MAINTAINING A FAN-FRIENDLY IMAGE

“Be humble” seems to me to be the most overused anecdote for up-and-coming artists. Of course there is truth behind the staple saying, but being too humble can also limit the power of your image as an artist.

Image can go a long way for some artists in getting more fans. The rockstar, heartthrob, or thug image has overwhelmed the entertainment industry, especially among young fans. Image-heavy artists and bands like New Kids on the Block, N’Sync, and Lil’ Bow Wow had the look of stars, but who really listens to their songs as quality music?

Labels place image highly when looking for the next big artist. Sex sells and having a less-talented bombshell is often more marketable than a plain-looking musical genious.


Prime example: Britney Spears. Her vocals were never a strongpoint, but with cheesy, uniform-sounding songs, she used her image to stay in the spotlight. Of course there are some exceptions, but having a weak image only made it harder for them to gain success.

Without a strong image, artists struggle to build a fanbase. For example, out of all the Bad Boy “Making the Band” artists to come out in 2008, Donnie Klang’s album sold the least at 22,000 copies which was #19 in Billboard. Dannity Kane went #1 on Billboard at 283,000 units sold while Day 26 also went #1 on Billboard at 170,000 units sold.

Why the big drop? Donnie didn’t sell because he was TOO humble. On the show and during his MTV premiere of his video he had no swagger. It’s good sometimes for artists to show fans you are down-to-earth, but you also have to show confidence and have star swagger.

On “Making the Band,” it seemed like Diddy sensed the lack of swag in Donnie’s performance saying that Donnie dances like a stiff white guy and that he should take off his shirt during shows to get the girls’ attention. Day26 was also dropping their first album, but having a strong image came more natural for them.


Another knock on Donnie’s swag level was his uncanny similarities to Justin Timberlake. I’m not saying Donnie intentionally makes similar music and dresses like Justin, but he does come off as a poor man’s JT.

Having a unique style is crucial for reaching star status and starting trends is what real stars do instead of jumping in with the bunch. The latest image icon in the hip-hop world is Lil’ Wayne. It’s ridiculous how many people are emulating his style of sagging, tight jeans, punk rock belts, and even his playful style of rapping.

Wayne started his style and has everyone else following. Wayne is a master of image and shame on you followers!
Where does unique image come from? For artists, the best way to have a strong image is to be yourself. Changing your style when you get into the limelight is a no-no and fans will turn on you if they see things that will cause them to doubt your realness.

Believe it or not, William Hung, the horrible Asian singer from American Idol had an image that America fell in love with. His off-key singing, infectious smile and down-syndrome was uniquely powerful and he received more hype than more talented singers. Even though he lacked the qualities of most stars, his image of realness is what got America’s attention.

How humble? A balance of high self-esteem and humility is needed. You don’t want to come off as “not ready” to be a star, but you also don’t want to come off as too cocky. For every Kanye West, there are a thousand artists who jumped the gun and got cocky before they were in the position which can afford some cockiness.

Being humble, you want to exhibit hunger for success. If fans see that you are working hard, they will respect what you do more.

Your music represents yourself as a person, so don’t feel too restricted to one genre. It’s refreshing for fans to hear something new and it’s definitely a turn off to hear a new artist with an old, regurgitated style.

A balance of setting yourself apart from the rest while also staying within the boundaries of what is popular is crucial for artists in maintaining a strong image.

NETWORKING IS A MUST

NETWORKING IS A MUST

“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”
I’m sure you have heard that saying before from a superior about getting a good job and the same principle applies in the music industry. Networking is a must for indie artists because it allows artists to branch out in many ways and also helps keep spending down through the barter system.

Whether you realize it or not, other musicians in your area are competition. Meaning that the more successful musicians there are in a region, the harder it is for up-and-comers to bridge the gap. However, having competition isn’t a completely bad thing either. Here is a list of what artists can do to create benefits by networking with competitors.

1. Barter –

When trying to minimize costs when producing music, many bands choose to adopt a DIY philosophy which keeps all the production in-house which provides all the necessities either free of charge or a lot lower than getting work done elsewhere.

For example, hip-hop artists need beats and many artists save money by making beats themselves. Often this economically friendly approach saves money, but leads to a sacrifice in quality. I have found that the best producers, audio engineers, graphic artists, etc are the ones who can focus on doing what they do best. Recording drums on a $100 condenser mic stationed in a garage for a rock band will never sound as good as the $50 an hour session in a professional studio.

Paying for everything also has flaws especially for indie artists who struggle to make their craft profitable considering the hours spent in the studio. This is why trading in-house services that you are good at to another for their services can benefit both parties. That way your band can spend more time focusing and improving on what they do best while not having to pay for the other services.

