You and Fame/Celebrity

[john]

Hi Gang

 

As some of the members no doubt know, despite long delays in me actually getting around to releasing music, I am keen to connect with an audience for my music, but I have never been interested in fame. At least, not since I was a teenager. I love playing, being on stage, connecting with an audience, and I am perfectly happy with making a living from music, but I am definitely not interested in the whole cult of celebrity.

 

I had a very, very minor taste of what it must be like, getting recognised when out for a meal or a drink, or at a party, with strangers staring at you, being interrupted when talking with friends, and I just didn’t enjoy it. Don’t get me wrong, I love talking to people who like my music at gigs etc. But there is a big difference between talking to people at a gig and the total evaporation of any semblance of privacy that you might have had.

 

How do you feel about fame/celebrity? How does it fit or not fit with your ambition for your music? I’m not just starting a topic for having a topic sake. I’m interested in discussing this and seeking out different perspectives.

 

Cheers

 

John

[MisterB]

I am about as introverted as it gets. I have no desire for fame, recognition or attention. Give me a background to blend in with and I'm comfortable. I guess from that perspective, being a songwriter is where it's at, if you don't actually perform those songs.

 

I have played on stage, and I've enjoyed playing to larger audiences in the past, but I don't even have any desire for that these days. 

 

I guess the closest I get to it, is that although I like to be anonymous visually, I do like people to associate work with my name and style, while leaving mystery over who I actually am. Wonder if that makes any sense at all?

[john]

Where do you stand with pen names? That would be a proxy for you that would keep people at more of a distance… or is your name being associated with it that important? 

[MisterB]

9 hours ago, john said:

Where do you stand with pen names? That would be a proxy for you that would keep people at more of a distance… or is your name being associated with it that important? 

Not a bad idea, but chances are I'd either pick a name that for some reason or another doesn't work forcing me to change it or abandon it after a few months or I'd forget what it is. LOL. No special need to associate with my real name, but also I think, no need to make use of one.  Kind of like the idea of added mystery though. 

[john]

5 hours ago, MisterB said:

Not a bad idea, but chances are I'd either pick a name that for some reason or another doesn't work forcing me to change it or abandon it after a few months or I'd forget what it is. LOL. No special need to associate with my real name, but also I think, no need to make use of one.  Kind of like the idea of added mystery though. 

It also is liberating, it frees you from confirming with your norms, what people expect of you. You have a perceived additional freedom. We all have boundaries that we impose on ourselves because of how others see us.

[MisterB]

22 hours ago, john said:

It also is liberating, it frees you from confirming with your norms, what people expect of you. You have a perceived additional freedom. We all have boundaries that we impose on ourselves because of how others see us.

Yeah, I get what you mean. Something to think about. I think there are downsides as well as up. I'll have to put together a balance sheet.

 

[john]

14 hours ago, MisterB said:

Yeah, I get what you mean. Something to think about. I think there are downsides as well as up. I'll have to put together a balance sheet.

 

 

Now that would be an interesting exercise!

[VoiceEx]

I enjoy what little privacy we have left in these modern times, and being able to go outside without a needing a security team. So, yeah, that's a HELL NO from me 🤣

 

Besides. Earning enough to support a family and live comfortably does not require reaching celebrity status. To put that in perspective, anywhere that’s home to more than 7,500, but less than 175,000 people, is categorized as either a small, medium or large town. If you crunch those numbers, its not a bad place to be (fan wise). Who needs an empire 👍

[john]

17 hours ago, VoiceEx said:

I enjoy what little privacy we have left in these modern times, and being able to go outside without a needing a security team. So, yeah, that's a HELL NO from me 🤣

 

Besides. Earning enough to support a family and live comfortably does not require reaching celebrity status. To put that in perspective, anywhere that’s home to more than 7,500, but less than 175,000 people, is categorized as either a small, medium or large town. If you crunch those numbers, its not a bad place to be (fan wise). Who needs an empire 👍

 

The 1000 True Fan Theory is something I had at the back of my mind before it was written up and posted online where it crystallised my own ideas. It wonderfully expresses the concept:

 

If you can get 1000 True Fans, spending $100 per year on your music + merch, that’s $100,000 per year.

 

The truth is also that if you have 1000 True Fans, you will likely have 4000+ people on the True Fan Journey. They will be spending Somewhere between $1 - $99 per year with you. It is achievable, if that is what you want to do.

[VoiceEx]

21 hours ago, john said:

The 1000 True Fan Theory is something I had at the back of my mind before it was written up and posted online where it crystallised my own ideas. It wonderfully expresses the concept:

 

If you can get 1000 True Fans, spending $100 per year on your music + merch, that’s $100,000 per year.

 

The truth is also that if you have 1000 True Fans, you will likely have 4000+ people on the True Fan Journey. They will be spending Somewhere between $1 - $99 per year with you. It is achievable, if that is what you want to do.

 

Yeah I completely agree. The math is solid and it doable 👍 In fact, it somewhat reminds me of a theory I had back in the 90's about the future of music and content creation, which turned out to be somewhat true. Please, allow me to share it with you. I've called it: "The Age of Med" (as in mediocrity) 😅

 

The TLDR of that theory went like this:

The rapid advancements in technology, coupled with the damage caused by digital piracy, will set the stage for the rise of independent musicians. Industries will toss and turn, reshaping existing models in an attempt to combat the idea of free music, and the fact that all manners of production will be made easier to access overtime, to the point where anyone will be able to make music and push it by themselves. Even none-musicians.

 

And since everyone can join the party, the "good enough" will supersede the exceptional. The unprecedented abundance of products and brands will also reach a point where almost anything will become marketable. Which means that both companies and fans alike will flock towards wherever the winds blows, at a moments notice.

 

And since an individual is more likely to invoke a sense of 'trust', or, I should say, at least more than a greedy company would, it will normalize and popularize the concept of a 'content creator'. And in doing so, this process would overtime drill the idea of operating as a place of business into our culture. Concepts that where previously inaccessible to the average Joe, will be expected.

 

People taking sponsorships, doing endorsements, crowdfunding (etc), this wasn't always the norm. Doors which were previously closed will have seemingly open for everyone. That was the core of my theory.

 

A massive paradigm shift in approach and culture that will stand on the back of authenticity and relatability as a new golden standard (while also fostering a long term deficit through over saturation). An age where even those who would have otherwise failed miserably, may find success.

Edited June 25 by VoiceEx