Question – Should I do everything to differentiate My Music or should I Work on my Talent and Look?
The key to working in any environment is to be able to multi-task and work on multiple levels at the same time.
Obviously there needs to be sound rationale behind the logic of what you’re doing but provided that you’ve got a game plan and a strategy for moving forward, it seems like any band should really be working on all three things at the same time.
If you think about it, working on your “talent and look” and differentiating your music all fit under the one roof – They are all related to ways that allow you to stand out from the crowd and distinguish yourself or your band from the rest of the pack.
So in truth, it would make sense that all three are considered and executed in tandem as they all play into each other.
For example, your look will always need to compliment your music. A death metal band will never have a photo shoot wearing white tee-shirts. Their fans will think they are mad!
Additionally, they must also realize that if they pose for a photo shoot bearing all their tattoos and give over a typical “death metal” band look where they look like they just killed five people, most death metal band lovers will generally assume that their music is lame, boring and just like the others.
However if you take bands and artists like Slipknot and Marilyn Manson- they have been highly successful at differentiating their music from the other artists in their genre and at the same time developed a particular look and feel that stands out from the crowd.
It’s also not one or the other – their music coupled with their look and image are unique. Their look and image compliments the quirkiness of their music aswell.
Alot of thought and consideration goes into the execution of the creative development and music of these artists.
However in such a hyper competitive market like the music business, it’s so important to make sure that both your music coupled with your look and talent not only compliments each other but also stands out from the crowd.
As the world gets faster and the competition heats up quicker, one will realize very quickly that time is not on your side, which means multi-tasking is more preferable.
The obvious starting point in this area is to really understand your market, know what they want and discover the best way to deliver them your art both in audio format and physically.
Another point to add to this idea is that in today’s world, people can smell a rat from a mile away. If you spend all your time looking good and fitting the part, but it all falls apart once you start playing the songs, your career will end faster than you were able to hit the stage.
The core asset of this business is based around having a great song to share with people.
The moment you start focusing on other things outside of writing amazing songs, you will start missing the point.
There is nothing wrong with developing all your other selling and marketing attributes at the same time however a band or artists should never ever cease working on making their music and songs timeless hits.
The all encompassing process of differentiating your music and defining your look and image is ultimately a never ending creative process.
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