A lot of people think that all you have to do to get famous is get close to the top on American Idol. That's certainly an avenue that didn't exist years before, but there have always been talent shows.
Even with the popularity of American Idol, I have to say Idol is not and cannot be the de-facto standard by which (I hope) we all measure talent. First of all, there's the age limit. There are so many rising stars and excellent budding artists and performers in this country and all over the world that don't fall into that age range that Idol is only scratching the surface of worthwhile aspiring talent.
And let's keep things in perspective: Idol is an entertainment show. Their objective is to provide entertainment in the form of a hit show - not to 'create new artists'. They depend on ratings to stay on the air. Some would say-- isn't that (the popularity of the show and it's good ratings) a true measure of the performer's talent?
No - it's just a measure of a well-orchestrated hit show. The performer's talent is not really the objective of the show - rather - keeping the show on the air and it's ability to sell advertising is what's important to the producers and investors who fund it. Just like any other show on TV.
I have to say from my own experience that long-term success in the music business does not revolve around the age 15-20-ish kids that you see performing from week to week on Idol. Not that they aren't good... and not that for that small snapshot in time they haven't (in a way) proven their ability to be a draw... even though the venue actually generates that. Certainly most of those who make the top 12 are capable singers and they will have incoming opportunities from record producers and MTV and all... and maybe they will get a real career going - IF they don't get sucked down the wrong path...
At the end of the day, it's a tough business, and that's the side of it the rest of us don't see.
My point is, there is no replacement for experience. People think its some sort of fairy tale golden plate and spoon - that everyone will just hand you everything you'll ever want for the rest of your life once you reach that point on idol where you have industry recognition. Such is hardly the case...
If you do end up being an artist and live performer as a career for real - it's not going to be glamour and success handed to you on a silver platter just because you came in at the top (or close to the top) of an American Idol competition.
When you get to the point where the top 6 find themselves each season, you've got a good chance to get called for record deals, sure... but then you better be able to 'put up or shut up'. You've got to hack it through some boot-camp-like A&R 'development' and then instantly adapt to being on the road. Now the work begins - and it ain't a good time to be needy... even if you're only 15.
Something about audiences and longevity... Even those who win (or make it close) on Idol are mostly appealing to a 14-25 year old audience. That's cool if you're 14-25... hell yes! But to make it in this business across several decades and to maintain mass appeal across audiences of all-ages requires an ability to seriously compete on a massive scale - hitting the circuits... day after day, week after week. All of them - east coast, west coast, Reno, Tahoe, Vegas, New York, Atlantic City, Europe, Japan, international resort circuits, and everywhere in between.
It's a tight tour schedule, it's a blazing roller coaster, and you have no time to be moody or tired or even to think about how it feels. You will be running on very little sleep - all the time. They will drag you out of your bunk and shove you on that stage if that's the only choice you leave them, with barely time to clear your poor, hoarse throat.
When you arrive backstage at the shows: nobody cares what you look like or how you sound. They only care that you fulfill the contract - and you will - no matter what it takes. Your inconvenience or feelings or mood or heath or scratchy voice thing or petty problems are of no concern to a stage manager or tour boss. They don't care, and they don't want to hear it. You're on, babe. And you better shut up and be ready for cue.
Next: To make it through more than one tour, YOU must consistently generate a DRAW. The moment you fail to do that more than once at a large venue, you're freakin' toast. Those empty seats cost someone a lot of money. They were counting on YOU to fill them.
What money there is in the music business (if you are not a chart-topping 20-year-old artist) is made on the road-- and if you can also sell recordings that's gravy but you can never bet on that, especially these days.
The whole industry has changed in this new MP3 era to a model where the emphasis is on live performances... which are pod-casted all over the place and excerpts sold online as teasers to get fans to buy your single or the EP, or subscribe to members-only fan sites, buy promotional merchandise and all that good stuff... but mostly to get them to your next show.
I can tell you from experience that being on the road for a long time is tough - only suitable to those who have a true obsession for the music and working a crowd and those who can handle being on the road long enough to consistently generate filled seats. And then turn around and do it again the next day, town after town, over and over again, week after week, month after month.
I've been singing for live audiences since I was 12. Believe me - that was a long time ago. More years have passed since I was 12 than some of you who are reading this have even been alive. The music business is a hell of a lot more hard work than it is fun most of the time. But at the end of the day - you either bust your hump for it or you get knocked aside by those who will. You pretty much have to like it a lot to survive that.
Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=384707&ca=Entertainment
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