The Do It Yourself Artist – Part II

For the Do It Yourself artist, what is one of the most important determinations of their success? Well, like all entrepreneurial endeavors, success largely depends on keeping expenses low. Very low. As in, each band member lives very frugally.

And herein lies the trouble. The superstar artist of the past lived extravagantly off money from the record label (that the artist had to pay back through tours and record sales). The artist of today is fronting the bills himself (or together as a band).

So, are the record labels still necessary to reach superstardom? According to Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, the answer is yes:

“To reach that kind of critical mass these days you need old-school marketing muscle and that only comes from major labels. Good luck with that one.”

And IODA chief Kevin Arnold had this to say on the topic:

“But I don’t know if anybody could say that there’s any mainstream artist that does have a lasting credible brand that has done it on their own.”

I have the feeling that this will continue to change so that in the very near future, Do It Yourself artists will be able to reach higher levels than they have in the past due to the increasing ease of distribution through internet channels. However, as noted in the last blog, the competition will continue to increase. Setting your band apart and living extremely frugally will likely be the keys to success in this new age.

Stay tuned,
Erik
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