Vos Group

Dear Diary,

It’s not a suprise that “25” by Adele does great. It’s no surprise that she’s a success. She had us at “Hello”. But how did it happen? How do you get a Diamond certification in less than a year in the age where “people do not buy music anymore”?

Here are the lessons we should learn about it, and do not get me wrong, I’m not trashing anyone, I’d like to think of it as a benchmark of things worth working for.

HAVE A GREAT TEAM THAT WILL ALWAYS WORK WITH AND FOR YOU

Adele’s going away to fully enjoy motherhood and the long wait after the success of “Skyfall” could have been a big risk for an average artist to take. However, she had a team that kept her music playing worldwide just enough to keep us longing for her to come back. And when the time was right, the release was outstanding. Worldwide, powerful, simple, and profound. All her audience needed was to hear her voice “greeting them” and introducing her new hit. Few people realize the team work and display of human and economic resources that this entailed. Trust me, that in itself deserves diamond recognition.

MAKE SURE YOU LOVE THE ALBUM YOU WILL PROMOTE, WHATEVER IT TAKES

She has openly discussed how the record was almost ready, but it was not something that she was convenced of releasing. She went ahead and rewrote and recorded new things. She let go of ideas that might have seem awesome at the time, life-long dream collaborations, and good songs, to make room for the new songs that would really touch her and thus touch her audience. Some people may think this was just diva-like behavior, and I’m sure producers and recording company about died at the spot a couple of times when she said things along the lines of “we need to start over” or “it’s going to take a few more months.” But they waited, and it was GOOD.

DON’T BUY JUST WHAT IS TRENDING AS YOUR PLAN

I don’t have anything about feel-good pop songs. I cannot say we disregard influences and what others are doing. Adele even said that she was inspired by the sound of one of Taylor Swift’s 1989 songs to look for the producer and have him work with her. But the biggest asset sold in an Adele song always ends up being what SHE is SINGING. Yes, I used capital letters, because it is her voice, intention, emotion, and what she actually says that makes a simple word like “Hello” so powerful. She has a new look, she has good music, she has amazing production, but she also has a couple songs, “Million Years Ago” and “All I Ask”, where  her voice and an instrument do the trick. She knows what she’s selling, and so does her team. No dance versions, remixes, collaborations, covers, etcétera needed. (Again I’m not against these, I’m just emphasizing all the strategies that we claim we need, and that prove they are helpful tools, but not necessary elements with Adele’s success).  She did not need a huge scandal, just as she dos not need to appear nude or pose sexy. We are being sold good music performed by a great emotion-packed singer, and the audience is just showing their appreciation worldwide with sold-out shows and this diamond recognition.

MAKE HONEST MUSIC

As audience, as well as music critics, we know that what she is singing is authentic. We feel the love for her child as she sings “Sweetest Devotion”, we were brought to tears listening to some of her songs like “When We Were Young”, “Remedy”, “Love in The Dark”, and “All I Ask” because we can hear the honesty and experiences that travel through the sound. She chokes up on stage, and we know it is real because we feel the same when we listen. She did it since 19, she nailed it in 21, but 25 gave all the audience wanted and more, that is why she is getting all this noise and recognition. She did not need to win “Best Video of the Year” in the VMA’s, because the one video everyone was talking about some months ago, and still recalls continues to be “Hello” with or without a moonman. 

 We do not need to rush music and create “what works” for it to be a success. If we continue those strategies, then we go back to “the industry is dying”, “music does not sell anymore”, and all the fatalistic views that lead us away from a basic truth. Music will just “work” if we load it up with formulas and to-do’s. Music trascends when we remember it is an art, and should be performed by artists who pour their soul into it, and that managers, producers, and recording companies are there to enable them to do so and make a living off of it so they can continue creating.

Dear diary,

Politics and public figures… Should they be involved? As far as history tells us, there has always been a bit of a connection between artists, and famous people with politics. The list can go as far back as the Greek, where the authors of democracy also brought to you anywhere from legends to poetry and theater, or closer to the times of John Lennon and Muhammed Ali’s stand on war.

Those of us who work behind the scenes and make sure that the words and deeds of our represented go hand in hand with the plans we have for their future, know that politics becomes the one thing we try to keep away. However, there is a point where our artists cannot keep their distance. There are times when playing partial deprives them from their basic obligation to use their voice, image, and persona to serve a purpose beyond sales, merchandising, and sponsorship.    

The truth is, if we have done our job correctly, people are paying attention at our artists’ every move. They trust their judgment, and expect them to have an opinion about the issues that surround them. So sooner or later, they will have an actual opinion about something serious, and if they do so, then they must get as much information as possible before voicing an opinion. Stopping them from serious talk is not our job, preparing them for when they have to give an opinion is. 

You have to take time to get to know your artists or represented talent. Have them share with you their interests and concerns, so that you can assist them with the way they can state their opinions and get involved in the things that matter to them. Make sure that whatever strategies you design for your artist are true to their essence and nature from the beginning of your business relationship. Get to know your represented, what they stand for and where they may draw the line between strategy and will. Their will may draw them far away from your strategy, even before you attempt to talk about big issues. If that is the case, if they cannot work with the basics, do not even try to go further. Talk, a lot, enough to get the right notion of what they mean every time they talk, and what triggers their anger, frustration, or inspiration. When you get that down, you will be ready to face reality, politics, and any other issues that may come along the way.

Dear diary,

For years I’ve been talking about the ‘orphans’ in the music industry. I refer as orphans to those artists that are created through reality shows and thrown into an industry without any support system or strategy. They live in a void delusion of fame, where people would expect popularity to be the single key element for a music career. However, that is not the case, many more elements go into a true career in music, popularity only being a weak link and a bit of an illusion in this game.

However, it is not only artists that become orphans of our system and industry. Songs become the lone orphans of the music industry day after day. Some, because, as any songwriter knows, they just don’t find someone who will sing or perform them. But many others, even when they have found the right match in an artist, album, soundtrack, or others, just die out of sight and out of play because they never see the light of an audience. And yes, part of it as with anything is part of life and an evolution process. But some of it happens out our own responsibility.

If we chose to be part of this industry, and are willing to do whatever it takes to make our music happen, we must fight for our creations. We cannot expect a music hit to happen out of luck, chance or the magic intervention of a multimedia corporation or recording company. The most important element of promotion of any song is its creator or creators. The people involved in the project are the first and most essential actors of a promotion campaign. With or without a promotion team or strategy, singers, producers, or bands who step back from the promotion stage of their art, just because they have to “continue creating” are being part of this system that produces way too much of something simply because it can, but not because it has any intention or purpose.

Are you one of those songwriters who continue composing but do not do much to make those songs find a band or singer to bring them to life?

Are you one of those bands who make new music without promoting the EP you released a month ago?

Are you one of those singers who keep making duets but do not engage on social media or joint promotion and release strategies with your colleagues?

Are you too busy performing to promote your recordings?