Hi,

For 12 years, I worked at an independent record label turned entertainment company helping artists and creators market themselves, grow their brand, and monetize.

After stepping away from that role back in late May and reflecting on my years of experience, one idea I’ve been thinking about is pattern recognition. What are the patterns I’ve observed that make for a successful rollout? What are the character traits of the artists and their teams who succeed vs the artists who don’t? Why is that? I thought it’d be worth dedicating a full newsletter issue to some of the patterns I’ve recognized.

Let's get into it below.

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This newsletter highlights:

Let's dive in ⬇️

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Before diving in, it’s worth prefacing that from what I’ve observed, success in the music and creator industry is actually mostly a game of inches. Tying in my last newsletter about Chop Wood, Carry Water, it’s doing the small things (that might feel boring in the moment) over and over for a long period of time consistently.

While many think that long-lasting careers are the result of some massive moment or break-through (in some cases they are while the majority aren’t), most people don’t realize the micro steps and decisions that lead up to that. I’ve noticed this in everyone from emerging artists with 200 Instagram followers to legendary artists who have made tens of millions of dollars. So much of it actually comes down to doing a few things really well, with some of them maybe even seeming a bit obvious.

This probably isn’t a surprise to many people but it’s worth kicking off at #1 - everything starts with the artist’s vision.

This actually might be the single highest differentiator in artists and creators that find success and those who don’t. Yes…some artists don’t have this and catch a one-off (or a few viral songs on social media) but in terms of building a lasting brand, this is one of the most important pieces.

And for the record…it’s okay if the artist and their team don’t know what this is initially. Or maybe they do and it evolves over time and changes. But without knowing this, they are very much shooting in the dark without a North Star.

Everything can be reverse-engineered from having this vision.

Some of you are going to read this and think “no shit Mike” lol but hear me out. You’d actually be surprised how many artists and teams aren’t proactive. The ones I see winning focus on playing offense. They are constantly looking to create opportunities for themselves and push the ball forward - even if its a small play or just a few inches, its still movement in the right direction.

For example:

I’ve literally watched some artists will their way to success because they just wanted it more than the next person.

I can be guilty of this one (I gotta be honest here lol) but mannn this one kills me! Responding to text messages, emails, social media DMs, etc in a timely manner. Getting back to people when you say you will. Much of this one falls on the artist team (ie management, operations, marketing, etc).

It’s amazing how much ground you can cover by just being responsive and organized.

Without rushing, moving with speed and urgency can be a game changer. I’ve watched as artists missed out on potentially career-defining opportunities because they didn’t turn something in fast enough. You hear about it all the time publicly…an artist has the opportunity to be featured on another artist’s song or album and doesn’t turn in the verse in time…then that song goes on to explode and become a meaningful song in that artist’s career.

Those are the differences! Yes…sometimes, it’s a bigger piece (which we’ll get to in a second) but a lot of the time it’s moving with urgency.

This one is nuanced and layered and I could write an entire newsletter dedicated to it but artists need a system. I’m actually watching as more and more artists are developing their own Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

Essentially, it’s their structure and system for how they approach all of the different parts of their career. It can be a simple checklist that lives in a Google Doc and outlines how they approach shooting music videos, content, preparing for a shot, working with a new artist, traveling, etc.

Part of what makes the music industry so confusing + convoluted is how fragmented everything is…each “category” of an artist’s career has its own rules, blueprint, and nuance:

Having a framework for how you approach those things not only helps your internal team but also external people that you work with. There’s definitely a balance between being super creative but also having structure and staying organized.

The artists who build real businesses have the ability to scale their efforts. In its simplest terms, it means they can repeat what they do over and over and over by logistical and economic means.

I see so many artists over-invest into specific music videos, a project, or even mixing + mastering. I’ve met artists who spend $2-3k to mix and master one song and as a result have the financial means to only put out a few songs per year.

While being happy with how the music sounds is important, it’s also important to be able to scale. If the current landscape rewards consistency, could you realistically do that multiple times in a year? How much does content cost to make? How much does it cost to rehearse for a show? How much does it cost to record? Being able to scale normally means having a system for how to repeat those things over time and grow.

This might come across as antithetical to what I just mentioned but I promise it’s not. One thing most successful artists and teams have is the ability to be nimble:

a) They’re not set in their ways. They adapt quickly and are constantly learning and evolving based on the current landscape. They are down to experiment and try different things as long as it’s on brand. They’re open to new technology, ways of thinking, branding, etc. They act as a sponge and are constantly learning and seeing how they can get better.

b) They pivot when something isn’t working. They have a plan and give themselves time to see that plan through but if things aren’t working after enough time to collect substantial evidence, they are willing to adjust as necessary as opposed to being set in their ways.

The most durable artist careers excel at brand-building and world-building. Larry June. Tyler, the Creator. Drake. Samara Cyn. They take pride in their brand and ability to stand for something, both visually and in their music.

They excel at building worlds and creative throughlines in their campaigns - these not only help stand out from the rest of the industry but also make fans feel connected.

This one might upset some people but some of the most successful artists and creators I’ve ever met aren’t even necessarily more talented - they’re just flat out willing to play the game better than other people. They completely remove their ego and do what is best for their career.

They realize it’s not always about what they do or don’t want to do (or how big the opportunity is or isn’t) as long as it’s for the better good of their career and the long term vision. This could be playing the streaming game with releasing music, touring, the content they create, how they approach relationships, etc.

I’ve watched artists say they’re not playing the streaming game (meaning dropping often and putting out a lot of music) and will drop when they feel like it, only to disappear into the void and become signficantly less relevant over time while other less talented artists find more success.

Not everyone will agree with this but this is one of the common threads I see amongst successful artists - there is usually someone on the team with some sort of experience or background in the industry. It’s rare that an artist builds their entire career on their own without any help from anyone in the industry.

It’s def been done before but is the exception to the norm. The industry is so nuanced and specific that having someone on your team with at least some background knowledge (even if it’s in just one area, it doesn’t have to be many) can be a massive asset. They might have relationships, knowledge about how something works, or simply a perspective on things that comes from experience.

Now…having industry experience shouldn’t be a prerequisite to building your team but it certainly can be helpful.

This certainly isn’t one-size fits all and there are outliers, but these are just some of the observations I’ve noticed through hundreds (if not thousands) of rollouts in my career.

Hopefully this was helpful on your journey.

Thanks for reading, until next time.

P.S. If you're an independent artist, manager, or music company looking to get a release off the ground in the next few months, I'd love to potentially help you. I'm also looking for feedback from newsletter members on what you're working on and where you're stuck. Tell me what you're working on HERE.