Scorpeze explains it all…

In my travels, I have met many a creative person. Some very talented, so marginally so. As we discussed in the last blog, talent is only a small piece of the pie when it comes to getting over in entertainment. This is nothing new, it has always been that way.

Have you ever wondered why some people get over with little or no talent?

It’s simple. They put in work.

I’ve known so many REALLY talented mofos that havent done much with their careers.

Why?

Because they still believe in the Cinderella theory…and it goes a lil’ somn like diiiiis:

“Somebody is gonna hear me sing/rap/play, and they’ll sign me up, put my record out and once people hear it, I’ll be a star!!!!….”

*facepalm*

Lemme let you in on somn….it has NEVER worked that way…you cant even blame it on the collapse of the industry as the reason why this doesn’t work.

You ever hear the story of the tortoise and the hare? It seems the more talented folks are, the more they are like the hare.

These type of people like to perform, but they don’t like doing legwork. They wont do any research, they wont make any phone calls, etc…Sure, they record and they will have GOOGOBS of material stockpiled (which you can hear ALL of whenever you like–just say the word). But they’re just waiting on their Berry Gordy/Tommy Mottola/Clive Davis to come along and find out they exist. Someday their prince will come. Yeah, right.

I will say this, though. The industry has been selling this dream for awhile. When they decide to push certain artists, they may think its best give them a Cinderella story for public consumption.

“Lexie Dawson used to write songs in her dorm room between classes and perform them at little coffee houses around campus. Her performances became popular enough to gain the attention of Sony Records. By the end of the week, she was singing for then president Tommy Mottola. “It has all happened so fast!”, says Lexie….”

The above passage is fictional but typical of the kind of whimsical crap the labels sometimes sell the press and the public. A happenstance signing does happen every once in a while. LL Cool J is a good example. Ad-Rock of the Beastie Boys was rifling through a box of submitted tapes in Rick Rubin’s dorm room. He came across one tape and told Rick that he had to hear this right away. However, it is a rare occurrence and the labels make shit like this up to project a certain image of both the artist and the label for the benefit of both. Also, the public just likes a good story.

There’s a saying that goes “it takes years to become an overnight sensation.” That’s one of the truest things I’ve ever heard. Usually those Cinderella stories you hear have a history of hard work and grinding behind them.

Alicia Keys had already been signed and dropped by a label before being signed to J Records.

Beyonce and her lackeys had been bussin up the shifrow for many years before scoring as Destiny’s Child.

Even The G.O.A.T., MJ, had been doing his thing since the age of 5 before being signed by Motown at the age of 11. You know the story. Wake up. Go to school. Come home. Rehearse. Go do a few shows at a nightclub. Get a few hours of sleep. Repeat.

When you ask these talented and undiscovered people why they dont have anything out yet, you will hear:

a) about the litany of things they have going on, including a couple name drops
b) a bitchfest about theyve been hated on/had bad luck (btw, they could very well be telling the truth)

and the ones you will hear the least:
c) an explanation about how music is fun but not the be all to end all

d) an admission that theyre not ready yet

usually, the folks who fit into a and b still have stars in their eyes…but are no closer to having a career then Joe Schmoe is.

Some people do have legit connects and hook-ups, but the work does not stop there….its just getting started. This is why most protegees/weed carriers fall off. Their Svengali/Crew leader/weed owner will give them the advice/cash/legitimacy to succeed, but the protegee will just sit back and wait to be called up to the Golden Mic.

A Svengali/crew leader/weed owner will want to see you take charge of your own career and put the work in to be successful. They want you to take advantage of the huge leg up you’ve been given. They want to know that they dont have to hold your hand your whole career and have the work ethic to succeed on your own.

Some Svengali (pronouced ‘zven-GAH-lee’) will pamper certain protegees and just hand them the record deal. The protegee will STILL fall off because they expect the record to sell itself based on association. Doesnt work that way.

You will see alot of ex-protegees be REALLY fucking mad at the ex-Svengali for not handing them the world on a platter. But they shouldnt be. 9 times out of 10, the Svengali had to work really hard and build their empire from the ground up. That grind gave them experience and wisdom about the industry. They would like to see their protegees build their situations as well. But that RARELY happens. The protegees usually just sit around with their lip and hand out.

As we also talked about in the last blog, the barrier for entry into the industry is all but gone. If you are smart, you will take advantage of this.

So I say to all my people who I know are talented–PUT YOUR RECORD OUT.

1 of them has listened to me, so far. You are not about to get “discovered” anytime soon. That’s just the truth. So put yourself in a better position than you were in yesterday.

You may not make a dime off of your record, but if it is good–someone WILL notice. This raises your profile. Don’t be afraid to give your music away. You may not want to give away physical copies because they cost you to produce, but you can give away links alllllll day. You never know who might be listening. Because of services like tunecore, bandcamp, etc. your album can be available ANYWHERE.Yes, it will cost you some money to do this. But it wont cost you an enormous grip. You could save yrself some money by doing an EP instead of an album (4-6 songs, please). No fucking mixtapes or a bunch of non-related singles. Give people a focused presentation that shows off some of the different facets of your artistry. Hold off on the Jordans. Slow down on going to the club. Get familiar with that Dollar menu.

Get a damn website. RIGHT NOW:
Trent Reznor already said this. I’ll say it again. Your myspace/soundclick/bandcamp/twitter/reverbnation/iLike/blog page will not substitute for a real website. You still need to have the aforementioned things just to have your cyber real estate covered, but a website is ALL yours. Unlike the social networking sites, you dont have to share the attention with anyone else. You website is ALL YOU, ALL THE TIME. This also gives you the chance to sell physical copies of your album to anyone at all should they want it.

Make your record as professional as you can:
Dont record your album in your basement and then press it as is. Get it mixed in a real studio. Get it mastered (I cannot stress enough how important this is). If the mastering isnt right, get it mastered again (had to learn this for myself).

Get a GOOD photgrapher/graphic designer:
Image counts for a lot. If your website looks like a geocities page and your album layout looks like Pen & Pixel on a bad day, you fuckin up. Find someone that will give you a visual presentation that can stand up against anything in the store. Some talented graphic artists will try to charge you a grip because they may be worth it. Some will try to stick you up just because theyre assholes. But asking around never hurts. You may find someone you can negotiate with or someone who is more interested than building their portfolio than making a bundle of cash.

Bottom line….as an artist, having your work commercially available only helps you. It increases your reach, it shows off your talent, and it shows that your serious about what you do. An artist with something to show for themselves will get taken more seriously than an artist who only exists in their own minds any day. So what if your album is only selling 3 copies a month–dont focus on that. Focus on the fact that should anyone earth be interested in you or your music–they could go to their computer, see you, learn about you, and experience your music for themselves. That’s a chance you shouldn’t pass up. The internet/computer age has made the process affordable to you, so take advantage of it…that is, if you’re serious.

Remember, I’m not saying this from a place on high. I am in the trenches with you. RIGHT NOW. I’m passing along the things I have learned/know so the process can be a little smoother for you.

If you’re an artist and you’re serious about your music, then put it out. Stop bullshittin’. Stop making excuses. Stop waiting for the Fairy Godexec to come.

Stop singing into the hairbrush. Unless that’s just your thang.

Peace,
Scorp