2. Collaborate –

Collaborating is very similar to bartering, but is more mutual. For example, a famous collaboration was the Jay-Z and Linkin Park collaboration which fused hip-hop and rock musical styles. Collabs are useful because it not only allows artists to mesh with each other, but attracts artists’ fanbases to each other. The die-hard Linkin Park fans who never really got into Jay-Z by themselves were more likely to give his music a chance after the collab.

On an indie level, the key to collaborating is to focus on getting collabs with artists who are at your level in quality or higher. Collaborating with less known artists has less benefits and usually yields lesser quality music. This is why more successful artists usually charge for collaborations. Charging $1,000 to $10,000 depending on the artist may seem excessive to some, but some artists may actually make their money back by the popularity of the song. For example, paying $10,000 to get T-Pain on a chorus would most likely grant radio play and would boost ITunes sales for customers searching for T-Pain songs.

Networking is beneficial for artists of all levels since it enables them to branch out and minimize costs while attracting fanbases that are unfamiliar with your music.

BOOTLEGGING!!!: THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY

BOOTLEGGING!!!: THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY



FREE always looks better than $.99 and that’s why bootlegging has become such an obstacle for musicians trying to make a living in the last decade. Even after shutting down the free version of Napster and several other file-sharing clients, internet bootleggers always find a way to keep the free music circulating.

First, I will break down bootlegging as a process. The first stage where the music can get leaked is straight from the studio. Masters of the song can fall into the wrong hands around the studio and can even get leaked before they even sound good.

First drafts of albums are oftenly called “advances” and can get leaked even before they are mixed or mastered. This is probably the worst possible form of bootlegging since the artists aren’t ready to release the music and capitalize off any of the buzz that the leaked material receives. Major artists are often faced with a dilemma when this happens and can either drop the album sooner than planned or simply just record new material.

For example, Lupe Fiasco’s first album “Food and Liquor” was leaked just after his first single “Kick, Push” dropped and he ended up junking half of the album and recording several new tracks including both of his follow-up singles “I Gotcha” and “Daydreamin.”

The album ending up being a solid hip-hop album in my booked and debuted at #8 on Soundscan. Who knows how successful a premature release of the original “Food and Liquor” would have been, but in Lupe’s case, he sidestepped the bootleggers and dropped a successful album.

The next stage in which bootlegging can occur is the post-master , pre-release stage. The majority of album bootlegging happens at this time where the quality matches the final product sometimes months before the scheduled release. Again, labels have two options to either push up the release date or add more songs, but since they are album-ready quality, acting quickly is even more of a priority.

At this time, the first single should already be out and on ITunes. Singles are the easiest to get a hold of because part of the label’s job is to get the song out as much as possible. Stopping the bootlegging of a commercial single is impossible with CD promos floating all around and getting the single bootlegged can actually help build a buzz for an album. Artist’s don’t mind getting their hit song bootlegged and spread like the flu as long as the fans buy the album.

The last phase at which bootlegging can occur is directly from the CD itself after it has been released. Nearly all commercial releases never make it to this phase because of the demand for the bootleg and the scope of major distribution. Only indie bands with management closely monitoring the release can actually make it to this stage. It usually means that the bigger the anticipation for the album, the sooner the album will get leaked.

Even though it seems that music with a demand will get bootlegged regardless, there are a few ways that artists and labels fight or capitalize on bootlegging:
1. Artists who want to increase exposure can leak their songs or whole album purposely to create a buzz for their release or simply just to get their name out there. Promos are given to DJs and radio stations to give fans the exclusive sneak peaks of the music. The advantage is reaching a wider fanbase.

2. Some labels have released mock bootlegs in the past which contain fake songs or only snippets of the songs. Bootleggers get fooled and share these fake releases which provide a distraction from the actual material. This method is rarely used anymore since bootleggers caught on and label un-official releases as “advances” and label the sure thing as “retail” releases.

3. The most simple and effective way to sell units regardless of bootlegging is to MAKE YOUR ALBUM MORE DESIRABLE THAN OTHERS!! Lately, major labels have been releasing 2-3 singles/videos prior to release after focusing on one single was the standard before bootlegging. This maximizes your ITunes single sales and keeps your name fresh in the fans minds. Plus if you’re first single isn’t as good as expected, you still have more chances to grab fans with your other singles.

In conclusion, bootlegging will happen no matter what, but being careful with your material and being prepared for the leaks is what can minimize the damage of bootlegging on an album’s release.