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We've all debated the importantance of having your own sound.
Why sound unique? Why stand out and do something no
one else is doing, when it's a helluva lot easier to get signed
copying what's hot at the moment, anyway? Fit into some
cookie-cutter mold, and you're half way there. Quick.
Easy. And most importantly - it's a proven method.
No one has to take a chance.
Look at Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray. He abandoned his
punk roots after swearing he'd NEVER do a song like 'Fly'.
Where did that song come from? A bunch of hardcore punk
songs, and this one oddball 'Fly'? And what do YOU think
about what's transpired since then? Was he smart? Was
it a good business/career move? Is he an ass?
He was picked to do the halftime show at the Superbowl, for
christ's sake! That pissed me off. I wanted more marching
bands, dammit!
A year or two ago, Jeffrey Cohen, CEO of Music Biz Magazine,
told me 'You should really take a listen to Korn... now THAT's
great pop music!!!' Yeah - thanks dude. No wonder
Music Biz Magazine is now OUT-OF- BIZ!!!
I've heard crap like this plenty since moving to L.A., where
every day you run into industry people who tell you you need
to do this or that, or anything other than what you're doing
now. I take in what they say, but continue moving forward
in the direction that's right for me and my band.
The shitty thing is that the rare artists who ARE true to
themselves, guys like Bela Fleck and Blinker The Star, get
no serious-cash label support. Labels say they're 'too
risky'. The challenge for us is to stick with what you've
got, develop your voice, and keep pushing it forward.
I can't tell you how pissed I am every time some band I'd
heard raved about turned out to be nothing more than another
Blink 182 or Limp Bizkit rip-off. What the fuck?.
I already know what those guys sound like, and have their
CDs if I wanted to hear it.
Perhaps we all worry what's HOT sometimes, and lose sight
of what we're about we're about as individual artists.
But, hey - it's VERY difficult to discover what you're really
all about. It's like Primal Scream Therapy - it gets
to the core of who you REALLY are - and that's damn scary
at times.
So how, exactly, DO you create your own sound? I guess
you find your own voice, and scream as loud as you can.
Go nuts - don't be afraid to unabashedly express with wild
passion WHO YOU ARE. Your audience'll be convinced if
you carry yourself with integrity and confidence.
If you're an artist worth your salt, your sound will evolve
natuarally - with or without the help of your friendly neighborhood
record company asshole. Just write every day.
Write as much as you possibly can. Get together and jam -
keep exploring what the group is really all about. Just
don't be afraid people will think you're a dork or a fag or
too girly.
But the good news, kids, is the timing has never been better.
Audiences are searching for more diverse music, and I do believe
that the year 2000 was a record year in record/CD music sales.
I NEVER thought I'd hear Enya on Top 40/Contemporary Hit Radio
when she first came out!!! She may have been one of
the lucky
few to make it that big with something so obscure (relatively
speaking), but it proves that it CAN be done. I'd be
willing to bet a million people told her 'Yeah, it's great,
but it'll never make you rich.'
Now I think I gotta go and do that for MYself. And
YOU should, too. And, of course, never stop loading
your gun.
......................................................................
Annette runs her own in-home record company (remedial children
records) and is a strong proponent of the Do It Yourself philosophy
toward success. The label is funded completely by herself.
Send your comments, questions, feedback, and YOUR ideas about
what you'd like to see in future articles to her at diy@publicitywhore.com
She'll get back to you the best she can. Promise.
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