How many rappers do you know? How many of them are signed? Do they spam your Facebook inbox and Twitter @replies with their mixtape downloads and Open-Mics. Do you think they will be successful utilizing these options?
This article is not supposed to be dedicated Hip Hop “artists” but when it comes down to it, they are the most obnoxious and prevalent type of unsuccessful “artist”. Why? Simply because it is much cheaper to record rap vocals and apply a beat than to record music with multiple instruments.
Lets first talk about why Starbucks is a great alternative to a pursuing a Hip Hop career
1. You get paid every two weeks.
2. Starbucks is one of the foremost companies in providing health and dental insurance.
3. They have a really snazzy mission statement: “Our mission: to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.”
4. CNN named Starbucks #93 on the top 100 companies to work for.
5. You can pay your rent every month!
Now let’s talk about general perception on the music industry and some misconceptions.
1. If I make a Myspace, Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube page I will eventually be discovered and sign a record deal.
2. If I open up for big name acts I can build my resume which is appealing to a record label.
3. If I “rise and grind” one day someone will start paying me for my hard work.
4. If I get on some blogs someone will notice me.
5. And the #1 misconception about the Music Industry… drum roll please…. IF I MAKE GOOD MUSIC, THE MUSIC WILL SPEAK FOR ITSELF AND I WILL BE SUCCESSFUL.
People with musical talent fail every day. Sorry. It’s a fact. The Music Industry is about sixty five percent business, twenty percent luck, ten percent talent and five percent shear perseverance. Luck , talent, and perseverance are self explanatory but the business end is more complex. That sixty five percent is comprised of many elements. Instead of explaining those elements I will give you The Runzelism Guide to Success in the Music Industry
1. Go get some fucking money or STOP NOW. This is 99% true. Every once in a blue moon an artist will make it far enough along to get signed with only enough money to buy equipment to create their music. Sorry move over Drake, you did not do that shit without a deal. An artist who I actually have worked with in the past and probably got the largest signing bonus out of any musician in the last decade is the only “artist” who was successful without much backing: Mike Posner.
2. Step number two is still about money. Why do you need money to make it in the Music Industry do you ask? Here are things you may not have anticipated that you would have to pay when you set out on this journey to “follow your dreams”.
a. Recording and mixing time
b. A public relations firm (how the fuck do you think artist get on blogs? Do you honestly think bloggers listen to the hundred of mixtapes they get on a weekly basis? No. They trust reputable PR companies to weed out the nonsense).
c. A social media team (sorry your 1256 Facebook friends and 323 Twitter followers will not give you enough momentum to get to the top).
d. A video editor, whether they are on staff or you pay them project by project this is still a necessary expense.
e. If you get far enough that you are booking shows, you will need a tour vehicle
f. Other expenses include paying to collaborate with other artists, paying for great beats to rap over, and paying to perform in front of a crowd that does not know who you are. (This is known as “Pay-to-play” and is generally despised by the Music Industry but is very prevalent in the Hip Hop world.)
3. Develop a business minded team. People who have a background in the music industry and know how to guide your career. This is not your best friend Jimbo who always had your back in grade school and “bumps your shit” on his way to Burger King. This is someone who has at least some semblance of a background in the music industry and at the very least has the capacity to learn from what’s going on around them as well have a level head in terms of where their artist is at and what needs to be done to keep them progressing.
4. Get a street team in as many cities as possible. You might be the biggest thing Springfield, Illinois has ever seen but no one knows the fuck you are in Carbondale, Illinois. Let alone Chicago.
5. Book and promote your own shows and perform at open mics. PAUSE, I’m sure to this point most musicians reading this remember me mentioning this as a common misconception on your path to success. All the performances you do are not in hopes that you get discovered (because you won’t), it is FOR PRACTICE. You could have the greatest music in the world but if you have not honed your live performance in half filled rooms, you will not be ready when you perform in front of a hundred people. I say promote your own shows (in your hometown of course), so you develop value, the same way a DJ does, and so you can at least make a little scratch on your road to success,
6. This is one of the most important rules: Give your music away for free. People don’t buy new music. The first way to stunting your growth as an artist is to sell your music. The 600 fans you have that will buy your album will be the 600 fans you will always have.
So, in conclusion. If you have less than 1000 followers/facebook fans and no investment money behind you, please apply for a job at Starbucks. Here is the application. If you are a blogger, producer, signed artist, or record executive whose inbox fills with garbage rappers on a daily basis, please tag, dedicate or retweet this article to those people, and forward them a link to the Starbucks application. The rent is too damn high!
This article is dedicated to Horatio Alger and the American Dream.
Written by Will Runzel aka "The White Guy"
Follow Will on Twitter click here
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1 comment:
TWO C'sssss UP!
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