COMPETE WITH YOURSELF AND NO ONE ELSE—CHAD CARRINGTON
"Lastly, before you get into any situations, with managers, labels, whoever, know yourself and what you want to represent and stay true to that. Lacking identity or any idea of what you want to represent is only going to lead to frustration if it’s not connecting. You as the artist should be heading the ship creatively and letting your team know your vision and what you want to share with the world. The most successful artists are the ones that are out shaking hands and kissing babies, not so much the ones that just want to sit in a bubble and make music and have their team figure out the rest.
"Lastly, before you get into any situations, with managers, labels, whoever, know yourself and what you want to represent and stay true to that. Lacking identity or any idea of what you want to represent is only going to lead to frustration if it’s not connecting. You as the artist should be heading the ship creatively and letting your team know your vision and what you want to share with the world. The most successful artists are the ones that are out shaking hands and kissing babies, not so much the ones that just want to sit in a bubble and make music and have their team figure out the rest.
"Lastly lastly, follow your heart with reckless abandon and have fun."—Chad Carrington, Marketing Director, Capitol Records
Plan your releases carefully.
Far too often artists make the mistake of impulsively releasing music. It's simple psychology—humans love attention, and when we release things onto the internet, we receive that attention, fueling a temptation to hold the spotlight on us by releasing more and more.
But there's a huge allure to artists who hold on to their art and treat each release with the care and respect it deserves. Creating an element of mystique and suspense is more enticing than over-saturation. Plus, spending more time with your own material gives you longer to tweak and perfect it—even Young Thug was encouraged to slowed down his release schedule and spend longer on his songs by Lyor Cohen.
Plan your releases carefully.
Far too often artists make the mistake of impulsively releasing music. It's simple psychology—humans love attention, and when we release things onto the internet, we receive that attention, fueling a temptation to hold the spotlight on us by releasing more and more.
But there's a huge allure to artists who hold on to their art and treat each release with the care and respect it deserves. Creating an element of mystique and suspense is more enticing than over-saturation. Plus, spending more time with your own material gives you longer to tweak and perfect it—even Young Thug was encouraged to slowed down his release schedule and spend longer on his songs by Lyor Cohen.
Whatever outlets you decide to use and however often you choose to release your music, make a clear plan and stick to it.
Don’t unofficially remix a famous song with new vocals.
There are times when this works, but usually it’s a bad look. Sorry, you're not Lil Wayne in '08, and remixing every hot song is definitely not a formula for long-term success.
Covering a song for YouTube or showing off your skills on production with a remix is one thing, but rapping or singing over someone else’s beat is not a good look. It gives listeners no real idea of what you’re about as an artist, and it’s a cheap trick to capitalize off something that someone else made.
Start with an original. There are so many talented producers willing to collaborate for little or no cost these days, and if you’ve got skills, linking with a producer shouldn’t be an issue. Down the road, unofficial remixes can be fun and interesting, but please, don’t make a “Panda” freestyle your big debut.
Don’t unofficially remix a famous song with new vocals.
There are times when this works, but usually it’s a bad look. Sorry, you're not Lil Wayne in '08, and remixing every hot song is definitely not a formula for long-term success.
Covering a song for YouTube or showing off your skills on production with a remix is one thing, but rapping or singing over someone else’s beat is not a good look. It gives listeners no real idea of what you’re about as an artist, and it’s a cheap trick to capitalize off something that someone else made.
Start with an original. There are so many talented producers willing to collaborate for little or no cost these days, and if you’ve got skills, linking with a producer shouldn’t be an issue. Down the road, unofficial remixes can be fun and interesting, but please, don’t make a “Panda” freestyle your big debut.
Embrace the chaos.
"At the age of 24, in less than a year, I went from being an A&R at a major label, to being a jobless wanderer crashing on a good friend's floor in Los Angeles searching for a hook back into an industry I hated with every fiber of my logical being and loved with a soul snatched early in life by the intangible power of music. I eventually got a job with a hugely successful music producer, left that job to manage producers, and have now found myself in a happy place far from what I ever could have predicted as a teenager who wanted to be Rick Rubin or DJ Premier more than anything.
"I didn't get to decide the path—I saw the lightning and rode it for what it was. During my floor-crashing, couch-surfing months in L.A., I often repeated a mantra to myself: make peace with chaos. Embrace it. Understand that the business is volatile and, as a result, the people in the business can be highly volatile, making your days—guess where this is going—potentially volatile.
"At the age of 24, in less than a year, I went from being an A&R at a major label, to being a jobless wanderer crashing on a good friend's floor in Los Angeles searching for a hook back into an industry I hated with every fiber of my logical being and loved with a soul snatched early in life by the intangible power of music. I eventually got a job with a hugely successful music producer, left that job to manage producers, and have now found myself in a happy place far from what I ever could have predicted as a teenager who wanted to be Rick Rubin or DJ Premier more than anything.
"I didn't get to decide the path—I saw the lightning and rode it for what it was. During my floor-crashing, couch-surfing months in L.A., I often repeated a mantra to myself: make peace with chaos. Embrace it. Understand that the business is volatile and, as a result, the people in the business can be highly volatile, making your days—guess where this is going—potentially volatile.
"Technology is rapidly changing. Companies can be wiped out or juggled around without warning. Trends appear and disappear almost as fast as they came. Breakout artists rise and reshape the sonic landscape, sending copycats scurrying to pick up pennies in their wake. You have to be aware of it all, hug tight the madness, and build your bridge through a blend of reactionary wit and a will for active creation that shuts out the mania from time to time.
"Ultimately, you have to try and enjoy the sport of the business as much as you enjoy the music itself. Or, have such a deep, unwavering love for music that it trumps every ounce of doubt and despair you have about a hugely difficult, often ruthless industry.”—Jon Tanners, Manager/Music Publisher, All The Noise
"Ultimately, you have to try and enjoy the sport of the business as much as you enjoy the music itself. Or, have such a deep, unwavering love for music that it trumps every ounce of doubt and despair you have about a hugely difficult, often ruthless industry.”—Jon Tanners, Manager/Music Publisher, All The Noise
Good luck out there.
(COPY FROM)
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