Prior to writing this article, I was already aware that I am likely to lose a few subscribers because of it. Because, most people's ego will not allow them to withstand the truth. Yet, I feel compelled to voice the statements contained herein.
After a fulltime career as a musician and recording artist, I have served the past eighteen years as an international radio/video promoter and media publicist, working with a myriad of musician clients.
For the past eight years, I have published the "B# Newsletter" that contains a number of articles to help musicians, which have also been published by other online and print publications worldwide.
Yet, I am aware that more than a deserved share of the content of my articles has fallen on blind eyes, and in several areas below that I wish to address.
More than a few musicians struggle daily in wondering if they will ever attain success in popularity as well as financially. And, the older musicians become without the same degree of corresponding success, the more fear tends to set in that they may not reach their ideal level of desired success.
As musicians age, and success is not forthcoming, a certain acceptance sets in, although only in part. Because, contained in the other part is a slight disappointment, even bitterness at not having achieved the desired goal. Almost invariably, artists can directly point to several poor choices that they may have made which they failed to correct in a timely manner.
A lot has changed in the past eighteen years that I have served as a promoter and publicist, yet, and in contrast, a lot has not. As a veteran marketer, not only in the Music industry, but other industries as well, some areas come with unchangeable common denominators.
Cover Photographs
You have probably heard the old worn-out axiom that says, "A picture is worth a thousand words." This is a fact. In several articles through the years, I have addressed the issue of today's artists doing what I refer to as "photo sessions." By this phrase, I am referring to their lack of creativity in putting their CD cover into matching action with their CD title.
I'm not sure why this has changed from the time that I was growing up in the 1970s when, practically, most recording artists, regardless of their genre, would create exciting and visually arresting album covers.
For people born after 1990, album covers were the grandfather of CD covers...without the glass case. And, in dance nightclubs, if you look closely, you may find deejays still using them.
Perhaps, the will to become artistically creative in this area was lost in the reduction in size from the album to the CD. I will say, however, that this should not be so, because the CD cover is still ample enough in size to create an attractive action scene...some "story" within a photograph that matches and synchs with your CD title.
Unfortunately, and again, most artists today appear as mere props for the photography, almost in apologetic form for making the appearance. An example is a band's members who are simply sitting on a park bench looking at the camera, with a CD title that is as far from the cover as the earth is from the sun.
And, since most acts, solo or groups, have similar "inactive" covers today, I believe this contributes to why music fans and music buyers are not as excited about music as in the past, because the cover doesn't get them excited enough and whet their appetite to want to learn more about the artist if they have never heard the artist's music.
As an example of creativity, I invite you to review album covers from the 1970 era for creative ideas. One example was the R&B group, The Ohio Players, that released an album titled, "Fire." The album depicted a partially naked woman wearing a fire hat and a hose, with simmering smoke underneath.
As such, how many males, ranging from teenage boys to old men dreaming of Viagra before its time do you imagine still own this album cover? Actually, this is rather tame by today's standards, but it was a 5-alarmer back then.
This same group released another album titled, "Honey," that depicted a young
lady eating a spoon of honey from a sticky jar. Needless to say, we cared not that the honey was actually good for our health. I won't show this cover, but either use your wildest imagination or consult Google's "image" feature if you must see.
In another example, the R&B group, Brass Construction's debut album backdrop was a construction crane.
And, for some really visually arresting cover art, check out any Earth, Wind & Fire 
album from the group's 1969 debut through its releases into the 1980s.
In short, I can remember how these 1970-era album covers were major topics of discussion when they were released. Ultimately, the album covers were considered works of art, and were opened and displayed on home walls. In many instances, the album covers' rear side expressed the album's front cover in continuity.
Nightclubs
The mere idea today of nightclubs is enough to make some musicians vomit. Live music today has, in many instances, become the bane of the independent musician's existence.
Pointedly, it began back in the late 1980s out in Los Angeles with the insulting "pay to play" situation that has now swept the United States. Next, came further insult in that many nightclub owners have now taken this a step further in now requiring musicians who want to play their venues either sell tickets to their shows or bring their own guests! What?
Add to that, clubs have dramatically, and almost eliminated their show promotion budgets, which makes it a win-lose for the nightclub/musician, respectively. I can only imagine that the only reason performing musicians are still putting up with this fiasco and not, at least, boycotting nightclubs, is that they fear being banished from the clubs in their area. If they would, pardon the pun, band together, and for only one week against clubs that make their living on "live" music, they could put an end to this mess. By not doing so, they, otherwise, for lack of a more appropriate phrase, remain "slaves" to the nightclubs.
MySpace
As some of you are aware, I lost my own MySpace site a couple of months back.
Although MySpace never responded as to why, I strongly suspect it was because I had become an affiliate for a product that automated the adding of friends. I still don't understand the issue, since the software only sped up the process, and did not capture any private information.
In any event, that is "water under the bridge," so to speak. Yet, as I am in an informative state, I wish to say that, since it is often difficult to ascertain what is a violation of MySpace's terms, particularly, issues not covered in its formal terms, musicians are potential victims in not having their own websites or maintaining their personal sites, at least, as "backups." As a point, let's say you attained 40,000 friends or fans on your MySpace site, then violated a MySpace prime directive, of which as a result, MySpace then killed your account. Let's also say that you did not have your own personal website.
How would you feel in losing those 40,000 friends/fans that may have taken you, at least, a couple of years (or longer) to acquire? How would you ever get them back? If you were to then build your own website, how would you let those same 40,000 friends/fans now know that you have your own website? The answers are that you would not and could not, and most (if not all) of them would be gone forever.
On the other hand, if you had or maintained your own website while you had your MySpace site, and MySpace decided to close your doors, with your having obviously maintained a link to your personal site on your MySpace site, of which your friends/fans would be aware, naturally, on discovering your MySpace site was no longer operational, they would visit your personal site, and you would not "miss a beat," so to speak.
Fortunately, in the services that I provide, and with having extensive time in the Music industry, I was not solely reliant on the MySpace website for my clients and losing the MySpace page did not affect me.
In short, if you are a musician who is solely using MySpace as your only site, and you are serious about your music career and its ability to provide you with ongoing recognition and income, you are taking a serious risk with not having your own website simultaneously. This is akin to rock climbing...only without the benefit of a safety harness.
Although I must admit that I have started to see more artists get their own websites again (I suspect it is due to their lack of trust, in part, and some complaints by musicians of MySpace of this very thing), it is simply amazing to me that many artists do not seem to be thinking this situation through and are allowing themselves to be placed in a potentially major predicament.
Now, I've said all of that, to say this...
Many musicians, overall, have lost faith and direction, not only in the Music industry itself, but also in their pursuit of a professional music career within a system that promised rewards through its technological advancement and accessibility, yet which has, in many cases, become even more difficult to navigate through its newfound and diversified technology.
And, a good deal of it, ironically, has to do with there now being far too many ways to go, yet, not enough time nor personal finance to travel them all. Also, one bad trip can still spell both disaster and demise, financially, for an independent musician.
If you are now at this point of frustration, and would like an alternative via a serious detailed plan and guideline that I can customize for your own music career that puts you back in control and in your own music career's "driver's seat," based on my extensive long-term experience in the Music industry, I am offering to create a manageable and reasonable business plan and operational guideline for you for only $25.
If interested, please feel free to contact me directly via telephone at (936)545-0381 or via email at kenlove@valornet.com
Editor's Note: Kenny Love is an 18-year veteran radio/video promoter and media publicist. Contact him via telephone at (936)545-0381 or via email at kenlove@valornet.com
