5 Music Business Myths the Renegade
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Everybody and their friend wants their fifteen minutes of fame.

Shows such as Pop Idol or American Idol push the idea that the "Industry" is on the lookout for talent, which it is. Only the "Industry" wants to push you through the machine so it makes money, not you. It cares not for you as an artist, only how much you can generate.

You will get nowhere waiting to be discovered. This Myth is from an old age in the Music Industry when record labels cultivated talent, which has long passed. Don't let "music business" shows such as Pop Idol fool you with the glitz and glam.

As a Renegade Producer you will work to maximise exposure for your own music. You will take responsibility for your own success and you will start and maintain your own music business, not wait for any type of discovery.

2 The Record Deal Myth...

You know this one, the myth that says when you sign a record deal you're made. Music business psycho-bait for fools!

You most likely see through this myth already. A record deal may have been the only route to success in the past. This is no longer the case because of the Web changes the nature of the music business.

You needed the Record company for mainly financial investment, marketing, and distribution. Now you have the technology to produce good music at a much lower cost and you have the Internet for income, marketing and sales at costs you can afford easily on a shoestring.

As a Renegade you don't waste your time hunting the prison cell called a record deal.

You strive to set yourself up legally and financially in such a way that you maximize and enjoy the fruits of your work, while at the same time retaining rights to your masters and all derivative works, merchandise, licensing and other profitable activities of your music business.

You want to keep creative control over the music you produce and your public image and performances.

You know that with most record deals artists lose many of the above rights and control, or have to fight hard to keep them.

As a Renegade producer you work a bit harder and smarter to use the modern network nature of the Internet to replace Record Label functions.

3 The Superstar Celebrity Myth...

So called Fame (celebrity status) is an highly overrated leash used by the old "Industry" to entice bodies with a bit of talent to seek "stardom". Think Pop Idol Culture.

The old Industry uses this myth to ensure they have a steady supply of ambitious youngsters with stars in their eyes to feed through the music business money machine.

The result is music gets recorded and performed with the superficial motivations of money or fame. Think Pop Charts.

As a Renegade your motivation is your love of good music and to entertain and uplift of others with your music.

You know you are the provider of services, entertainment and escape. You do not allow your ego with illusions of fame to get in the way of your art or make you believe you are someone who deserves "diva treatment".

Your listeners will become your community or tribe only when you are accessible and keep communication up on a regular basis.

You will get the attention, exposure and respect you deserve because your music is good, not because some Greyface decided to pump millions into advertising and radio play to force you down the throat of "the masses" and up the charts.

You can creatively use the Internet to replace the old way of doing things, which means you don't have to play the old Superstar image game.

4 The Mega Money Myth...

You've probably heard the stories of big name artists who have been done in by unfair record deals.

Record Labels made an art of providing artists with a rich-and-glamorous image through marketing, publicity and styling.

You can make decent money with music, though you are going to have to forget the massive advances and focus instead on your own music business structure and activities.

You can create multiple income streams just from what you know and love when you go direct to your audience. There's nothing to stop you now.

The main thing you want to remember is that every time you outsource any task you lose money, which is fine because you're investing in your business.

It's not fine however when it comes to record deals where you lose not only money, you also lose control and ownership of your public image and creative control.

You want to keep the control and ownership under any circumstances as it is you who produced the work and no label should be allowed to profit indefinitely from your music and image.

Learn the 20% you need to know about the business and legal side of music, so you can structure and handle your music business activities well.

5 The Overnight Success Myth...

As a Renegade, you know overnight success is the dream of fools. Why else would you hear musicians say "you gotta earn your chops..." or "I paid my dues..."?

You have to hone many different skills just to make music, not to mention earn a living and have a life!

You do little by little each day (see Principle of Perpetual Improvement) to improve in the key areas you need to achieve the music and life you want.

You may even feel like Bob Dylan who said...

"A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to do."

You may have quite a learning curve ahead of you and hump to get over before you get to Bob's standard of success, though you can get there with a bit of brain and motivation.

Never quit Renegade!

Now, you've cleared your head from any potential wishful thoughts and you are ready to spot the 5 Foes which stand between you and success. You can read about the 5 Foes via the link below.

All the best, Marius van Dyk

Next: 5 Foes The Renegade Faces


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