Choosing Art versus Business

By David Solomon
November 2009

Actually, choosing a career in the performing arts means that you have become a business.

However, many people don’t realise this. They think they are just doing what they like, following their dream, working for themselves etc. And whether you are the person actually on stage performing, or a person supporting them, the message is the same.

If you are a performer in say, the music industry, as much as you might like to think of your musical efforts as artistry, it should still be managed like a business. That is, if you want to make any money from doing it.

Many of the problems that are encountered in the music industry often relate to egos and how poorly they support business objectives. It’s a mind set that has to be dealt with at one time or another.

I've seen a lot of acts that are making money that are comprised of people who are artistically very good. And I've seen acts with incredible musicians and vocalists who never seem to be able to get out of the garage.

As an artist, does this mean you have to "sell out" to make it? Absolutely not!

Or I should say, it all depends on your attitude. If you have a killer recording or a hot performance to sell and you market it accordingly, then you're not selling out. You're simply bringing a desirable product to a ready audience.

If, on the other hand, you would sacrifice your mother for a chance to claw your way to the top, then yes, you're probably selling out. Again, it's attitude. This is an individual perspective.

Meeting the market

There's a new dynamic in the music business today, one that flies in the face of conventional wisdom.

It can be said the first phase of the modern music industry (c.1935-70) was music driven, new sounds came up from the streets and clubs, and entrepreneurs responded.

The second phase (c.1970-1995) was business driven, with lawyers and accountants ascending to decision-making posts and corporate imperatives dictating "hits".

The third phase (1995-now) is market-driven. Consumers themselves are taking control of their music consumption.

There are, of course, elements of all three approaches at all times, but one has clearly dominated in each era.

Moving forward to individual audience empowerment brings music back into a more purely aesthetic relationship again, which is good for the art itself, and better for artists too.
The current difficult climate serves as a form of reckoning. The tougher the times, the more clarity you gain about the difference between what really matters and what you only pretend to care about.

Making money

In a sense musicians may be in a better place today than they've ever been before. The same forces that are undoing the larger music companies are empowering individual musicians. As a result, the idea of a “music career” now has real currency.

These powers derive from desktop computers and digital recording gear, from an abundance of entrepreneurial and self-development resources, a segmenting (and reachable) music marketplace, and most importantly, from the Internet - the first tool that puts a global communication and distribution "channel" into the musician's hands.

In a peculiar way, the computer sets the music industry back 300 years. Musicians of the past performed songs for royal and religious "patrons" and received support (patronage) in return. It was a direct connection between musician and audience, as small as the audience was.

Today, with the internet, musicians are capable of galvanising global audiences, nurturing them through generous communications, special offers and unique access - and building support models to help them earn a sufficient living.

In other words, the internet allows the patron model to re-emerge. Only this time, rather than having one exclusive patron, a musician may have thousands, each paying a small proportion of the “patronage”. It's a slow-growth strategy, but with a pace and quality entirely in the hands of artists and their teams.

What's the big lesson for business?

Just as every performance is a business, every business is a performance and it operates on a business stage. Having the right business script, the right cast, the right production team and the right audience is what every business should be aiming for.

The trinity of management says that to run a business, no matter how small, you have to do three things beautifully.

1. You have to produce a beautiful product;
2. You have to market it beautifully, and;
3. You have to have beautiful financial management.

The problem is that to do something beautifully you have to love it, and it is rare to find anyone who is equally passionately in love with making something (such as music), marketing it (using the new technology available) and doing the books.

Some entrepreneurs take up a strategic or business development role and recruit an executive to run the organisation. Others stay at the helm but share some of the control as they form a team that drives the business. They understand what they're not good at and who is good at what.

And yet others try to do it all themselves because “no-one can do it as well as they can”. This last group of entrepreneurs are lacking one of the most crucial abilities in business - facing reality and dealing with it. Denial is generally the result and I’ve seen it in business owners who stand to lose their dreams.

Entrepreneurs should understand if they are best suited to a particular growth stage of a venture. Some are starters, some are builders and some are minders. And not everyone wants to - or is able to - delegate.

If lack of knowledge is the issue, you can easily solve it with a strategic hire, a consultant or a special mentor. The problem is however generally your blind spot i.e. you don’t know what you don’t know.

(Word count = 990)

David Solomon is the Business Performance Physician who works one to one with business owners and entrepreneurs to help them achieve their objectives. Simply put, he helps companies perform better. www.soluplus.com.au david@soluplus.com.au

© David Solomon 2009. All rights reserved.