There are plenty of talented musicians and writers in the world and most of them couldn't get pissed on if they were on fire. Technical ability has little, if anything, to do with music business success.
There is no relationship to being a good musician and getting paid. Getting paid comes through good marketing...whether you do it or somebody else does it for you.
Worked with a successful side musician who had done well for years playing for other people. Wanted to go out on his own and borrowed money to do it thinking that because he'd been in the business working for other people who had done well and he did well with them, that he'd do just as well on his own and be able to keep more of the money, get more attention, etc.
And the people who gave him money thought so also.
So this guy borrowed some money, started up his own thing, and before I came along, was dying.
Success in the music business is a lot more than simply playing, singing, or writing well. You've got to be good with management and you've got to be good with marketing.
Most musicians/songwriters go about this backwards and focus on the quality product. While that's great for customer retention, it's not going to help you get the sale initially. Marketing first, quality later.
There are plenty of people with superior technical skills that are resentful of this. They've bought into the belief that technical skills or a better product is the key to the game. But having superior technical skills or a better product doesn't help you to get customers...marketing does.
As we all know, there are plenty of lame records that are at the top of Billboard. That proves the point.
I read an article today which said that most parents don't know their own kids are fat. Why? So many people are fat that it's become the norm.
Same for music. People don't know what exceptional talent is because we're not used to it. We think Destiny's Child or Ashlee Simpson is the norm.
And a lot of great musicians are pissed about that.
What they should be doing, rather than being so pissed, is to go get superior marketing to match their superior technical skills.
If you've got a superior product, you'll kill the average stuff with good marketing.

