Forget About Landing a “Hit” Single
Do you want to know what is wrong in the music industry? The problem with the industry is not that talent is lacking, it is the overdose of it. Then the challenge of each artist must be to create a unique proposal within all the saturated noise that is the media.
Let’s go on a trip with our friend Gamaliel, a fictional ballad singer. Gamaliel has just been discovered by an agent while singing his songs in a cafe. The agent says, “you have a beautiful voice and the ‘look’ of a balladist.” He signs him on his label. He takes him to a studio in Miami and hires a music producer. He records an album, with a video, and puts a single on the radio and digital platforms.
He releases his first single “You’ll Love Again.” Gama Jorge (as he is known now), shares it with friends; they share it forward and so on. Those who listen to it on the radio, Shazam it and begin to share it. Soon, the video of the song has amassed almost 500,000 views on YouTube in anticipation of the album’s release.
When the album comes out, then his first single, Gama is “a hit”, his second and third singles are ‘hits’. His music is on the radio, ads and TV shows. The agent puts the album in the hands of Enrique Iglesias, who when listening to his music personally decides to buy distribution rights for Latin America and the United States. Gama opens his most recent tour, and the rest is history.
If all this seems fanciful, it is because it is. Sadly, this is the idea that some have about the music industry. That it is as simple as creating a “catchy” song, putting it in the hands of people with “connections,” and as soon as the audience hears it, they will ask for more.
The concept of making a hit record responds to an outdated industry model; when it was possible, by the limited means available, to catch the public’s attention all at once. This with the help of people in control of the media – labels, stations, agencies, television channels. The conversation was then unidirectional, the public did not choose what it consumed. Now the audience is not as passive.
Now, we consume, create, and cure the content all at once. Winning the attention of any audience is an exercise of supreme deliberation and tireless execution. More than ever, the popularity of an artist depends on factors beyond his music. For example, an artist like DJ Khaled, music producer and DJ, shines the same for his work in the studio as his videos on Snapchat. And although the videos nourish a further interest in his music; they are indispensable to move the public there.
That’s why the songs themselves don’t become hits. Hits are conversations between the artist and his/her audience. It is not about promoting singles alone, but about generating relationships. The artist’s challenge then seems to be:
(1) create music that represents your values, to
(2) talk with audiences that identify themselves with it, and
(3) generate communities based on these conversations;
(4) using media beyond music.
Interestingly, the community is not generated around the artist, but around the values it represents. The community is as strong as the networks that support it. Good conversations have moderators. Good conversations also maintain a common thread, do not go off topic or betray the positions already taken. And finally, good conversations give space to all its participants, and they are nourished by each contribution.
This is why the artist fulfills a useful function in the life of his/her audience, serves a purpose to help them achieve a desired lifestyle. Fans want to live vicariously through the artists they follow. The public wants to be reflected in the artist; he/she comes to him for advice, to laugh or cry with you. The truth is that for this reason, the song is no longer the center of attention. Music is not a vacuum product; music is consumed as part of a greater experience. We hear it in memes, fan mixes, video games, ads, programming, campaigns and more.
That is why the central question is not whether the song will hit or not; but where is my audience when they hear my songs? What state of mind is they are in? And what state of mind do I want them to be in when they have finished listening to it?
The artist is now at the mercy of his/her audience, and owes all respect and deference to them. It is no longer he or she who has the key to fame with his music. Now the artist has to find his/her audience and convince them; and it will be the public who will decide the fate of the artist.
*Disclaimer: this blog post is not intended to be legal advice. We highly recommend speaking to an attorney if you have any legal concerns. Contacting us through our website does not establish an attorney-client relationship.*