Thomas J. West Music

This article is the fourth in an ongoing series called "21st Century Artistry". You can read the other entries in this series here.

People dream of being rich and famous as an athlete, musician, or entertainer of some kind. The competition in such fields is extremely high and at times downright unfriendly. Others simply wish to express their creativity, exercise their skills, and share it all with as many people as possible. What becomes popular in our culture has always been a mystery. Why "Angry Birds"? Why "Lady Gaga"?

In Lady Gaga's case, she is a historian and a physician of the anatomy of fame, according to her interview on 60 Minutes.  There is no question that those with the drive to succeed can tilt the odds in their favor when it comes to the fickle lens of popular culture.

For the rest of us, modern technology has made it possible to share our art with a wide audience without the use of traditional distribution methods such as record labels, art galleries, and theaters. In modern artistry, the artist does not have to become a mega-superstar and sign a deal with a distribution medium. The artist can create and distribute their own art, and that distribution network is made up of an opt-in body of people who like what you do.

Building Your Own Fan Base

Is it really as simple as "post your video on YouTube and build a fan base"? Not quite. Building a network takes time, persistence, and patience. Direct marketers call it "your list". You collect names of people who are interested in what you have to offer. Even this, however, is impersonal and only mildly effective in today's climate.

The modern artist is going to spend as much time building their network as they do creating their art. Social media is a must for any artist who wishes to do so. In addition to popular networks such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and now perhaps Google Plus, there are social networks dedicated to specific art forms. DeviantART is a social network dedicated to visual art of all kinds. SoundCloud centers its socializing around recorded sounds. These are just two examples - chances are, if there's a group of people interested in an art form, there's a forum or social network online somewhere to support it.

As an artist, you build your network by building relationships with people with similar interests. That means networking with other artists in your genre, but also with people who are not artists who have a personal interest in what you do. People not only want to see your art and listen to your music, they want to get a sense of the person behind it. America and Britain's total obsession with the lives and plights of celebrities is proof positive of this - we love being fans and followers. We love to build a personal connection to the people behind the music, films, and artwork we enjoy. It is that craving for personal connection that makes the artist as important a part of the distribution as the art.

Few artists have the mass appeal needed to cross genres and appeal to a massive audience. So, don't try to be that artist! Begin by building relationships with people you already know, like, and trust, then go looking for online communities of people who are interested in the same thing you are. Twitter is an excellent way to do this, because it is real-time and extremely searchable. All it takes is you getting on Twitter, start sharing information about what you are doing with your art, and in the course of a month, you will begin to discover people who are talking about the same things you are.

But Can You Make A Living At It?

The short answer is "yes".

But if it were that easy, everyone would be self-employed. There is a cornucopia of skills and abilities necessary to make your art a full-time job. There are two things that, no matter what your endeavor is, you must be willing to do:

1. You must be willing to learn new skills and widen your knowledge base on a continual basis.
2. You must be willing to fail.

I have been promoting my own compositions online since about 2004. I have been writing articles since 2008, and it is only within the last three years that I have really begun to make any mentionable money at doing any of it. Granted, my area of expertise is a bit diffused. I have many rich experiences, a wide base of knowledge, and a love for nearly anything and everything that is music. As such, I haven't focused on one aspect long enough to make serious money doing it.

My friend Shawn Pearce over at Value Vocals, however, is a perfect example of someone who is taking a personal passion and turning it very quickly into a lucrative second income. He opened his website in April of 2011 and in the first four months has enjoyed tremendous success. His success is due to a few key factors:

1. He studied other artists who are doing the same or similar things for quite some time before he opened his doors (including yours truly).
2. His art is focused on one simple service that is infinitely producable and marketable, yet targeted to a niche community.
3. His work has a personal touch that endears him to his clients.

Shawn's niche is small enough that he will gradually become well-known within it. His website's blog is a vehicle for him to share his personal perspective on things going on in his community of artists and a way to give people that personal connection that we all crave.

Building an online community that supports your art is a labor of love that will occupy most of your free time. Monetizing your art is a personal choice - one that should not be made lightly. When you make your art a commodity, you give up some of your artistic freedom in order to make your art marketable. There are few people, such as Pablo Picasso, who can simply "do their thing" and make the marketplace take notice.

Since the earliest days of art patrons during the Renaissance, the performing and fine arts have always had to strike a balance between what is expressive, unique, and original and what is popular. If you love to be creative and make music, create films, sculpt, or dance, there is a place for you on the web. It is up to you to decide how far you want to take your passion.

This article (c) 2011 Thomas J. West. All content on ThomasJWestMusic dot com is licensed under a Creative Contributions Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. Please contact the author before publishing on or off-line.

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