BUSINESS
Steve Waxman has spent his career helping high-profile clients build their narrative, share their story, navigate challenges, and make a
difference. His career has included work in artist management in New York City (Aucoin Management), as well as Canadian independent
and major record labels (Ready Records, Attic Records, and Warner Music Canada). He has worked with a diverse roster of artists
contributing creative marketing, promotion, and communication strategies, treating every act as unique and every project as a new
opportunity to introduce fresh ideas. These are exciting times when artists can communicate and market directly to fans to help build
an enduring career and Steve can be a part of your team. www.imstevewaxman.com.
By Steve Waxman
Defining Your Narrative:
A Better Shot at Success
W
hy did Donald Trump win? How
did Hilary Clinton lose? And,
what the hell do either of these
things have to do with you?
In 2016, American voters made it clear that
they were tired of retread politicians. With
his brash character and outlandish speech-
es, Trump made it clear that he was going
to be unlike any candidate they had ever
seen before. Hilary, on the other hand, tried
to convince the public that she was offering
something new and yet everything she said
came out sounding just like every other poli-
tician before her. She promised her audiences
whatever she thought they wanted to hear.
Trump essentially said: “This is who I am;
take it or leave it,” and we all know what hap-
pened. That day he came down the escalator
with Melania, he presented a narrative that,
regardless of what anyone said, he never wa-
vered from. Pundits said that he didn’t have a
chance, but Trump and his team saw that his
narrative – that of a disrupter – was resonating
with more and more people and they rode that
growing wave all the way to the White House.
Oddly enough, Trump’s strategy was not
all that different from Barack Obama’s 2008
campaign, whose narrative was built around
a message of hope and change. A strong, un-
wavering narrative helped both to focus on
an effective plan, galvanize a following, and
achieve their ultimate goal.
A clearly defined narrative will help you
develop a plan to achieve your goals, too.
Narrative vs. Brand
Now, before I go on, I want to explain what I
mean by “narrative.” I have been asked if what
I’m describing is the same as “building your
brand.” Kleenex and McDonald’s are brands.
Artists are people, and people have stories to
tell. Those stories become the artist’s narra-
tives. When you become ubiquitous, feel free
to call yourself a brand. Think of the narrative
as your way of telling people what makes you
unique. Having a clearly-defined narrative can
62 CANADIAN MUSICIAN
keep you focused while you create and keep
your team focused on your vision as an artist.
Defining Your Narrative
My first job in the music industry was working for
legendary manager Bill Aucoin. Bill gave me my
first lesson on how to achieve success in music.
“Our job,” he told me, “is to facilitate the artist’s vi-
sion so that they can concentrate on writing and
performing while we take care of everything else.”
Bill Aucoin made a name for himself in the ‘70s
working with KISS, and when I started working
in his office, his number one client was Billy Idol.
Both artists had the vision that helped them
control their own narratives, which ultimately
led to them achieving their goals.
Of course, it all starts with a great song.
Writing great songs is hard. Writing great
songs that don’t sound like anyone else’s is
even harder. Understanding who you are as
an artist is an invaluable asset when you are
creating. That understanding will help you rec-
ognize when you’ve created something truly
special that sounds uniquely you. Once you’ve
discovered that sound, you are on your way.
There are two important points I want to
emphasize in relation to the previous para-
graph. If longevity is your ultimate goal, it is
crucial to your career as a creator to be origi-
nal and not just chase trends. Secondly, once
you’ve found your path, it is important that you
don’t waiver. Prepare for the long haul. There
are far too many examples of artists that grow
impatient rather than stay the course and let an
audience discover and embrace them.
With a well-defined narrative and an origi-
nal sound and presentation, you can build the
foundation of your career. From there, you will
be better equipped to articulate your goals as
you begin to put a team in place. The more
prepared you are, the more control you have.
The ultimate control is messaging. Wheth-
er it be to your management team, your
agent, your publicist, your promotion person,
your label, or the media, you can now control
the message, which means that everyone will
be on the same page when it comes to com-
municating that to the world at large.
Speaking of messaging, there has been no
better time for you to control your message.
Social media gives you the opportunity to en-
gage directly with your current and potential
audience and to deliver your message the way
you want them to receive it.
Sharing Your Narrative
Now that you have defined your narrative,
you can strategically create content that con-
sistently fortifies the story you want to tell. All
of the tools you create should be consistent
with your narrative, be it your bio, photos, the
songs you choose as singles, music videos, or
online content, etc.
Remember, people are busy and not al-
ways paying attention, so by being consistent,
you stand a better chance of having your mes-
sage heard. There was a report several years
ago that said you needed to hear all or a part
of a song 90 times on the radio before it would
be recognized. Even though social media is
the best way to reach your audience, you will
still have to cut through a lot of noise.
When you think of the most successful artists
in the world, you can generally define them in
one or two sentences. Think of The Beatles, The
Rolling Stones, Madonna, or Bruce Springsteen.
Think of Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga, Billy Eillish, or
Lizzo. All of these artists have clearly-defined nar-
ratives and set the agenda for their own careers.
Think about it. What do all of the artists I’ve
named have in common? They are originals.
Be original. Be a disruptor. Don’t be concerned
about being liked by everyone. Be obsessed
with being great. The originality of your art is
what helps define your character, and from
that emerges your narrative.
Establishing a narrative will help keep you
focused on staying true to who you are as you
write songs, perform live, create content, build
your team, and ultimately, build and nurture a
relationship with your audience. It’s your best
shot at success.