Why Unsigned Artists Make Better Music Than Signed Artists

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Why Unsigned Artists Make Better Music Than Signed Artists

The music industry has a lot of different talents that they are trying to work with. However, the majority of them are stifled by a lot of different scenarios. The raw energy that they may have once had, and the ideas that made them interesting to sign diminishes after they get signed. In these modern times, the best music is not made by the signed artists, most often, it’s created by the underground, unsigned talents that are creating something amazing. They are not only more creative, they are hungry, and have a point of view that is lost down the line. When you understand the reasoning behind this notion, you are going to end up seeing that there’s something to the idea that signed artists aren’t making good music compared to those that aren’t signed.

The Sports Analogy

Take a note from the basketball world. There are a lot of college players right now that are hungry, and chasing the dream of being drafted to the professional level. While in college, they work hard, they play like there is no tomorrow, and they make major moves on the court and off the court. Once they are signed and get to the NBA, they either make moves and continue to create highlights or they fizzle out fast. So many players have fizzled out and found themselves out of the professional leagues that they don’t even remember what it was like to be hungry and play at a level that was beyond the scope of average.

The same thing happens to artists in music. When they are unsigned, they are chasing fame, fortune, and listeners. As their audience grows, the suits come through and approach them. They give them a contract and promise of money, and when the artist is no longer struggling and now has money, they don’t really have the same drive, or motivation to create music. They may create music that is ok, but it’s far and away different from the raw energy and emotion that they put into the work from their past. Just like a pro baller starts to lose steam with the different perspective of being at a professional level, artists end up losing sight of the larger price and work towards lackluster musical elements.

Signed Artists (The Business)

At the end of the day, the reason why many artists aren’t that great after they get signed is simple, they are now a commodity that needs to sell through music. Contract artists have one goal in mind, sales. Without sales, there’s nothing good that come through signing with a major label. Independent artists would appreciate sales, but they aren’t so hung up on them that they let the music get sloppy or lackluster. They focus on creating the best possible music, even if it doesn’t sell through a lot of copies. They build audiences that want to listen to them, sell records, and focus on working on music, for the sake of music and artistry.

However, signed artists have a lot of pressure to sell units. If they don’t sell units, then the advances that they receive, the money spent on promoting them, and a lot more becomes a liability for the musician. If an artist gets $10,000 advance, on their record, their record has to sell that much profit to pay it back. If it doesn’t, the money has to get paid somehow, and there comes the stress that many artists end up getting dropped, into mediocre jobs, and much more. The money is owed, and the stress builds, forcing many wonderful artists to become lackluster. Chasing a “hit” is tough for signed artists, and many have tried, and failed to gain any sort of leverage. It’s something that isn’t going to change.

By Randy Morano

Follow Randy on Twitter @RandyMorano

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