If you can’t confidently tell me what genre your music is then you’re being too precious about your music.
Because if I ask you about any other artist (including all of your favorite artists), you can tell me their genre…but some how you’re the only one who can’t be defined?
Being willing to put yourself in a box is a great step forward.
If you want to build stuff in your garage it’s a good idea to build a work bench first. You’ll be like Kris Kringle in there. Making all sorts of gadgets and reaching for the upper echelon of diy life.
But when you build that work bench, put wheels on it.
While you’ve just built the thing and all you want to do is to be done and start building other things on top of it…go make one more trip to the hardware store, buy four locking casters and screw them into the legs.
Wheels make it flexible. Wheels let you adjust. The project in six months with the extra long 2x4 will thank you.
It’s one thing to be willing to adjust when the project calls for it…but the ability to adjust allows for it to actually happen.
Build your thing with sufficient adaptability.
If you know what you’re best at and put it into practice, then the rest of us will know what you’re best at without ever having to ask the question.
Young bands and artists don’t usually have the problem of mistaken identity but of no clear identity at all. It’s not clear because it’s too broad. The audience scratches their head and doesn’t really get what’s going on up there.
Make it easier for them. The question should never occur to them ‘what is this artist all about’ because you’ve beat them to the punch from the outset. You’ve answered the question before it even comes to mind.
First Monday of the month, new Hum Love playlist on Spotify and Apple
If you’re doing it right, you won’t hear from a lot (maybe most) of the people who love your stuff.
They’re quietly loving what you do. No commenting, no big display, no emails, maybe not even liking, following or subscribing. But they love it.
That’s still the way most people enjoy most things.
They key is to simply keep making things worth loving.
Boy bands and girl groups…they often get put together by managers and labels.
Why? Because starting something from scratch is a really good way to point the thing in a certain direction. And managers and labels know that pointing an act in one certain direction is of utmost importance.
On the other hand, when an act comes together organically it’s driven much more by emotion…so everyone wants to just keep the good vibes going rather than asking strategic questions.
Either way can work and has worked.
But for those groups who get put together by smart people, there are some questions that get answered from the outset that turn out to be incredibly helpful in speeding up the process…
Who are we making music for?
What are we going to wear?
What are we going to sing of?
How many people should be in the band?
Who owns the band, recordings, copyrights, etc?
What if someone quits?
Who is going to talk in interviews?
How do we want people to feel when they hear our music?
Which PR opportunities are the right ones?
Who are strong candidates to produce the album?
Do we want to build touring business?
Going shopping is fun.
Ordering online is convenient.
Somewhere along the way the pull of convenience got stronger than the pull of fun.
We order lots of stuff. Some of us order all of our stuff.
So if you’re trying to get someone to get off their couch to come check out your stuff in person, you not only have other competitors…but you’re competing with convenience itself.
Can your thing outweigh the convenience of other alternatives that might not be as good as yours but are more convenient?