We no longer understand the metrics of success for musical artists. Streams hardly lead to revenue. A viral moment doesn't sell tickets. Physical media is a fragment. A record deal gets you… a loan.
What does the independent artist even aim for?
Only fools should get into this business. Only extremely passionate fools.
The Path To Sellout
With no definable 'made it' moment, we have focused on creating a path. A game of chutes & ladders focused on how cultural moments actually happen. Let's begin.
Note: You can move forward & backward through these phases. This is not failure, but part of the game.
“ Cultural moments explode outward from pockets of extreme obsession, and become 'valuable' to take part in."
Be one of those moments. Over & over again.
The Underground
You're not topping charts anytime soon, even if you go viral. You are but a drop in raising seas. Get used to it. The good news? You have yet to become uncool. They will turn on you eventually, but today is not that day.
This is the phase that you should love the most. Complete focus on the music & your songwriting. Getting scrappy with how you produce, and having a blast playing small passionate shows.
This is where you find your sound, identity as artists, and where passion shines you through. Most importantly, this is where your fanatics find you. The ones who dig for new music, love local scenes, and are passionate about the very specific sound you make. They'll learn who you are, watch the behind the scenes, and become the fabric of your community.
Discovery
People love to discover something novel and exciting. To be early & find something awesome, and at some point that will be your music. When someone or an entity of consequence discovers you, it is a catalyst for a cultural moment because knowing you will become contagious.
The importance of your brand, the world you build around your music, and the fanatics you gained in the underground will stoke this moment.
This is what either sends you into a swell, or creates a moment that fizzles you right back to the underground.
The Swell
Time to grind. At this stage momentum is in your grasp. Give people more access to your art, process & songwriting, and play lots of shows.
The key to success here is critical: show that you have staying power. This above all means that you need to write a record post-discovery that proves to a larger pocket of culture that they should be fanatics.
Hangtime
Bands & artists incepted post-2000 aren't given the guarantee of lifelong fans & tours. Culture moves too fast & there are very few new openings for the role of 'icon'.
Modern musical artists require the brevity to dig deep into their sound & find ways to explore every end, or to evolve with current taste while staying true to an identity.
Score a movie, collaborate, or just write undeniably great music and play insane shows that people never forget. Remain at your best & don't indulge in so much comfort that you lose yourself as an artist.
Sellout
Congratulations, everyone hates you.
At this stage, you have your own cultural gravity, and at the very least are granted attention. Your relevancy is constantly in question, as your core may only like the old you.
Get a yacht and sail away. Or prove to us that you still belong.
Nobody Wins This Game
If you play the game long enough, independent artists will notice that selling out isn't much of a worry, because it isn't much attainable. In reality, we will be put through the cultural washing machine, aiming to recreate the swell over & over again.
Like I said, only fools. Extremely passionate fools.
