3 Reasons Artists and Musicians Fail

3 Reasons Artists and Musicians Fail

Hey!!

Hope you're having a great day so far! Last night, me and my Bro-in-law were up late talking about the music industry. We've both had our negative experiences with the industry but have found success through unique avenues. We started discussing how there are so many truly talented people out there that seem to never succeed and identified three of the main reasons why.

Reason 1: GRIND

For whatever reason, it seems like people who are not as talented have a grind that is SUPER strong. Through that grind, they put themselves in positions that yield them success. Alot of times people who are talented rely on their talent to push them to the right people when it's simply not that easy. No matter your talent level, you've got to push HARD to get your music in the right places. Talent just makes things easier but it's not something to 100% rely on. I make sure to push myself TWICE as hard just because i'm talented. You never want to get complacent or lazy. There will always be things to do, areas to improve, and NEW avenues to explore. You have to be able to create new content, keep in contact with your supporter base(SUPER IMPORTANT), improve your craft, and much more on a CONSISTENT basis. Constantly grinding is KEY. 

Reason 2: Being Unique

When it comes to artistry, you have to be unique. There's nothing wrong with having influences of some of your favorite artists or musicians, but your music must be unique enough to set you apart. Consumers LOVE new things. You have to take time and experiment until you find your unique sound. Take TIME! Alot of times artists want to rush and put their project out and don't put enough time into it's development. When you look at some of the most successful people in the music industry or any other industry, most if not all were unique. They'll never be another Michael Jackson. They'll never be another Whitney Houston. They'll never be another YOU! Make sure you take time to find out who God has crafted you to be musically and then push your sound out to the masses. I believe the greatest asset you have as an artist or musician is what naturally flows from your heart. 

Reason 3: The BIG BREAK Mindset

Now this is something everybody has dealt with at some point. You sit around waiting for that Big Break. You think that all you have to do is get the right person to hear your music. You wait on that opportunity year after year after year. Every year you say, this is my year! The reality of this is, you're waiting on somebody else to facilitate your success when God has already put everything inside of you to make it happen for yourself. I'm speaking from experience. I remember plenty of days trying to find music industry executives on myspace or find their emails so I could send my music. I remember going out to different events and networking for the simple purpose of finding that big break. 

One day, me and my production crew got the "big break." Got signed to a label distributed through universal. Sat in the luxurious office. Saw the small fleet of luxury cars. Got the professional photo shoot and the press releases written. Heard the promises of big checks, houses, cars, and all the other material things these industry guys promise lol! Guess what? The big break wasn't all it was cracked up to be. It was all smoke and mirrors. What people don't realize is in this day and age, being signed to a major label isn't needed anymore. You have tons of tools out here to make it happen for yourself! Ever since I shed that big break mentality and stopped relying on other people to facilitate my success, I've experienced a HUGE amount of success and people have been searching to find me! That's where you want to be. You don't want to be the one searching, but the one being searched for. This is called attraction marketing. Get out there and push yourself and opportunities will come to YOU. At that point, you're looking for things to enhance what you already have going rather than the "big break." It is tragic the way these major labels do business these days. I know several industry people personally right now who got that big break but once the buzz died down, they found themselves in a difficult situation. One of these guys is a super talented Sony affiliated producer that has HUGE placements! The industry is cut throat folks! Make your own situation!

Conclusion

I hope this information was helpful to you! I wish everyone who has read this great success. You can do anything you put your mind to. You just have to grind hard at it, be unique, and stop looking for others to make you successful. Go get em! -Tone

Tone Jonez
Owner of ToneJonez.com
 

4 comments