I’m killing a bunch of time at a hotel in Valdosta, GA and just finished watching the 30 Seconds To Mars documentary called Artifact. I’m a couple years behind. Should you watch it? Yes, it’s worth your time.
A few of the most interesting things about it:
1. Jared Leto- I’ve never really liked him. I think he’s a good actor but every time I’ve seen him interviews, awards shows, or in person, he’s always comes off as a self indulgent narcissist who is trying so incredibly hard to be thought of as creative and artsy. I can just feel it. And your vibe is important.
But I’ll say this. After watching the documentary, while he still comes off as arrogant and self important, I totally get his deal. I get why so many people all around the world love him and his band. He’s willing to be a thing, speak a certain way, do things in a consistent manor that draws people in enough to have an opinion one way or the other. Gotta give him credit.
The very essence of Jared Leto that drives me away from him is the same thing that makes him magnetic to so many others. If every artist could have such vision.
2. Artists want a record deal/label because they think the label is going to provide leadership and a plan. And 99% of artists can’t come up with this on their own or within their team.
It’s funny watching this documentary even 2 years after the fact, hearing people like Irving Azoff, Jason Flom and Bob Lefsetz talk about the state of the music business and where it’s headed. Most of their commentary is already incredibly outdated.
So, why does 30 Seconds To Mars and their management team end up resigning with EMI? Because they believed that EMI would provide channels of success via a plan, money and leadership to make the band more successful
If the artist is the owner of their own company, why aren’t the artists doing the leading? Taking ownership of their team? Keeping their rough edges that make them an artist but hiring enough good and talented people to have a team that is rounded out?
3. The borrower is always slave to the lender. The older I get the more I realize nearly every cliche I’ve heard is true. Do you want to be in the drivers seat? Don’t borrow money from a record label.
Do you want to be a band that breaks the mold? Keeps creative control? Revolutionizes the music industry all over again? Maintains freedom? Are you willing to truly be a leader of your team? Are you willing to point the finger at yourself for both the success and the failure of your career? Don’t borrow money from anyone.
I didn’t say don’t work with a record label. I didn’t say don’t work with others. I didn’t say you could do it all on your own. You can’t.
But this idea that an artist can borrow $10,000 or $100,000 or $5,000,000 and think they still hold the reigns of their band. Ha!
Your band borrowing money changes the entire landscape of your business structure. For the worse. A structure that YOU are the leader of, because they’re YOUR songs and if you/your band “step down”, the entire entity ceases to exist.
Find a better way.
The most inspiring thought in Artifact comes right near the end…
“Some kid is going to write a song, and he’s gonng figure it out, and he’s gonna sell a hundred million copies of his single, by himself. He’s going to make a billion dollars…and that’s going to be the new beginning”
I’ll refine it a little and say this:
Some kid is going to write a really great song and a relatively small team, with revolutionary leadership, is going to make that song heard and known by the majority of the people on the planet and they’re gonna make a billion dollars. And that’s going to be the new beginning.
