenties, but it's a very real issue in the commercial marketplace
for performers later on. If your career seems to be at a standstill, perhaps
it's advisable to reevaluate and set more realistic goals for yourself.
Possibly it's a more prudent approach to focus on a genre of music with
a more sophisticated demographic audience or to seek a recording deal
with a smaller, less commercial independent record label or to simply
resort to a DIY (do it yourself) approach; a situation where you can make
all of your own business decisions and you don't have to let the record
companies dictate what you can and cannot do.
Taking this
one step further, some musicians may even find more purpose in more "behind
the scenes" work composing for other artists, writing for film and
television, and even writing for video games-there's big money in it!
To be sure,
it's not about abandoning your original dreams or succumbing to this prejudice,
it's about looking at age and image in the commercial music business,
and using your aquired wisdom and experience to continually re-invent
and brand yourself to find new audiences. To paraphrase Charles Darwin,
"It's not necessarily the fittest that survive, it's those most adaptable
to change."
Bobby Borg is also
the author of: "The Musician's Handbook: A Practical Guide To
Understanding The Music Business," published by Billboard Books.
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