What Makes Artists and Musicians Successful?

© 2015 Vinny Ribas

As with any business, those who ‘make it’ tend to have a number of things in common. These range from what they know and how they think to who they surround themselves with. Here are a few short things every successful artist and musicians has in their tool belt.

1. A Professional Mentor – Every successful artist has someone they can turn to for help, guidance and advice when they need it. For some this is their manager. For others it is a friend who has more experience in the industry. No one can do and know everything alone. Most importantly, it helps to have someone be completely objective when it comes to making choices and decisions that affect the artist’s fans, band members, team members and even their family.
2. A Personal Mentor – I believe every person should have a personal mentor in their life. This is someone who helps keep them honest and true to their values and ethics. It is someone who helps them overcome personal challenges and keeps them focus on the positive. This person can be a personal coach, a family member or a dear friend.
3. A Burning Desire – This goes beyond just wanting to be a successful musician. It transcends the common desires of the masses of singers and musicians who are ‘hoping for a big break’. It is the hunger that makes them willing to do whatever it takes within their moral and ethical boundaries to reach their music goals.
4. An ‘I Will Not Be Denied’ Attitude – The music industry can be brutal. It is overrun with inflated egos and artistic temperaments. Artists bear their souls and wear their hearts on their sleeves, and then face constant rejection. Only those who refuse to be defeated can survive and thrive in such an environment.
5. A Realistic Assessment Of Themselves – Artists who ‘make it’ do so because they know who they are and what they excel in. They then push and promote those qualities and characteristics and use them as the basis for their marketing. They also know where they are weaker and determine ways to downplay, mitigate or overcome those weaknesses. In other words, they never exaggerate or make false claims. That way they always deliver on their promises.
6. A Hunger To Learn and Improve – Successful artists know that there the best way to stay ahead of the pack is to constantly grow as a person, a businessperson and as an artist. The vast majority of artists who become stagnant do so because they stop growing, choosing to rest on their talents and past accomplishments.
7. A Willingness To Push The Envelope – In order for an artist to grow he or she must be willing to take chances and calculated risks. These happen both on and off stage. It is obvious when an artist adds a new flavor to their music without alienating their current fans. If an artist seems to get better or put on a better show every time you see them perform, it’s because they are stretching a little bit more. When an artist stops pushing himself out of his comfort zone, he loses the element of surprise and anticipation – two qualities that keep fans coming back for more.
8. A Team – Every successful artist has people to help them, beginning with their family, friends and fans and working up to a full management and booking team. In order to accomplish this and keep everyone motivated and on board, artists must learn to become great leaders. Great things happen when everyone on a team is working in harmony and for a single purpose.

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