Over the years the artist used to benefit from a music industry swelling with a backroom of talent. It was the creative infrastructure of the music industry and what I call 'The Engine Room.' It was where teamwork and collaborations were in abundance and where the road to success would begin.
When you signed to a record company it was just the beginning. It meant the start of a relationship and the better the relationship the greater the chance of success. It wasn't for the 'wannabes' desperate for instant fame, it was for those hungry for creative success. It was an industry that inspired people to succeed and took delight in guiding them through every part of the process. The pleasure was shared with everyone because everyone played an equal part. Today I don't think there's that unity anymore, there's a jungle mentality. Eat or be eaten, artist against record company. They, the record industry want a piece of every part of the pie, they want to share in all the available income streams. The royalties from the sale of records are no longer enough.
Today everyone working for a music company is scared of losing their jobs, they are frightened of taking risks. That has a domino effect and the artist in return, becomes scared of being dropped. It's supposed to be a risk business, that's what always made it exciting. The air of anticipation, the never quite knowing. It's supposed to be about taking chances and pushing out that little bit further. Sadly we lost our mavericks and we lost our risk takers, we lost the icons of the music industry. We lost our innovators and we lost our way. We are not creating artists who will stand the test of time, we are creating instant pop stars, people who will be here today and gone tomorrow. We aren't creating artists with any longevity, the type of act that gets better with time.
Relationships were everywhere, the artist with their manager, the manager with the label, the label with the publisher. The producer's relationship with the A and R manager and so it went on. The only thing that may have changed in the era of the 'instant' pop star is that the fan has a closer relationship with the artist. That in itself is good because the fan becomes someone who helps in the promotion. They like you, they tell their friends and your fan base begin to grow virally. Another positive in this is that this happens on a global scale, no longer are you dependent on just a regional breakout.
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