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“ Good ” Needs Help to Succeed , but “ Great ” Transcends
By Steve Kenny
The industry is changing , that is
no secret . But the industry is always changing and I think that is something we are quick to forget . Remember Napster ? Remember MySpace ? There was a time not that long ago when they were changing the face of music , and now they ’ re gone .
There are always early adopters who get in on the front end of these shifts and ride the wave to success . However , the exposure they receive is generated more from the rise of the platform , than from the individual themselves . Yet we decide to use them as a benchmark to measure our own success . This leaves us feeling hopeless – “ if only I ’ d got in earlier .” All hope is not lost though . You need to reframe your expectations and understand that your success won ’ t be limited or affected by the success someone else is having . You need to remember that when you are trying to stand out in a crowded market , you need to play to your strengths and not try to mimic the success of someone who got in early .
When we judge our overall success on the results we are seeing others have on these platforms , we ’ re not doing ourselves any favours . We ’ re missing what is important and we focus on the wrong thing . We begin to create things that will do well on the medium —“ This would look great on Instagram ,” “ This would make a great Facebook post ,” etc . I ’ m going to go out on a limb and assume that most of the people reading this are musicians , not social media content creators . So why are you putting so much of your creative energy into creating content instead of creating music ?
One of the most common questions I get from artists is , “ How do I get noticed ?” Their instinct is to invest more into promotion , hire a publicist , buy more Facebook ads , or run a digital marketing campaign . More often than not , this ends in disappointment . The results they were expecting didn ’ t materialize . They spread the message , but nobody noticed .
Now this can be a hard conversation to have , but it ’ s one I think is necessary . Maybe the reason you ’ re not getting noticed is because even though your music is good , really good – it ’ s not great . I don ’ t mean “ great ” on some scale measured against the music of others , because that ’ s all subjective . I mean “ great ” in the effort and passion and desire you are putting into it . Ask yourself if you ’ re truly putting everything of yourself into your art . Or are you filtering it through a lens of industry metrics ; spins , plays , nominations , awards . If any of this is entering into the creation process , you ’ ll do good work , maybe even really good work , but it will never be great .
So , stop treating your art like a commodity , or that ’ s all it ever will be . When it ’ s a commodity , it ’ s always a race to the bottom . Someone will always be able to do it faster , cheaper , and better . Have you ever lost out on a gig because someone else will do it for cheaper ? Artists doing something truly unique don ’ t have this problem because nobody can duplicate their authenticity .
There is a lot of talk these days that CDs don ’ t sell anymore , nobody has a CD player , so on . Although that may be true , it ’ s missing the bigger point . You ’ re not selling CDs , you ’ re not selling music , you ’ re connecting with people . That is what art is , it ’ s about connecting , it ’ s about putting all of yourself into your music and releasing it for others to engage with . If your product is connection , people will support it no matter the medium . If your work is great , truly great , people will notice because “ great ” travels . It travels without ad buys , or publicity campaigns , or a digital marketing strategy . “ Good ” needs those things to succeed . Great transcends . If you ’ re willing to invest your time into being great , into putting everything into your music , into truly connecting , then you will get noticed . This is what people are actually looking for . Especially today .
I started out by saying the industry is changing , but I should really take that one step further . The industry no longer exists – at least not in the way most of us envision it . That can seem scary , but it should feel invigorating . Stop searching for the map or the blueprint to success – it no longer exists . Instead , create your own , decide the direction you want to head , and move forward . As an artist this should excite you . Connection is th e new currency , and artists are the best at it . It is the creative ones who will succeed . So be creative , not just in your music , but in how you share that with the world . Be bold , be genuine , be creative and you will be great . Now is the time when those who are willing to do great work will get noticed .
Steve Kenny is a recovering musician turned artist manager , a transition some refer to as “ turning to the dark side .” He is the co-founder of Traverse Music Management and author of The Ascender , a resource for artists looking to grow their career in an effective and sustainable way . www . traversemusic . ca / theascender .
32 CANADIAN MUSICIAN