When trying to promote yourself in music (or any discipline, really), there are always many extra-musical things to consider. I’ve referenced many of these in previous posts: advertising and promotion, booking, finances, image, etc. These are all important. However, what matters most is ultimately the music. This much is obvious. Or is it?

I’ve recently been struggling with such a dilemma firsthand with some colleagues. From the beginning of our collaboration, a significant portion of discussion – at times the majority – has centered around marketing, image, and meaning. This is something I’m generally apathetic about, as I tend to not get wrapped up in the lore and celebrity. It does have its place, though, so I understand the need to discuss it. However, months later, everyone is finally realizing that with all of the “necessary tools” (e.g., business cards, online presence, name, etc.), we often find ourselves lacking one thing: audience. Why? Well, it depends on who you ask. In my opinion, though, it’s because our primary focus has not been on musical, ostensibly our reason for getting together in the first place.

Tangible items will get you only so far before people ultimately base their decision on the following criteria: I either like the music or I don’t. At the end of the day, any reasonable listener will choose the music over image, symbol, or story. Instead of focusing our efforts on promoting the music first via live performances in proper venues (a topic I’ll soon return to) and sending the music to as many people as possible, we decided to build the brand first and the product second. (While being a regular dissenter of this approach, I ultimately went along with it in some fashion and am definitely guilty if for no other reason than association.)

I have seen this happen all too often, and it has resulted in very little each time. The cultivation of any sort of following is based upon the following: a focus on the core product, and time to grow. Without these, you end up with a whole lotta brand and very little product.