Over the years, I’ve heard many excuses from aspiring artists on why they are not successful in the music business. I’ve compiled a list of the “Top 10 Excuses for NOT Achieving Music Business Success”. The difference in winners and losers is winners take action and losers make excuses for not taking action.
Here is my list of excuses:
1. I’m too young
2. I’m too old
3. I don’t have enough money
4. I don’t have enough contacts
5. I don’t know what to do
6. I just don’t have the look
7. Other people are holding me back
8. I don’t live in the right city
9. I have too many other obligations (kids, marriage, job, etc.)
10. I’m not getting enough exposure
Let me attack these excuses one by one.
1. I’m too young
There have been many young people who have made it in the music business. In fact most people get started when they are young. Currently, there are young people who top the music charts like Justin Bieber. Michael Jackson started when he was 5 years old. Destiny’s Child found success when they were teenagers and look at there members now. Who hasn’t heard of Beyonce? If you are young, I say you probably have a better shot at being successful than someone in their 70’s. We’ll also dispel the “old age” excuse in #2.
2. I’m too old
I remember one of my friends stating to me that if he was not successful by the age of 30 in the music business, then he would quit altogether. Well, the music business is very strange and instead of focusing on making great music and being a great entertainer, my friend focused on his age. Al Jarreau was well past 30 when he became successful. Most recently Susan Boyle has become an international success, not because of her age and her looks but because she has talent.
3. I do not have enough money
I’m sure glad I got over this excuse early. If you do not have any money then you should find someone to invest in your music career or learn how to advance your career without using too much money. There are all kinds of guerrilla marketing techniques that aspiring artists can use to further their careers. Go to the library and get a book on guerrilla marketing and you see what I mean. Better yet, Google it!
4. I do not have enough contacts
Once again let’s shoot this excuse down for good. We are in the information age. There are networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and many others online that will allow you to make all the contacts you need. In the offline world, you can go to music industry conventions to learn about the music business and build lasting relationships. I can’t even remember all the contacts I’ve build over the years but I will never say I don’t have enough contacts.
5. I don’t know what to do
This is another tired excuse. There are plenty of books in the public library on everything from how to make a demo to how to book your own shows and make money. If you really don’t know what to do, find a mentor and follow their path. Even if you don’t personally know them, success leaves clues. Figure out what they did and duplicate it.
6. I just don’t have the look
Of course there are plenty of gorgeous artists in the entertainment industry but if you don’t think you have “the look”, then you probably need to quit anyway. I’m serious. There have been some really blockbuster successes that were not “lookers”. Besides, beauty is in the eye of the beholder which means different people are attracted to different things. This is more of a self-esteem issue and you should probably work on boosting your self-esteem first if you plan on being in the music business. Sometimes people can be mean and if you have thin skin or are easily offended, this business is NOT for you.
7. Other people are holding me back
Really? Unless you are incarcerated or someone is holding you against your will, no one can really keep you from achieving your music goals. You need to look at the “man in the mirror” and figure out what you need to do to get going with your plan.
You do have a plan don’t you?
There can be negative people in your life but if that is the case then if you are an adult, you can remove yourself from their negativity. So many artists hear the words, “I don’t think you can make it in the music industry.” If someone is telling you that, you need to get as far away from them as possible because you’ll begin to doubt yourself and your talent.
8. I don’t live in the right city
Thirty years ago this might have been true but once again the Internet shoots this excuse right in the heart. There used to be a time where you had to live in New York City, Los Angeles, or Nashville to make it in the music business. The Internet has leveled the playing field so that no matter where you live, you can make money and get discovered if that is you goal.
9. I have too many other obligations (kids, marriage, job, etc.)
I actually struggled with this one for a while. I put my music dreams on hold to take care of my family and that was a very noble and responsible thing to do. However, I never stopped writing and moving forward with my goals. I learned how to make beats and I learned how to market myself on the Internet as I’ve said to you so many times before in this article.
I did not make excuses for what I was doing. I just need to find a different way of achieving my goals and there is absolutely nothing wrong with this approach. Even if you have to spend 30 minutes a day doing something toward making you music dreams come true, that’s better than doing nothing at all.
10. I’m not getting enough exposure
I can lump this excuse in with some of the others above but here is a different viewpoint on exposure. Internet, Internet, Internet! All you need are some basic pieces of equipment and you’re on your way to getting massive exposure. You first need to take a course in guerrilla marketing so you can learn how to market yourself with little to no money.
I would also suggest getting a digital camera and/or a camera that records video. You can post pictures and videos all over the Internet for your fans to see. Need to do a live show? Have someone record you performing live and post it on the Internet on sites like YouTube. Posting on a site is not enough though. You need to learn how to bring traffic to your postings and that is why I recommend learning Internet marketing.
People are making a killing on the Internet and it doesn’t take millions of people or millions of sales to make you successful.
I’m sure there are more excuses than I’ve listed here but I do believe these are the ones I’ve heard the most. If you are using any of these excuses above, I suggest you take a good look at yourself and actually figure out if this business is for you.
In closing, I would like to leave you with a quote. I’m not sure who the author is but when you start making excuses, always remember this:
Excuses are the tools of incompetence. Those who use them build monuments of nothingness that shall not amount to anything. Therefore, there are no excuses