People, Strategies and Dollars that Promote

What's the difference between a talented artist that has "it" and a talented artist who does not? What is the "it" factor? Showmanship, personality, a look, a particular sound, distinctiveness or perhaps a combination of them all? Well, the truth is that no artist has it all. I've heard some in the music industry suggest that only "smart" people "make it." I'd agree with that statement if I didn't see so many dummy millionaires made wealthy by the sometimes shallow and foolish entertainment industry in America.

Artists need to be well-informed and knowlegable about the music industry. There is no doubt that artists need to be self-sufficient, proactive and business minded in order to be successful. Though these qualities cannot be compromised and are essential, no matter how smart or well-researched an artist may be, there's only so much he or she can do on their own. A successful artist needs the talent, capital, knowledge, resources, relationships, research, business sense, experience, consistency and skill set of other people (not to mention good 'ole fashion good fortune) to build their career to a level of high visibility.

If we pulled 10 artists into a room and asked each of them how they "made it", we'd be liable to hear 10 totally different stories. While I would imagine that there are multiple factors that create a statistical formula for whether or not a person obtains commercial success, there is one consistency; someone in a position of power made the decision to connect that talent to the people, strategies and dollars that promote.

Some of the most talented musicians with the strongest determination will never see a world-wide platform - for reasons that relate to the lack of capital, knowledge, resources, relationships, research, business sense, experience, consistency and good 'ole fashion good fortune. Being guided by persons who are highly competant, influential, well-connected and experienced in the business of music and believe in the artist is crucial for any musican if he or she is to have a chance at building an international career. Perhaps the most important question for an artist on the journey for musical success is - "who's on your side?"