Go on, admit it! You are probably nurturing some kind of a world domination plan in the back of your mind. Wouldn’t it be nice to play to a huge room filled with people that came specifically to see you? How amazing would it be if your music could take you around the world? What if you managed to find people from all corners of the world that connected with you and your music?
Here’s how.
No one can be the biggest and best in everything. If you try to make an impact on the whole world you are not going to make an impact on anyone. It’s an illusion that hugely successful artists are loved by everyone. They’ve all found their own thing that they stand for. You think Madonna is for everyone? No, but she totally rules the ambitious bitch category. Bruce Springsteen? He is all about the life of the working class man. U2? Who else can political and entretaining at the same time?
Being part of a particular group is a great strength. The more specific the better. That group will instantly help you find friends, clubs and an audience wherever you go. For example there is a metal bar, an Irish pub and a Harley Davidson Club in almost every city in the world. The more specific you are, the more likely you are to find a global network of people that share your lifestyle and are immediately open to what you do. If you are part of that group, you will always have a home, wherever you go.
Being an artist is not just about making music. It’s about a whole lifestyle that you represent. Everything you say and do should represent what your music represents. People can like your music, but you make the biggest impact when you represent something that has meaning to them. Everyone who is successful, has found a particular thing that they represent. Then they’ve become the best at it. Choose what it is that you excel at, and then follow that choice. Become the very thing that people associate with your stuff.
Successful artists are hated as much as they are loved. It’s just as important to define what you DO NOT do as it is to understand what you are the best at. Find the stuff that is yours and do it to the max.
Atari Teenage Riot mixed punk, electronica, noise and politics to their very own concoction and called it Digital Hardcore. They created their own label, style and following. Despite being very extreme, they have sold hundreds of thousands of records and collaborated with artists like Nine Inch Nails and Slayer. They have created a kingdom of their own and rule it. They will never break to the “mainstream” but they have a few fans in every city all around the world.
Simply put, find your niche, and dominate it. Your audience doesn’t have to be the people that happen to live near you. They are the people that share the same tastes, values, attitude and lifestyle with you. When you know who those people are, you can travel around the world, because those people are everywhere, once you know who you are looking for.
This post first appeared in Music On The Make.
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