What does it mean to 'make it' as an artist? It almost seems like a strange question to ask considering how clearly it used to be defined. An artist made it when they became a household name. They made it when their songs were inescapable, played endlessly on the radio, selling tens of millions of copies. They had the big tour buses and played the massive sold out arenas. In a word, to 'make it' was to be ubiquitous, and with that kind of notoriety came money. Today, that level of saturation does not exist. Older, well-established artists can break through what's left of the collective consciousness known as pop culture, but it doesn't translate into cash. Everyone on Earth knows that Guns N Roses finally released Chinese Democracy, but if you think Axl is making more off his new music than his old music, then you're living in a fantasy world. I sound out-of-touch even mentioning the album and it just came out at the end of November.
Before you take your guitar to the pawn shop and retire your leather chaps, keep in mind that record deals have never been all that much of a deal. Getting a record deal is like taking out a loan from someone who has a few connections to a few outlets. Those outlets used to be the only outlets and they proved profitable for everyone. That is no longer the case. As an artist, you have to decide if those old connections will get you anywhere and if you would ever be able to pay off that loan. Being plugged into a failed system where no one is listening and no one pays for anything isn't really all that helpful if you're trying to make money. And let's face it, even 'famous' artists are having a hard time turning over a buck from their music. That's why they all have clothing lines and shit.
No matter what changes within the music industry, there are some absolutes for artists. They will always need to be great live and they will always need to be creative and innovative. Unfortunately, many of the artists that have been supported by major labels were not these things. This is why they failed. Don't assume hard work and big dreams will result in a record deal and more money than you could ever shoot into your veins. While labels haven't become any more selective, the deals they offer are even less appealing than they used to be. They want a piece of everything on the off-chance you somehow become famous. But they're not putting all of their eggs in the new music basket. They're working deals to make their deep catalogs available through paid services and licensing it out to anyone willing to flip open the checkbook. They're coming up with new ways to shave pennies off of subscription services and internet providers. They're doing what the established artists are doing, which is anything but trying to sell new music.
If you ask pretty much any artist what their goals are, they will usually give you the same cliché response, "to live off my music." If that is the goal, then perhaps 'success' is possible, but I think that's a bullshit answer, born out of a false mentality that music and the music business are one and the same. They are not. Business is what springs up around a great artist. If you're not a great artist, there is no business. Musicians should behave as if there is no music industry at all. There are no labels. There are no deals. There is no opportunity beyond what you can create for yourselves. You cannot wait for someone to come riding in, throw you a bunch of money and make you famous. 'Famous' doesn't even exist anymore for artists.
As a music fan, I couldn't be happier about the gloomy state of affairs. There is no better way to weed out the good from the bad than to remove all of the tangible incentives. I believe we are rapidly approaching the day where the measure of success changes because the artist's goals change. Truly creative artists make music because they have to, not because they think there is a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. At some point, those seeking celebrity will give up, settle down and get a real job. Those that don't give up and keep making music despite the lack of pay days will surely start to define their goals as they should be- to blow people's minds and live forever. Success comes when people are still listening to your music hundreds of years from now, long after you're dead.
Still want to be a rock star? I think the pawn shop is open.
Next week: Singles v. Albums 
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Declassified: Redefining Success
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