Music

When I write or talk about music, I always say that I would rather let the music speak for itself. I have been a talent scout for 20 years and managing artists for roughly ten. My roster has changed a bit over the years, but I once had a journalist and radio promoter tell me that he liked my style - that any band I picked had something special about it - even though they differed a lot from each other. And I said to myself, he gets me.

When I presented the music of my artists to labels, publishers or the like, or artists I curated for the concert agency, I would just take the music in with me and only get into the details, after the melody set the tone and emotions free among the others in the room.

But as I said before, Music is Art. Not everyone gets the piece or sometimes a person is just not as quick as you might be. Sometimes you might be ahead of the curve with the music you produce or you like. Taste isn´t confined to any given time frame, and eventually good music will find its listeners! But often it means a lot of hard work and challenges.

I have worked with extremely talented and gifted artists who have yet to achieve mainstream recognition, but had special something about them, that would have enabled them to build up a solid fan base. But somewhere on the journey, they either lost faith in themselves or did not have patience and persistence to stay focused through these hard and sometimes tough steps or difficult times.

When looking at it that way, we come full circle to the way things used to be. Bands need to play and play and play. And in the beginning, it doesn´t matter if it´s in front of 2, 5, 10 or 15 people.

Sometimes they have to pay to play (which I do NOT approve of) and in general, invest a lot into their career just in order to start off with something. They need to have staying power and longevity. They need to be patient. And they should never lose faith in themselves or their music.

Yes, easier said than done, but the reality is, so many people are able to produce music nowadays that there are many more great musicians out there. That said, many of these people who think they are great musicians, are just as hungry and driven and determined to distinguish themselves. So, the competition can be fierce.

This seems to be the issue in some areas of the music industry and has become quite common among the newbies. But in order to put on a good show, what goes on ON the stage, is just as important as what goes on BEHIND it. Everyone who makes up that tour has to be appreciated and not taken for granted. If the cleaning woman does a good job, along with the rigger, and the caterer, then the crew, not to mention, the artist, is happy.

I think everyone has their part to play and should be recognized for their job and constantly appreciated!! So please, everybody, clean up your mess in the catering area and don´t wait for someone else to do it.

On a slightly different note, one of the artists I worked with and that I really still enjoy listening to, is Roman. Unfortunately he never got the attention he deserved, but luckily for you, there is a band that sounds a lot like him – probably just a little more mainstream and called Bastille. 

But here´s Roman, so take a listen for yourselves: