Artistry

I was reading an article yesterday on the latest corporate version of the record deal called the 360 deal. This deal has very little to do with making music or really promoting records. In this deal the company gets a piece of everything the artist does from live shows to merchandising. The most glaring thing to me is that none of these deals are really focused on perpetuating great artistry. People making records today seem to be more concerned with marketing and branding than they are with being a great artist. This is the very reason record sales are at an all time low. The industry would have us believe that the Internet and downloads are to blame but that's not true. The Internet has only equipped people with the freedom to sample and choose what they think is quality. The artistic bar in this industry has been dropped so low that I don't think artists really give much thought to really expressing their souls anymore. It's now all about money. Don't be fooled. Quality is always noticed and rewarded. As artists, we can't be influenced by this non artistic approach to making music. When we sit to right music, we must make the music we hear from within ourselves. We can't listen to the radio and try to make what we think is going to be a so called hit. Hits are manufactured, great songs a written by great artists expressing a life experience. Don't ever forget that there is a difference. Just because a company spends a lot of money to promote a record and you hear all day everyday, doesn't make it a great song. It just means that the money was spent to make it a hit. There is no real musical artistry in so called HIT making. It is vital that we keep our eyes on the REAL prize and that prize is not money but pure artistry. When we are true to the craft, the money and all the other trappings will come just on our on terms not because of some marketing gimmick. So don't be afraid to make the music you hear. If it doesn't sound like the music on the radio, GREAT, it is our duty as artists to push the creative envelop and challenge the musical intellect of the public. You would be surprised how many people will like what you do but you've got to create it first. Enjoy the journey.

The Truth

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