Personality

It's astounding how good some of these TikTok clips are.

Sure, there are stuntsters, but then you're dependent upon cooking up a new idea on a regular basis, constantly upping the ante. But if the draw is you...

This is the antithesis of the hit ethos we've seen since the nineties on MTV. You lead with the product, i.e. the music, and you present a massaged image that works for media outlets, all the while professing love of your fans and sponsors.

Sure, the focus should be on the music, but today's music is so me-too, it's not enough. If music were so hot, there would be a TikTok equivalent solely for tunes, but the truth is non-musical clips are just as enthralling, if not more so.

Now it used to be that acts evidenced their personalities in their songs. But this is hard to do when your numbers are written by committee. One of the reasons music burgeoned with the Beatles is the acts wrote their own songs, and therefore their personalities were up front and center. They were in the lyrics! You felt you knew who John Lennon was. And he didn't censor himself, smooth off the rough edges to be accepted.

So if you want to be a successful musician today, focus on writing your own material, with your own personal experiences and attitudes included, so people can relate. You want spikes, things that can hook people, not moon in June. The music itself must tell a story. This is more important than any outfit/stage show/production. The music can even have mistakes.

But you must have the talent.

Look yourself in the mirror. Are you a good singer? If not, don't try to front your music, get someone else to sing. Or maybe you shouldn't be a musician at all.

So many of the people on TikTok are not lowest common denominator, they are educated and beam intelligence. And they're not afraid to wade into controversial subjects. All we hear is about the dumbing down of America, but this is not true on social media. Of course there is lowest common denominator stuff, but what sticks out is the people with a brain with something to say, but even more an IDENTITY!

If you want to sell your music online, you must have a personality. Just posting a music video to TikTok is not enough. You must go on and talk about what interests you, what pisses you off. You can talk about what inspires you to write a song, the roadblocks you hit. People eat this stuff up! If you have any traction at all, focus on the bond with your audience more than the music. The label can't do this for you, no handler can do this for you, YOU MUST DO THIS YOURSELF!'

Enough with the two decade b.s. from musicians saying that's what they are, just players, they shouldn't have to post on the internet. The joke is on THEM! They are the ones who are missing out.

Gaining traction is a whole 'nother thing. Then again, employ a bit of creativity. People are constantly e-mailing me Jesse Welles clips. Furthermore, Welles doesn't wait for a clip/song to catch fire, he keeps creating new ones. He's not worried about the potential fan, but the fans he has, and if he does it right, they will spread the word.

Artists have personalities. Being able to play is not enough. Which is why Berklee students don't dominate Spotify. It's about conception, innovation...

Do yourself a favor. Get on to TikTok and scroll. And scroll. And scroll. And discover what interests you.

It's always someone with a personality. Which might be off-putting, but...

There's this guy the car wizard. He is always negative at the outset, usually dissing manufacturers, but then he digs deep and solves unsolvable problems. Likable he is not, yet he is fascinating and you keep watching, like so many musicians...can you say "Van Morrison"?

Then there's the financial guru. She goes on about not being able to afford a four year school, just going to community college. She talks about varying issues and then will sneak in items like taking a GLP-1, even though she is not severely overweight. Did people come down on her for this? Of course, but it goes with the territory. If you're not getting any negative reaction, you're not doing it right, you're not reaching enough people.

Then there's another mechanic who had a series of videos telling how he got from there to here. We're all interested in your backstory, warts and all. You just didn't show up with a record deal.

Do you crack jokes? Are you serious?

Once again, NO ONE CAN DO THIS FOR YOU!

Your music is no longer enough. If you're not posting on TikTok and Instagram Reels yourself, at least a few times a week, the joke is on you. View it as a new avenue of expression, not hype. The key is to glue people to you.

But no platitudes, no asks, just you. Raw you.


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