If you consider what it takes to create even one single finished song, let alone, an EP or a full-length album; one might think that the song-writing process is the most difficult part of the entire music-business equation, and yet, almost every single musician’s struggles to simply get their music heard…but is this the truth, or is it simply the wrong perspective?
We live in a time where everything, and everyone, seems to be connected on some level, and in some unseen way. Between Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and a million more apps and services springing up daily, it feels as if all you need to do is post a simple-something to reach out to the masses; and yet somehow it feels as though all of us artists are hanging out at the only table with no one seated next to us, right? Or is it just me?
That’s the point isn’t it, it is me and it is you?
If everyone is struggling to be heard, then how is anyone even getting heard in the first place? If all independent musicians are struggling to sell even one album, then where is the future to be found in that financial dead-space? And In an ocean of Facebook likes and GOOGLE algorithms, where is there room for authentic music to find its way?
The answer to all these heavy questions can be found somewhere within the two words that rule the musical industry itself, and these two words are the key to all the doors that you, and everyone else, is looking to eventually open, and those two words are not appreciated nearly enough in my opinion; and those two words are THE GRIND.
What is The Grind? What does it mean? And why should any independent musician give these two words a second thought?
Because, simply put, there is no way that you will reach your goals of selling albums, touring across the country, hitting serious radio play, selling merchandise, or getting signed, without fully understanding the very depth of these two simple, but significant, words.
Everyone desires instant feedback for their efforts. They want gratitude for every single move they make with the publics opinion in mind, and often, they want what took other artists years to achieve, in a fraction of the time; and every single time these misguided and impatient musicians find themselves feeling slighted for their efforts. Because they forget to acknowledge and respect what it took for all those successful musicians to achieve, and instead only see the outcome of those massive silent efforts, these would-be celebrities, find themselves impatient to receive the gifts that all those great musicians worked so damn hard to receive.
It is the refusal to accept The Grind that forces great musicians into lengthy hiatus’s.
The Grind takes effort and the proper perspective, it is a dance with destiny that requires faith, hope, and above all, patience. It is the constant driving force of your own will to reach the world with your music, one person at a time (not one million at a time as many would like to believe). You think Justin Bieber doesn’t work incredibly hard? You think Lady Gaga just sleeps in and casually works every musical angle? You think that all these musicians don’t live for this life? Trust me, they bleed for it, every single day! Not one musician worth mentioning didn’t hang out in obscurity at some point, even Henry Rollins had a time of screaming to a room that didn’t care to hear what he had to say, and it is an insult to any successful musician, whether you like their music or not, if you as an independent musician do not respect their dedication to The Grind.
You see, there is no way to avoid the crushing effort needed to truly succeed, because the industry, if not the world itself, demands it. It is only in the effort of The Grind that greatness can be achieved, and the process is a long and difficult one to say the least, and expensive to say even more; but it is a process that can also be very rewarding for the artists who maintain the right perspective.
When it comes to perspective, it is common for anyone to see the top of their dreams, to envision themselves looking over the land of potential from atop the mountain, after making only a few steps towards the necessary climb, and then to simply wait for the reward of the climb they never truly took in the first place.
When you consider what The Grind really is, it is all the effort you need to put in to reach the level of anything that places you among the best in your chosen profession. A musician can be an artist, but a musician can also be an entrepreneur, and the truly successful musicians respect the business side of the music business.
Not all indie musicians respect the multitude of hours taken by any known musician to reach their mass audience. They don’t quite appreciate how all these greats laid it all on the line, financially, emotionally, physically, and authentically; to achieve their own space in the great musical sphere. Not every musician understands the importance of staying true to your individual branding, and how that branding will become the cornerstone of the empire to be built.
These musicians lack both the right perspective and they don’t respect The Grind nearly enough.
Here is the good news!
You can choose the right perspective, and you can embrace the necessity of The Grind right now!
You can stop looking around for all the likes, stop comparing your career to the career of your idols, and you can learn to appreciate that every single authentic effort you put in to get your music heard is working out just fine.
You might not see the hype-fires that you are creating, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t being started. Every action is not without validation, even if that validation takes a while to reach you, and if you can see your own efforts as something to be grateful for, then you will find your validation immediately.
I have no doubt that you have created music worth listening to, and I know that you are excited to share it, but I also know that you most likely see where you want to be, and not necessarily all the effort you need to to put in to get you there; chances are, you are not even thinking about The Grind below the surface of it.
If you want to gain real momentum, then make reaching out with your music a DAILY event. Do not fit your own music promotion efforts somewhere between someday and never. Do not look at your social media likes as the current standing of your global music empire (a lot of people just don’t want to hit like, especially considering how many apps and social media platforms have asked them to for over ten years now). Do not look at album sales as proof of your success, or lack thereof, in an age of free streaming, and when the digital download reigns supreme.
The industry paradox is that all your efforts will rarely go noticed by you, even when they are noticed by others; until the right amount of time has passed anyway.
It is a terrible juxtaposition felt throughout any artistic medium, but especially felt within the realm of music.
You need to know, right now and forever, that there is never a time when no one is listening to your music, only a time where you don’t know who is. If you have created your music from the heart, with nothing but an authentic approach to the song writing, then someone, somewhere, has that song on their playlist and is sharing your music with someone else…who will share with someone else, and on and one and on…one person at a time until your army grows large enough to be seen by the world.
With all this in mind I ask that you:
Find the right Perspective.
Develop Patience.
Strengthen your Branding.
And forever respect The Grind.
And never forget, there is always someone listening to your music.
Why pay for music promotion when you can learn to promote yourself?
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