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Defining the artiste/musician for music business success
 
By:
Fri, 18 Mar 2016   ||   Nigeria,
 

Defining who the artiste/musician is is important to understanding the roles that the artiste/musician plays, and the functions of the artiste/musician within the scope of the music business environment. When an artiste/musician have no sense of who they are as “artiste/musician” or have an idea of their nature and what their essential qualities or values are; it then becomes a mission impossible to effectively utilise, deploy or position the talents of an artiste/musician for maximum exploitation in the music business environment.

To define is to identify the nature or essential qualities of a thing or person. To define the artiste/musician is to identify the nature and essential qualities of the artiste/musician. Understanding the nature or essential qualities of an artiste/musician will help the artiste/musician as an individual, the artiste manager or the management of the artiste to identify the unique qualities that the artiste/musician possesses. It is with this knowledge and understanding that the talent or qualities that the artiste or musician possess can be effectively managed and deployed for profitable exploitation. As entities that operate in a highly dynamic and unstable business environment; priority must be placed by artistes/musicians and their managements on identifying the nature and essential qualities or talents that an artiste possess in order to be able to figure out how best to position, deploy and exploit those qualities and talents for profitability.

The music industry is a multimedia business and music is one of the rare arts that have cross-functional value and usage across the creative and cultural industries. The terminal and concurrent usages of music transcends the boundaries of the music industry; music is used actively or passively throughout the entire creative and cultural industrial complex ranging from movies/film production to advertising and marketing to broadcasting etc. Wherever music is used is an indication of opportunity for the deployment of the artiste’s relevant and complimentary talents/qualities for commercial exploitation outside the immediate domain of the music industry. This explains why it is so easy for artistes/musicians to transit into the film/movies industry or broadcast industry for example. But if an artiste/musician is not adequately defined or profiled with the aim of understanding the nature and essential qualities that is possessed by that artiste/musician, it then becomes difficult to effectively maximise the talents/qualities carried by the artiste which can be deployed for use in relevant industries outside of the music industry.

Defining an artiste/musician can also be liken to opening a viewing window into the mind, emotions and experiences that has moulded or shaped the personality of the artiste/musician. When the overriding emotions and experiences that has greatly influenced the life of an artiste/musician is creatively weaved into their songs and music, it produces an authentic power of expression and ability to interpret the emotions in a song which will resonate via a soul to soul communication with audiences who share similar emotions. When a deep soul to soul resonance or communication happens between an artiste/musician and their audience, a lasting bond is forged that binds the singer and the listener in a mutually benefitting relationship.

Definition gives meaning, purpose and direction to a thing or person. When the definition of a thing is not known or established, the value that it carries will remain unknown, hidden, abused or misapplied. When the worth of a value is not known, pricing or ascribing a cost to that value becomes a difficult proposition. There are many artistes/musicians out there who are ignorant or oblivious to their own innate nature and essential qualities that defines them, and therefore are struggling with finding meaning and success for their music career in the music business. The job of an artiste/musician is to create and share emotional experiences with the people, the job however becomes a struggle when the artiste/musician cannot identify or relate with his/her own emotional being or identity.

The commercial value that is ascribed to an artiste/musician is directly proportional to the worth of the emotional experience/value that the artiste creates and shares with his/her music. The emotional value that an artiste/musician creates with their music and shared with audience is essentially the medium of exchange through which the audience gives in return to the artiste/musician commercial value in terms of attention, followership etc, which is in turn converted to monetary values. So, the worth of an artiste/musician is defined in terms of the emotional values and experiences that the artiste/musician creates and share through their music which finds resonance with audiences.

When an artiste/musician understands intrinsically his/her essential qualities and values based on their sense of definition, they are able to operate with that known knowledge to create and share musical emotional experiences that stands a better chance of resonating with their targeted audiences. The degree to which an artiste/musician can define and identify their nature, essential qualities or values will ultimately determine the level of their perceived sense of self-worth and self-value which in turn will determine their potential commercial worth and value in the music marketplace. When you can define who you are, you will also know your value and you will be able to effectively operate and maximise the use of your value. When you cannot define who you are as an artiste/musician within the scope of the music business, chances are that you will malfunction.

Self-definition is the beginning of success in the music business for artistes/musicians. It is good to take stock of your predominant emotions and experiences that moulded your personality as an artiste/musician, accept and embrace them, and learn how to infuse them into your music. Whatever comes from or touches the soul can be felt by any human being regardless of creed, colour, language, gender etc. It is the most authentic form of human communication and connection which has been the secret to the success of musical legends and greats in the music industry. Define who you are, identify, accept and embrace your own unique emotional qualities and experiences, then use it to communicate through your music.

 

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