So you wanna be a star?
Part 1
So, you’ve made the decision! You’ve finished recording your album and
it’s the “best” - it deserves to be heard by the world and you’re
deserving of the adulation afforded to the creation of such a
masterpiece! Of course, you know in your own mind that it won’t be easy
to become a star. After all, everyone says that the music business is
difficult’. But hey, you’ve got what it takes, you’ve got talent, and
this really is a great album - all your friends and family agree - so
what can possibly stop you? What indeed...?
Few people outside of the Music Business have any idea just how
difficult it is to survive, let alone succeed, in the ever-changing and
unforgiving world of entertainment. Being a musician is much, much more
than simply writing, recording and performing.
And few people have any idea of what is involved in the recording of a
good sounding CD, of the time and effort involved to get that polished
sound that every artist who ever produced a demo aspires to create.
Don’t be fooled by inane rubbish like Pop Idol or X-factor. Not only do
these sort of programs give a totally false impression of the reality
of the music industry, but they totally undermine the integrity of it!
And just for the record, I don’t dispute the obvious talent of some of
the participants, but the ends do not justify the means! It is
indicative of just how low we have sunk as a society that we are happy
to watch and laugh at ‘hopefuls’ who clearly have no talent at all,
make embarrassing fools of themselves because they really think they do
have the talent.
Then, when the competition proper really gets going, we can watch the
music business do what it does best, that is, chew up and spit out
varying degrees of talent live on our screens in the name of TV
entertainment!
The programs are designed to maximize TV ratings and to manufacture a
“Pop Star” who’ll be long forgotten in 10 years time. Of course,
they’ll say that isn’t so, but then, they would, wouldn’t they!?
We live in an “Instant Fame” society. Celebs and their lifestyles are
thrust in our faces 24/7 and far too many people, particularly but not
exclusively the young, think fame can be achieved. They are fed the
belief that it’s possible to give up the day job and become a star. In
reality, it’s virtually impossible. For a greater insight into the
realities of the Pop world, check out the Simon Cowel book “I don’t
mean to be rude”.
Being a musician, an artist, is a vocation. It’s a way of life in which
everything and everyone else, absolutely everything and everyone else,
take second place. Musicians are selfish - they have to be by
definition, and I know because I am one.
It’s about “The Journey” (much like life) - the journey of self
discovery that starts when you realize that being a musician is what
you want to do, continues and evolves as you make music and friends
along the road, experiencing the highs and the lows and culminates in
the realization that the journey doesn’t have an end because you’re
always seeking to do something new, always forging new ideas - seeking
to write ‘The perfect song’ or ‘The perfect album’. But a word of
warning, if you’re fortunate enough to find success, the pressures and
the demands will become greater, they’ll not get less!
You can’t do it on a “part time” basis and expect to succeed beyond a
bit of fun at amateur level (not that there’s anything at all wrong
with that). So, if you really want to ‘succeed’, the very thing that
you have to accept is... that you probably wont’! And that isn’t as
crazy as it sounds!
You see, the most important thing in music is simply that you love
doing it. It’s a way of life that’s in your blood, in your soul, and it
takes precedence over everything else. And as mentioned earlier, it’s
about the journey.
Now, I can hear you saying things like; “That’s all right for you to say, you’re in the music business”.
Or maybe you’re thinking; “Well I have all these attributes, but how do I pay the bills and still make my way as a musician?”
Yes, I am fortunate enough to be involved in music, enjoying moderate
success and recognition in a specific music genre. But what I have
learned is, that success is relative.
My life and everything in my life revolves around music. But over the
years, and particularly in the early days, my private life and finances
paid a very heavy price.
Being involved in music is about being in it for the long haul, not the
short term - you don’t even consider the short term. Ask most musicians
and they’ll tell you the process is a painful one. When I hear young
musicians say they’ve ‘given up everything to be in music’, my reply
is, that they have no idea what “everything” is!
Being a musician requires many things, many attributes. Selfishness
we’ve already mentioned. Stubbornness is a key factor to - you just
have to keep going, then there’s dedication, passion and belief. An
acceptance that there will be a lot of hard times. You must be prepared
to give everything and more, and even then, even with all those things,
if you’re not ‘in the right place at the right time’, success can still
pass you by.
And thru all this, you keep smiling. You don’t question why you’re
doing what you’re doing or the cost of it in broken relationships and
heavy debt. You just keep going because music is such a big part of
you!
The one remaining prerequisite for a musician is an understanding and
supportive partner - without whom you’ve no chance at all. Reminds me
of the old joke: What do you call a musician without a significant and
supportive partner? Homeless!
So, finally, what’s the difference between a musician and someone who
wants to be a musician? It’s simple. A musician is someone who gets on
with it. They step outside of the box of conventional 9-5 and all that
goes with it and live the life and all it entails. They probably won’t
make it big, but they define their own success and whatever happens,
they’ll never lose sight of why they’re doing what they’re doing.
And someone who wants to be a musician, a star? Well, they’re unable to do the above!
So, lets go back to the beginning - If you still want to be a musician,
a recording artist, then I’ll give some hints and advice on demos in
part 2.
