There is a saying in the entertainment industry that it’s not how good you are, it’s who you know. While it certainly helps to have contacts with some clout in the industry, there are many bands making it to the tops of the music charts without having an Uncle Bill the entertainment attorney, who works with so-and-so from Capital Records, who is dating the Artists and Repertoire (A&R) person, etc., etc.
The bands trying to make it today have it easier in some respects, and much more difficult in others. It practically goes without saying that the Internet has increased a band’s resources a thousand fold in this regard. Bands today are not stopped at the borders of their own towns, but can reach across the globe with one click of the mouse. Social networking sites spread the hype in a matter of seconds, getting the music out there and increasing the chances that it will be heard by the right person.
This process can be approached in a methodical, business-minded manner that increases the odds for a band to make it in an industry that has always been finicky and difficult. Be cautioned, however -- not every person who shares this dream is going to end up being a rock star.
Then again, not every talented scientist wins a Nobel Prize, but millions of them earn a comfortable living by doing what they do best. So, a talented musician (or group of them) may not ever have a song in rotation in the top ten, but may be able to put food on the table by smartly applying their art. This, the first in a series of articles that discuss each step in the process, focuses on the music itself.
Writing Music That Sells
While it may seem silly to say, a band must be talented in order to achieve any level of success in the industry. There are only so many Biz Markies in the world who can generate hype based on a total lack of talent. On the other hand, the world is seeing fewer bands of a type that have what it takes to span generations, such as The Rolling Stones and Aerosmith. (Of course, the 70’s produced an exceptionally hard-core fan who finds it difficult, even now, to let go of the time and the musical style.)
Talent alone is not enough; however, the music must interest a wide range of people. Songs must be written in such as way so as to be structured for mass appeal. If there is no audience for it, then no one will listen, and no one will buy. This fact necessitates the creation of music that may not be the musician’s first choice. Musicians, therefore, must have the ability to turn what comes from their souls into music that turns into profits.
Mainstream Mentality
Even if a band has enough integrity to keep from writing songs that sound like Nickelback, there is something to be said about listening to popular mainstream music in order to understand what is selling. Mainstream listeners do not generally possess the same musical ear as artists, and will not always appreciate the ten-minute sitar solo that the band thought was incredible. (That being said, however, it does seem to work for Primus.)
The bottom line is that artists must know the genre in which they wish to sell. They must be able to recognize the most popular song structure and length of songs that are getting air play. A band must be able to arrange its work into pieces that are digestible by those who don’t subsist on an exclusive diet of beats and chords. Once an arrangement is complete, and sounds good to the band, play it for someone who doesn’t write.
Watch the listener carefully – are they moving with the intended beat, or do they seem to struggle to find it? Can they pick up easily on the hook and the chorus or is it something they won’t remember tomorrow? If the song does not grab the people who will lay money on the counter for it, there will be little chance of it becoming profitable.
Once developed, the skill to create music that sells can only become more finely honed with time. Study up, courtesy of one of the premiere music colleges in the country, Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, with a Songwriting Workshop: How to Write Hit Songs.
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