When you think of the music industry, what kind of picture comes to your mind? If it spotlights trigger-happy paparazzi, sold-out concerts, and cheering crowds of fans – you’ve been bit by the media bug and are running a high fever of delusion. Show business is about two things – show and business. And the show also means appearances. That doesn’t mean that those things don’t happen or are reserved for a chosen few, but that they are less frequent than you may imagine. In this article, Alejandro A.B will bust some myths as he shares 5 secrets that nobody in the music industry wants you to know about.
It’s not all glory
When you see the stars shining and belting out choice numbers, you feel goosebumps. If they can make you feel that way, then perhaps, you too can make someone feel that way with your music and let the flood of their love pour all over you. If that’s the direction of your thought, then Alejandro A.B advises you to stop dreaming. He says, “If your focus is fame because that’s what you think the music industry is about, you’re in for a rude shock. It’s more sweat, blood, and gut than glory.”
You aren’t always the center of attention
It may not seem like it when you watch your favorite stars roused to another level during a speech, concert, or a casual walk in the street, but the truth, as Alejandro A.B puts it is, “no one’s the center of attention all the time. There’s a lot that goes into the making of a star, that is, for him or her to become alluring and attractive to the masses. That’s the way this business works. It’s better to know that from the start before you decide to plunge into it.”
You fail more often than you succeed
Failure is the norm rather than the exception in the music industry. All the A-listers you can think of have failed just as much as you probably will, if not more. Alejandro A.B says, “Glamour is a way to polish the pain that many artists have had to endure to make it big. It’s not easy to catch eyeballs and get attention. It takes time, good music, and an attitude to match.”
Marketing is a part of your creative process
The purists will hate it, but they can’t ignore it. Alejandro A.B says, “It takes two things to make the world sit up and take notice – good music and good marketing skills. Marketing yourself need not corrupt you or your music if you make it a part of your creative process.”
It’s more important to have a loyal fan base than a large one
Most musicians dream of swaying large audiences instead of forming a loyal fan base. For Alejandro A.B, that’s unfortunate because “in the long run, you’ll be remembered for what you have created and not for how many people you’ve sung for. The quality of your art will always outshine the quantity of your audience.”
Alejandro A.B’s inside tips can indeed help you keep a steady head as an upcoming musician.