Are Music Artists Destroying Their Own Careers?

One of our previous posts titled Why Artists Should Stop Releasing New Music received more backlash than we could've imagined. Many musicians and lovers of the craft took the floor in the comment section sharing their opinions. In contrast, others collectively expressed their dislike for the post and AsheQ Music. Most readers may have misinterpreted our message within the thread; we will clarify our point while also uncovering why this mentality is destructive to artists' careers in today's industry.

Let's get to the bottom of the article that set everyone off; if you haven't read it, head over to Why Artists Should Stop Releasing New Music to get up to speed. Judging by what the comments said on our Facebook page, we gathered that readers thought we were encouraging artists' to stop releasing new music until the end. We were explicitly referencing the release of new music consistently within short periods. We also didn't clarify that the article targeted artists who wanted to increase revenue and RIO per release. We admit we could have been more specific with the details, but what shocked us more was the overall perspectives within the thread.

We expected readers of the article to disagree with it, but their reasoning remained unclear until now. A few commenters advocated that artists should release music as they please due to creative expression; others claimed that modern music has become irrelevant because it doesn't embody the essence of music from previous generations. Another group stated they only create music for their love of it; the rest contended the demand for new music had depleted and called us crazy. After thoroughly reading each comment, we've concluded that most artists haven't the slightest clue what they are doing. We believe that this is the number one cause of unsuccessful careers in music.

We will respond to the perspective opinions above in future articles; for now, we will cover how the artist's mindset may be destructive to their careers. Most recording artists emerging into the industry today have little to no experience in the music industry or knowledge of any business model or system, forming their roadblocks when entering the business. Aside from artists who exclusively make music to express their passion, most intend to make money, whether they admit it. Making money in music is no easy feat, especially if artists lack what is needed to sell music to consumers effectively.

Artists appear to be confused, assuming that because music is a form of creativity, they don't need structure to succeed in the business. Every business needs a well-structured system to survive and thrive; the music business is no exception. Major labels and streaming companies are successful for these reasons, or they wouldn't be worth billions. Many would argue that record labels and streaming platforms exploit artists and have controlled the music industry since its formation; on the contrary, none of these entities possess power that hasn't been granted to them by artists. When dissecting the careers of those who lash out, we find individuals complaining about a problem without moving toward the solution. Thus the immediate halt and the progressive destruction of their careers.

After years of working closely with very talented artists throughout the USA, we found that the number one source of failure is a lack of preparation, poor execution, and no follow-through.