A conversation some co-workers(Galindo and English I'm looking at you) of had a while back what was
how do you define success in music? Record sales? Concert ticket sales? Radio
Airplay? How many torrents of your
record have been downloaded? All of these things for certain.
Record sales are obvious. If you can get a record to go gold
or platinum then you have gotten people to part with their entertainment money
to get your music. Of course, how many
times have you listened to a kick-ass song on the radio, gone out and gotten
the disk only to find out that 2 out of 8 songs are great and the rest suck?
Too many. Of course this is where
services like iTunes makes that easier allowing you to buy a single track.
Record sales is only one part of it. I guess I should say continuing
record sales. Vanilla Ice, New Kids on the Block, and Mili Vanili all solds
gobs of records. Ganbusters style.
Everyone I in high school blasted “Ice, Ice Baby” yet are now loathe to
admit they ever owned it. Once the
preteen/tween girls grew up NKOTB faded into obscurity. And we all know the demise of Mili Vanili.
One can only hope they invested their money as wisely as Vanilla Ice.
Concert ticket sales are in the same boat as record sales.
If the demands to see you perform puts butts in seats then you are doing
well. Not to mention the memorabilia that
goes with the concert experience.
If you are selling out stadiums and travelling the world,
fantastic. But if you have fallen to playing state fares and cheap dives for
beer money then I guess you didn’t have staying power.
Radio airplay is a key as well. It helps get your music out
to the masses so that they will go and buy your records, buy your concert
tickets, and buy your T-shirts. If you
have good rotation you are in the minds and ears of your fans. You do run the
risk of being a one-hit-wonder if they only play one song and ignore the rest
of your catalog.
How often is your music downloaded, even illegally? If someone is going to run the risk of a
felony, confiscation of your computer, or impossible to pay fines to pay then you
have to make sure that what you are downloading is worth it. Do you really want
it to get out that you have to pay a multiple thousand dollar fine for
downloading Liza Minnelli or Babs?
Who is covering your music?
New bands born a generation or more after the Beatles, Lez Zepplin, or
Queen are covering classic songs. Some
do a dead on cover, others put their spin on it. Some of them are really good,
some of them need to be taken out behind the woodshed and beaten severely.
Are you in Rock Band?
Yes it is a video game. Yes it doesn’t really have much to do with
playing real music. But it has helped introduce younger listeners to Black
Sabbath, the Beatles, and Aerosmith. When my stepson told me turn up War Pigs
because he had heard it on Rock Band then I knew Ozzy would live on forever.
For me, a band is successful if I pull out their CD and
listen to it years later. In its entirety, not just one or two tracks, but he
full record. Sure a band might make tons
of money but if no one listens to your music anymore and no longer buys your music
are you still successful? This also goes back to radio airplay. Yeah you might
get played a lot but if it is only one or two songs that are all you will be
remembered for. Sure a band might make tons of money but if no one listens to
your music anymore and no longer buys your music are you still successful?
Are you embarrassed to have that disk in your
collection? Will you risk the ridicule
and mockery if someone goes through your playlist or CD collection? Did you
erase the track or destroy the disk to avoid anyone discovering your dark
secret? This might not mean much for true success but who wants to be known for
being an embarrassment?
I am very discerning
with my entertainment dollars so I have to be sure of what I am buying. Some music I will buy without listening to
first just on the brand name. I may
download a track after hearing a song on the radio but I am very careful before
I commit to a new CD.
Success, ultimately, is based upon who you are asking and
what metrics you use. What are your
thoughts?
