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Sunday, May 11, 2014

Music: Survival of the Fittest

As a recording artist, I decided that implementing live venues performance into my career path was a necessity. Over the past several years, I have had the opportunity to sit and speak with many different music industry executives about my career. The first thing that I was informed of in each case was the importance of doing live performances. Taking the information that I was given, I started researching the careers of successful singer-songwriters and entertainers. To my surprise their road to success was initiated by the unique qualities delivered by them during live shows and gigs. “Shows build relationships…there are moments and memories to be had and made when you see anyone play live” (Perretti, 2012). However, not only is performing live a great way to build the brand of a recording artists, it is also a primary source of incoming that financially sustains their careers.
Building financial stability in the world of music is very different today than in the day of the traditional way of record labels. The money received from the sale of physical music media such as compact disc became stifled by the continuous growth of digital media and technology. However, record labels and recording artists did not let this push them into a financial corner. They learned to adapt to the situation and fought to maintain their place in the industry. “Life pushes all of us around. Some people give up and others fight. They welcome life pushing them around” (Kiyosaki, 2011, p. 27). For recording artists, this fight is done through the implementation of live tours enabling them to earn revenue from ticket sales. Most importantly, the ability to share video footage from your live shows using social media and other online digital sources allow musicians to substantially grow their fan base. Therefore, advancements in technology combined with the efforts of recording artists can have a positive, financial impact on careers within the music industry. 
Kedrick "Rick" Mahoney
References
Kiyosaki, R. (2011). Rich dad, poor dad (1st ed.). Scottsdale, Ariz.: Plata Pub.

Perretti, V. (2012). The Importance of Live Shows » My Music | My Entertainment World. Myentertainmentworld.ca. Retrieved 11 May 2014, from http://www.myentertainmentworld.ca/2012/02/liveshows/