As a musician, do you consider yourself an entertainer?

[Peggy]

If you perform your music for an audience of 1 or more and/or record and distribute your music, do you consider yourself an entertainer? 

 

Or asked another way;

 

If you are wanting those that like or appreicate your music, to be fans or enthusiasts of your musical endeavors, do you consider yourself an entertainer?

 

Whether you do or don't consider yourself, as a musician, an entertainer it would be interesting to know why or any other thoughts you have about it.

 

 

 

[john]

Absolutely, I am an entertainer, but that is not all I am.

 

Often when this, and other topics, are invoked, people talk in absolutes. I am this. I am not that. I think the truth is more complicated than that. While some think that they are there to entertain everyone or they aren’t there to entertain anyone, I think that any song I do might entertain a segment of the audience it will not entertain all the audience. Equally a different song of mine might entertain an entirely different audience. I am not duty bound to entertain a specific audience segment, though it might be wise to focus my effort on a segment in order to build my audience. It gets interesting for artists when they get towards self-censoring because of appeal. All artists do this, only the degree varies. Amount might vary, and other reasons may be given to hide behind, but main purpose or side effect/net effect still means the content output is filtered.

 

For example, unfiltered behind the scenes videos. Of course they are filtered.

 

Still, musicians are there to entertain. They are also there to elicit emotional response. They amplify what songs mean, and the depth of meaning. They don’t absolutely need to agree with the message, concept or emotion conveyed by a song they perform on, but maybe if you disagree with the message of the works you perform on, you should change band or change material.

 

As a writer performer I don’t face that dilemma. I face others pretty full on though…

 

I depend on my music income. I definitely want my songs to resonate with someone. Overall I want them to be entertained by my body of work… apart from anything else appeal has an effect on how much I earn, and I want to eat and stay warm, just like the next guy. However, many of my songs are focused on issues that mean something to me, and I want people to connect with the issues as much as my song. I want my songs to be thought provoking. I want people to have a reaction to them. The issues might be governance or greed or mental health or social status. I realise we’ve been going through a desert when it comes to songs about social issues, but that is where songwriters and musicians etc are more than one thing to society, even if some thought police elements keep trying to get us to fit into specific boxes.

 

I view our role much the same as the bard of times past. We entertain. We spread news. We shine a light. We provoke. We challenge. We hold a mirror up to society. We do all these things and more. It is my choice where that balance lies for me personally. That position does change. It is not my job to tell anyone else where they stand in all these roles, if asked, I would happily discuss it with anyone. All we can or should ever do is to shine a light and let others make up their own mind.

 

Specifically on entertainment, how could we not be entertainers? If we accept that role, really, we should largely accept what goes with it, even if we don’t leave it unchallenged. So, for example, if we accept we are there to, in part, entertain, then we should care about our audience demographic. If we don’t our exposure could be entirely to the wrong demographic. That doesn’t entertain anyone, or realistically encourage people with different views to embrace our perspective.

 

If we embrace audience demographics then we have to accept growing our listener base. We then have to be aware of where we draw lines and where there is a possibility of differences of views… and that is massively dependent on topics of songs. We match songs to audience and most of our listeners should be happy. This should be a truth for our tribe. It is not a bad word.

 

There is no right answer. There are answers that are mostly right for most creators. Truth is, I am largely tolerant of all views other than views of forced intolerance, which is pretty ironic.

 

So yes, entertainer, but not only an entertainer, not an entertainer at all costs. Sometimes it is our most important role, at others, our least important role. It is something each of us should choose, and keep on choosing. That means, personally, I would always recommend informed choice. Be smart, learn.