The Artist Versus The Star

"Help me on my way to stardom," or "I can't wait until I'm a star," or "I just know I'm (or we're) going to be big someday." I see blog, Facebook posts or Tweets with statements like these more and more lately, and it makes me wonder, "Does this person want to be a musician with a fan base that appreciates the music, or a celebrity?"

Personally, as soon as I see a variation on these phrases, I know it's over for them. They're playing music for the wrong reasons and probably have limited their chances for success already just by their attitude. People that have a long term success (long term is the operational phrase here) in the music business are in it for the music first and foremost. The only time they're happy is when they're playing, and it doesn't matter if it's for one person or a thousand, or even if there's no one around. Letting the music out from their soul is always the main goal.

Those are the people that make it "big," because their priorities are in the right place. It should be all about the music, not how many people think you're cool, good looking, or the latest thing. Yes, all those just might happen if your music is special, but it will a byproduct of the music and not the central issue.

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with wanting to be a celebrity. Just don't confuse it with being an artist. They're rarely the same thing.

As I aways say, "An artist does it for himself; a craftsman (or celebrity) does it for everyone else."

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