Face it the world has changed, the internet has changed and people have changed. No longer do fans want inaccessible artists and stars they want to know what you had for breakfast whom you’re sleeping with and to know the colour of your underwear or not if you’re Britney or lindsay.
24 hour news is driven by gossip, rumours etc but they want you to be celebs and they want to know you as celebs. Heck some of them want to be celebs too and the rise of reality TV is the proof of the pudding.
But in the light of all this how do we as artists rise above just being just wannabes into stars they wannabe a part of ? Traditionally you had a hit record and voila you were catapulted into celebrity but now the economics are slightly different but your goal should be the same to become a celebrity. Because that is the only reason your records (singles) will mean anything to anyone and your status will elevate to the must have status.
Being a celebrity doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a megastar but to your audience you need to be one. This means you need to be seen in the righ places. Of course the best celebs are reclusive only making occaisional forays into the public arena and this is the model I think indie artists must take.
So that means tour only when you have to, have your own corner of the world and beg, borrow or steal to get on TV or dare I say advertise ?
TV is the medium that will turn you into a celeb faster than anything else can or will and TV is something you can get on. You have to be creative and you have to be relentless in your pursuit and once you’re on there you need to hook people in.
Why not advertise on a weekly basis on a show that appeals to your demographic. Announcing your single and running a competition to celebrate its release.
How about a Ask Me anything type of SMS only competition with an iPad with your music preloaded on it or your signature scrawled all over it ?
Be creative, be inventive and be proactive.