Top 10 Excuses for NOT Succeeding in the Music Business
RelationshipOver the years, I have heard many excuses from aspiring artists as to why they are not successful in the music business. I compiled a list of the “Top 10 Excuses for NOT Succeeding in the Music Business.” The difference between winners and losers is that winners act and losers make excuses for not acting.
This is my list of excuses:
1. I am too young
2. I’m too old
3. I don’t have enough money
4. I don’t have enough contacts
5. I don’t know what to do
6. I just don’t look
7. Other people are holding me back
8. I don’t live in the right city
9. I have many other obligations (children, marriage, work, etc.)
10. I don’t have enough exposure
Let me attack these excuses one by one.
1. I am too young
There have been many young people who have made it in the music business. In fact, most people start when they are young. Currently, there are young people topping the music charts like Justin Bieber. Michael Jackson started when he was 5 years old. Destiny’s Child found success when they were teenagers and look at their members now. Who hasn’t heard of Beyoncé? If you’re young, you probably have a better chance of success than a 70-year-old. We’ll also dispel the “old age” excuse in #2.
2. I’m too old
I remember one of my friends telling me that if I didn’t make it in the music business by the age of 30, I would give it up completely. Well, the music business is very strange and instead of focusing on making great music and being a great artist, my friend focused on his age. Al Jarreau was in his late 30s when he hit it off. More recently, Susan Boyle has become an international success, not because of her age and her looks, but because she is talented.
3. I don’t have enough money
I’m sure glad I got over this excuse early. If you don’t have money, you need to find someone to invest in your music career or learn how to further your career without using too much money. There are all kinds of guerrilla marketing techniques that aspiring artists can use to further their careers. Go to the library and pick up a book on guerrilla marketing and you’ll see what I mean. Better yet, Google it!
4. I don’t have enough contacts
Once again, let’s tear down this excuse for good. We are in the informacion era. There are networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and many others online that will allow you to make all the contacts you need. In the offline world, you can attend music industry conventions to learn about the music business and build lasting relationships. I can’t even remember all the contacts I’ve created over the years, but I’ll never say I don’t have enough contacts.
5. I don’t know what to do
This is another tired excuse. There are plenty of books at the public library on everything from how to demo to how to book your own shows and make money. If you really don’t know what to do, find a mentor and move on. Even if you don’t know them personally, success leaves clues. Find out what they did and duplicate it.
6. I just don’t look
Of course, there are plenty of great entertainers in the entertainment industry, but if you think you don’t have “the look” then you should probably quit anyway. I’m serious. There have been some really blockbusters that weren’t “skins.” Also, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, which means that different people are attracted to different things. This is more of a self esteem issue and you should probably work on boosting your self esteem first if you plan on being in the music business. Sometimes people can be mean and if you have thin skin or are easily offended this business is NOT for you.
7. Other people are holding me back
Really? Unless you’re incarcerated or someone is holding you against your will, no one can really stop you from reaching your musical goals. You need to look at the “man in the mirror” and figure out what you need to do to put your plan into action.
You have a plan, don’t you?
There may be negative people in your life, but if that is the case, then if you are an adult, you can walk away from their negativity. Many artists hear the words, “I don’t think you can make it in the music industry.” If someone tells you that, you should get as far away as possible because you will start to doubt yourself and your talent.
8. I don’t live in the right city
Thirty years ago this might have been true, but once again the Internet shoots this excuse right in the heart. There was a time when you had to live in New York City, Los Angeles or Nashville to make it in the music business. The internet has leveled the playing field so that no matter where you live, you can make money and get discovered if that is your goal.
9. I have many other obligations (children, marriage, work, etc.)
In fact, I struggled with this one for a while. I put my musical dreams on hold to take care of my family and that was a very noble and responsible thing to do. However, I never stopped writing and moving forward with my goals. I learned how to make beats and I learned how to promote myself on the internet as I have told you so many times before in this article.
I didn’t make excuses for what I was doing. I just need to find a different way to achieve my goals and there is absolutely nothing wrong with this approach. Even if you have to spend 30 minutes a day doing something to make your musical dreams come true, that’s better than doing nothing.
10. I don’t have enough exposure
I can lump this excuse in with some of the others above, but here’s a different take on the show. Internet, Internet, Internet! All you need are a few basic pieces of equipment and you’re on your way to getting massive exposure. You must first take a guerrilla marketing course so that you can learn how to market yourself with little to no money.
I would also suggest getting a digital camera and/or a camera that records video. You can post pictures and videos on the internet for your fans to see. Do you need to do a live show? Ask someone to record you playing live and post it online on sites like YouTube. However, posting on a site is not enough. You need to learn how to drive traffic to your posts and that is why I recommend learning internet marketing.
People are making a killing on the internet and it doesn’t take millions of people or millions of sales for you to be successful.
I’m sure there are more excuses than I’ve listed here, but I think these are the ones I’ve heard the most. If you are using any of these excuses above, I suggest you take a good look at yourself and find out if this business is for you.
In closing, I would like to leave you a quote. I’m not sure who the author is, but when you start making excuses, always remember this:
Apologies are the tools of incompetence. Those who use them build monuments out of nothing that will amount to nothing. Therefore, there are no excuses.