So I was watching the National Arts Merit Awards and paid
particular attention to what each artist revealed as they received
their accolade. Not one artist said they made it all by themselves,
they all acknowledged a team behind the success. It immediately
hit me, you cannot make it out here alone.
Everyone has their own opinion about awards shows. Are they
fair? Do awards shows have anything to offer the industry or are
they divisive tools used to create a dirty rivalry amongst
musicians? First of all fairness is objective, there can be no
universal fairness if all meaningful decisions lie in the hands of a
few. And as far as rivalry is concerned, trust some artists despise
each other with little or no help at all from awards ceremonies.
That said one thing is clear, fair or unfair everybody loves a
winner. Every artist aches to one day step on that stage not to
perform but to receive an acknowledgement. To be told that you
have done better than everyone else. So how do you start
winning or more importantly how do you keep winning?
Winning is relative. I believe we win all the time but sometimes
we do not keep track of our winning moments. For example if an
artist gets a positive comment about his music it's a win, a big
win in fact because when one releases a project into the wild it
can solicit a negative response, harsh criticism or even worse,
absolutely no response. If you get feedback that encourages you
to keep going forward, that's a win! Of course the big wins are
also chart topping records, awards nominations, radio interviews
and corporate endorsements. My point is that every win matters,
so how do you keep winning?
You keep winning by making sure you continue to be humble
and conduct yourself in a professional manner. No one, no
matter how talented, can stay on top if they reveal a lack of
professionalism or conduct themselves in a pompous or self-
serving manner.
There are many examples of celebrities throughout history who
have shot their successful careers in the foot because of sheer
indiscipline and a total disregard of consequences of engaging
in anti-social behaviour. Talented people can quickly find
themselves side-lined when their behaviour is deemed to be
unprofessional.
The fate of Hollywood superstar Kevin Spacey was sealed after
he found himself facing sexual abuse allegations years after the
alleged incident. R Kelly is facing numerous charges linked to his
inappropriate sexual relations with minors. These charges have
seen the former global musical icon muted by numerous radio
stations and other media platforms. These are just a few
examples where that behaviour of an artist can adversely affect
the trajectory of his or her career. Everything you do and say as
an artist matters if you want to keep winning.
Winning an airplay slot is every artist's dream. It does not matter
how famous and successful you become, radio airplay still plays
a significant role in pushing your brand and determining what
music is trending. Ignoring or underestimating the importance of
radio is the peril of many artists.
The mistake lies in not knowing what to do next if you find out
that your song has been played on radio. If you get played on
radio, first thing you must do is verify all the information, which
radio station played you, what song was played, what time were
you played, which deejay played you? With this information you
now know who should be, if they are not already, part of your
distribution list. A big mistake artists make is in underrating the
importance of acknowledging anyone who supports or helps to push your music. If a radio station plays your music post a thank
you on their Facebook page, follow them on Twitter. LIE if you
have to, post that you always listen to the deejay who played
you. Engage in a professional way, do not inbox the deejay.
In Psychology there is a term called impression management.
Impression management is any behaviour by a person for the
purpose of controlling or manipulating the attributions and
impressions formed of that person by others. Everyone does this
as they go through life. People act in a way that forms certain
impressions of how they want to be viewed. In simple terms an
artist should ask themselves; what am I doing to make fans,
promoters, media etc. see and think of me as a talented and
reliable artist. What impression am I making?
Artist Get Ready!
A lot of artists just are not ready when the opportunity presents
itself. When a chance to present their music or current project
occurs they either trivialise the encounter or quickly attempt to
downgrade a potential formal engagement into something petty.
Point in question, if an artist receives a message from a deejay
from Radio Station X expressing interest in their music, this is
clearly a formal conversation. Responding hours later with a non-
descript "madii", "sei chimdhara" does not set the proper tone.
Be professional and use the appropriate register when you
communicate. This matters when trying to establish meaningful
professional relationships. Trust me, it's the little things that add
up and make a difference in the end. It's over-familiar to reply a
professional conversation with an "okay dear." Be ready artist!
Have an EPK ready so that whenever a professional enquiry
comes your way you can respond in a way that sets the tone for
future engagements.