6 Reasons Why Most Indie Artists Fail And Few Prosper
There are 6 key reasons why most indie artists fail. Independent music is music produced independently from major commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, a process that may include an autonomous, do-it-yourself approach to recording and publishing. The term indie is sometimes also used to describe a genre (such as indie rock and indie pop); as a genre term, “indie” may include music that is not independently produced, and most independent music artists do not fall into a single, defined musical style or genre and usually create music that can be categorized into other genres:
1. WORK ETHIC:
Many artists with a dream, talent and creativity still manage to fail due to poor work ethic. If you don’t consistently make songs, you won’t consistently get fans. If you limit your ways of promotion to Youtube only or Twitter only, you are missing out on success by not taking a chance and trying other ways to promote your music. Your work ethic in this business WILL make or break you.
2. LACK OF KNOWLEDGE:
If you don’t know the rules of the game, chances are, you’ll lose. Many indie artists don’t even take the time out to research how the music business operates. Those who are always hungry for knowledge to expand in their field are the ones who usually excel the most. Take some time out to Google a few things about your genre, your instrument, and how the people doing what you aspire to do operate on a regular basis.
3. INEFFECTIVE EFFORTS:
This can also tie into work ethic. Not only should you work hard, but you should work smart. Funneling money into bad marketing efforts, spamming people with your music who aren’t even in your ideal target audience, and performing to the same crowd of people or at the same venue over and over in hopes of expansion are just a few examples of ineffective efforts.
4. BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS:
Networking is sometimes the push that indie artists need to make it over the ‘no results’ hump. You would be surprised by how quickly your career will start moving by regularly connecting with those at your level in your music market, and making efforts to connect to those who are even a few steps ahead that can help you with your exposure.
5. TEAM:
A lot of artists tend to make the mistake of trying to boost their career all alone. Sure, you may be a hustler who can make major things happen when you put your mind to it. But, there is strength in numbers! Growing a team of people who are dedicated to promoting and helping your brand is also a great way to excel fast in this industry. Not to mention, new listeners tend to want to hear the opinion of someone else about your music, not your own opinion of your music. Having a team to vouch for you is a great way to draw in even more potential fans.
6. TALENT:
Let’s face it, if you don’t have any talent at all, it’s very unlikely that you will make it far. This is a consumer-based market that relies on an artist’s likeability. If no one likes you or your sound, no one will give you money. Now I know you are probably thinking, “What about the talentless crap I hear on the radio all the time?”. Firstly, in a scenario where the artist is garbage but still on the radio, they still have a talented team (writers, producers, engineers). Also, people fail to realize that established artists that you might think sound like garbage still have great work ethics. How do you think they got where they are? A great work ethic is a very under-rated talent!
PS. There’s a general problem of Payola and Industry Gatekeepers.
