Whenever you see something too good to be true, usually it is, especially when someone offers a surefire way to be successful. So when we saw this story headline, “5 Surefire Ways to Make it in the Music Industry,” we had to see for ourselves.
This article ran on Grammy.com, and what this story has is a compilation of advice from a Q&A session at the Grammy Museum in Downtown L.A. The panel included Rozzi, Brittany Bell, a publicist, singer/songwriter Cathy Heller, and producer Miles Mosley. So what advice and points did this group of people have for people hoping to make it?
Focus on the Art, Not Success
Adam Levine discovered Rozzi from Maroon 5, and while you may think being discovered by a prominent musician is undoubtedly a sure fire way to make it, she got dropped from her label. “I was really good at working hard…but I didn’t know what I needed to say. I was so focused on getting from point A to point B that I didn’t live.”
Then Heller said that “sometimes rejection is redirection.” In other words, you go through a setback, it probably won’t be permanent, and it could potentially lead you to a better place. Heller adds that if you’re trying to break down a door and it’s not opening for you, you might be knocking on the wrong door and should try another one.
One is saying that people have about making it is if you can’t get over the mountain, try and go around it, through it, or under it. If one way doesn’t work, try the opposite, or think outside the box and come up with a different approach to try and break through.
Don’t Wait to Be Discovered? What?
Another point this story makes is “you don’t need someone to discover you.” What? Doesn’t everyone have to be discovered by somebody to break through? Well in the days of music streaming and Spotify, it can be more about being seen by your audience instead of being discovered by some music mogul.
One of the most critical components is having inner faith and belief in yourself before you break through. It’s hard, and it’s hard to ward off self-doubt, but it’s what will keep you going until your big break comes through.
The Truth About “Making It”
As everybody should know, no matter how great you are as an aspiring artist, there is no surefire way to make it. Otherwise, everyone would do it. There is also no right or wrong to break through, and every artist’s journey to success will have a different path.
Remember that there’s no one size fits all approach to success, and while good advice from successful people can certainly help put you on the right path, there is also no guaranteed way to make it. Perhaps your journey to success will be a whole new way and create an original track for others to follow.
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