More than at any time in the modern era of the music entertainment business, it’s vital that artists understand and embrace the shift from seeing themselves as ‘artists’ to seeing themselves as ‘brands’. The days of narrowly defining ‘artist’ as one who makes music and/or entertains are no longer with us-everything from the infrastructure of the ‘industry’ itself to the nature of the culture have rendered that concept obsolete. The question is-how do artists, managers, labels, etc. know they’re building careers or sandcastles? The goal should be longevity and sustainability rather than short-term notoriety-that said, what does that look like in practical terms?
Whether you’re a ‘boutique’ artist brand (translate niche) or a mass appeal brand (translate large scale/mass media), you future is in your brand-master it, own it, or regret it!