The business side of music groomed artists to be idiots from the beginning by making the business complex enough to have to hire lawyers early and often, making it expensive, putting more layers between the artist and the truth whenever possible.
The big wigs prefer that artists are creative morons, because the biz people know how to take what they want. They have a plan, and know how to access all of the revenue streams.
Artists weren’t interested and the higher ups weren’t interested in telling them.
This is one of the big reasons the music business is still the wild wild west. There’s no freaking rules because you’ve got the core, the foundation, the pillars, (i.e. the ARTISTS making the MUSIC) in the dark about most everything else outside of their main task.
This is not good business. When the CEO (the artist) doesn’t have trust, transparency and a general knowledge (not micromanaging) of what’s going on with their team, things are going to fall apart.
The information is there. We can video chat with people on the other side of the planet…do you really think your label can’t give you a transparent, detailed breakdown of revenue? Or is it that they won’t?
If they won’t, they’re a bad team member and either need to be fired or re-aquainted with your expectations are and how success is defined in the relationship.
If they can’t, if they’re not capable, same conversation but a different tone.
Or maybe you don’t know how your label deal works because you’ve never bothered to ask or taken the time to learn. Your business starts with you. You make the songs. If the songs go away, the business goes away. Initiate. Lead.
Transparency has to start with the artists. Lead with it, give it, err on the side of it. And in return, expect it and demand it from your team.
This is what’s going to turn this crazy music business into something sustainable for artists and teams.
Artists have romanticized the idea of being the dumb and flakey (hey man, I just wanna play music man and eat some barbecue), where they don’t have to lead or know how to do anything else. And if you want that, you’re welcome to go after it. If you find it, you’ll hate it.
But if you’re willing to let go of all the rock doc fantasies you’ve seen and embrace how the future is going to work, transparency and leading very very well are going to have to be the main tools for YOU first, and then your team.
The wild west didn’t tame itself.
