Saturday Night Live Producer Lorne Michaels once said: “They don’t call it “Show Art” they call it “Show Business,” and he was right…at the time. But not anymore! More then ever showbiz today is less about the industry manipulating the artist and more about the artist owning their career. However, the biggest problem that faces most artists today is not the constraints or deceptions of a transforming industry, the biggest challenge that faces most artists today is freedom!
Used to be that artists were beholding to the tower for everything, from balancing the books to promoting the show. And the truth is, that made life easier, freeing artists to concentrate on their art, and leave the left-brain responsibilities to the company (who in turn, screwed the artist out of millions). Fact is, artists today now have total autonomy and freedom to assemble their own management/marketing team and design their own destiny (I.E. Adele). That’s bad news for the o’l time gate keepers who continue to resist the technology of the day, and good news for the artist who embraces the “new showbiz” with intelligence, confidence and rigor. There are so many opportunities and possibilities for talented, creative, artists & entrepreneurs today, that there’s only one person to blame for not making a decent career of it—because you can no longer continue to blame an archaic, antiquated system. For pity’s sake, you’re sitting right in front of a device that’s connected to the entire world! Are you using it to produce your product, share your art, exploit your talent and educate yourself? Or are you the victim of procrastination; still kvetching that “technology is not your thing,” waiting for the industry of the past to magically manifest your dreams of the future?
Thank God for the intelligent, creative artists & entrepreneurs today, because the banker, financier or investor cannot produce a movie, a record, a book, a television commercial, or even a You Tube video without them. If nothing else know this: extraordinary talent and jaw-dropping, innovative projects rule the roost today, and if you’re smart…if you employ all of the available tools of modern technology, and if you surround yourself with a trusted team of astute advisors and committed coaches, you do have a shot at achieving your impossible dream.