THE RECORD INDUSTRY ISN’T WHAT IT USED TO BE. For the most part, with some money and a little ingenuity it’s relatively easy for just about anyone to go into a studio and create a record, but, as I was forewarned by a good friend, “That’s the easy part. Marketing and sales are the key.” After nearly 30 years in this business, I’d have to say he’s right. Marketing, or the lack thereof, is also where some of the best projects live, die or are never heard.
As a mostly independent artist who has recorded six CDs, I’m often asked when I will record my next project. When I hear that question, I can’t help but feel a sense of urgency to get into the studio and start recording. I think the contention is that churning out new songs is the best way to stay relevant, to let everybody know you’re still kicking. But as an artist whose work is still new to billions who have not yet heard or purchased my existing music, I say if six records fall in the forest and they haven’t made a sound (at least not the uproarious sound many of my fans say they deserve), the solution isn’t cutting down more records, but rather picking up their fruit and taking them to the market.
I’m reminded of many #legendaryartists who hit their stride with what many consider to be their best or most notable work. They kept recording or kept creating, as I surely will but will forever be known for what their audiences deemed their greatest work. Consider Michael Jackson’s Thriller, Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life, or Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill—all great work. But what if they had not been widely heard or sold simply because of limited marketing budgets? Would that have made them any less genius or any less appreciated if these albums were released for the very first time today? I certainly don’t think so.
So, rest assured that I’ll never stop creating, but for now I’m gonna hang my hat on records like The Greatest Song I Ever Sang, Ain't No Telling, How Can I Make You Mine and Rhythms & the Blues and on songs that I know my fans and radio stations are still playing and enjoying, like "The Power Of Your Love", “Everybody’s Dancin’,” “That's All That Matters To Me” and “If I Should Get To Heaven.” I think you’ll still find your place in the groove.
