Wasting Time Seeking Fortune and Fame

There's no shortage of independent artists or online radio stations looking to become the "next big thing." There's also no problem in being an indie artist looking for a break, or a radio programmer wanting their station to be the next big thing in internet radio. What needs to be discussed is how easy it is to waste time - both yours and others - in pursuing either of these.

"When you seek fortune and fame, don't do it by grasping for any response. Instead, create the high quality product that others respond to."

Sometimes it's the money spent. There's no shortage of companies willing to take an indie act's dollars to make them famous. Nor is there a shortage of independent musicians who believe that every note they produced should result in payment to them (if a radio station decides to put that song on its playlist). We're not going to cover either of those issues here. This is where to learn that LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, - while places where you can draw attention to yourself - in most cases, won't work in your situation. The reason is not the brand, but how each is used.

It's "how" you try to draw attention that determines whether your time is wasted.

NEVER BEG FOR ATTENTION is the first rule to follow! (Another is to never do it in all caps.) We've all been exposed to the artist that asks, "Please listen and give me your opinion." It's safe to say that we've also all seen internet radio stations pleading for a) bands to send them music, and b) people to listen to the bands that send them music. Usually neither ends up with the respondent saying, "That was time well spent."

Scroll through any music-oriented Linkedin Group and find posts asking for aspiring artists to "contact me." One chosen at random today reads: "Artist if you want your song on the radio send your bio,photo and a edited mp3 to ******@****.com. And make sure you like our page." If the grammatical errors aren't enough to tell you this is amateur driven, the nebulous proposition "if you want your song on the radio..." should be a red flag for the same. Which brings us to the next rule.

#2: Those who require you to "Like" their page are people/companies you probably won't like. This quid pro quo exchange only points to the individual not understanding how to properly use social media.

Finally, let's wrap this up with Rule #3: Don't be a twit on Twitter. The repetitious calls to "Tell me what you think of my new song" or "Tune in to ***** Radio for the best songs" are done by those who do not spend the time making either product worthwhile for you to listen.

Everyone wants to succeed. I'm no exception. But success is more a mixture of good quality in promotion/advertising with word-of-mouth working in your favor.

When you seek fortune and fame, don't do it by grasping for any response. Instead, create the high quality product that others respond to.

Artists listed at Audio Graphics' RRadio Music know, in advance, that being chosen for radio airplay depends on the programmers liking what they hear and not necessarily on the numbers or loudness of the band's boast. And programmers that use RRadio Music or "Intro to Indie Artists" programs know that people tune in based on the quality of the programming - which is made up not only of the music played, but also construction of the station's image.

Going for easy exposure by promising the world is wasting everyone's time. That holds true whether you're an artist or radio station. Said another way: Don't stop seeking fortune and fame, just add a dash of "wise" to how it's done.












While the broadcast side of radio has a near lockout on indie artists, introducing music is open wide to internet stations.

Here's a Jazz artist to consider: Iris Ornig

sample song

New Ground Download Song Tweet

We listen for songs that evoke emotion; fast, slow, female, male, group, it doesn't matter. When an artist has the power to please, they should be given a chance to be heard.

Give Iris Ornig's "New Ground" a listen.

Add it to your playlist, free! Such is the new world of music distribution.

The radio industry had its shot. It's time internet radio programmers take a chance and reach into a huge pile of talent. It is there that new hit songs will increasingly be found.





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