There are many falsities floating around about how the music industry works that are completely ridiculous, yet widely believed. I must admit: as creatives, we can have the grandest plans for our art and careers that don’t always reflect the tangible. However, we must come back down to reality if we want to be successful.
So, in addition to the first post we did about Music Industry Myths and inspired by this post, here are six additional music industry myths that need to go away.
MYTH #1: Good music will find its own audience.
You have to actively put your music out there. No one is going to come looking for you.
There is a very small percentage of music listeners that actively seek out music; the rest of the general population is lazy. Most people discover music through the radio, blogs or word-of-mouth suggestions, and even then, they may not pay attention until about the 6th or 7th time they hear it.
MYTH #2: Your music video will go viral on YouTube.
Most “viral” videos come from people who organically built their following. While there is a small percentage of videos that take off overnight, the reality is 65% of videos online won’t even crack 50 views.
MYTH #3: If you shop your demo to the labels, you might get a record deal.
That was the norm 20 years ago. Nowadays, artist development is nonexistent and labels are looking for polished artists that already have a following. Besides, your “demo” should already sound like a product that could be sold on iTunes today.
MYTH #4: Once you get a record deal, you’ve made it.
This is the biggest myth on this entire list. Read this and weep.
MYTH #5: Artists like Taylor Swift and Trent Reznor made it because they were rich.
Throwing money behind a music project doesn’t guarantee success. Primary example: Paris Hilton.
MYTH #6: Writing a hit song happens magically.
While it is true that some songs have been written in 10-15 minutes, most take time. It could take hours or days of toiling over each lyric. It could even take years of trial and error, putting it away and revisiting before the song is right.
Sorry.
