EDITOR’S NOTE: The following article is in no way a reflection of my feelings toward the band that inspired it. They are simply responsible for getting my brain moving.

A young band that recently began following this blog approached me for advice on how to ensure that their upcoming record would be successful. They’re only searching for guidance on how to maximize the impact of their album, but it got me thinking about all the bands I’ve met that lamented their lack of success; usually with a series of rhetorical questions and blame shifting. Nine times out of ten, they’re forgetting step number one: be relevant. Instead of asking why you’re not successful, ask, “Why should anyone give a shit about my music? Why should I be successful?”

I hate to take the soul out of music (actually I think major labels and commercial radio have already done a pretty good job of that), but it’s important to think of your band in business terms. Companies that thrive do so because they play a specific market role, satisfy a demand, and do it better than the competition.

An easy example is the Facebook/Myspace analogy. A few years ago, Myspace was a huge web sensation. Now, a short time later, Facebook is surging in popularity while Myspace languishes in a downward spiral of lost revenue and abandoned profiles. Why the switch? Myspace is unattractive, difficult to navigate,and full of glitches and spam. In short, it is a crappy user experience. Facebook on the other hand is sleek and simple, and rarely malfunctions. Both sites offer the same core service, but one does it significantly better than the other.

It is important to constantly evaluate your work with the following questions:

1)    What role do my songs play in the current musical climate?

2)    Is there demand for what I’m doing?

3)    Why should listeners choose me over the competition?

4)    How do I make this song/part/record better?

If you can answer these questions and still feel relevant then you might be on to something. Besting the competition and satisfying market demand are not new or revolutionary concepts. Yet musicians are such a self-important lot that they lose track of how business works. The truth is that you do not deserve anything and nobody cares about you. If you want fans, you need to give your audience a reason to listen to you. Supply a product (aka your music) that satisfies a demand (aka the desire to hear awesome fucking music), and then be the best at it.

Shit, I should’ve gone to business school!