Stateside's posterous

Hey guys, we just posted our cover of Love Story by Taylor Swift. let us know what you think!

Give people what they want
If you fail to provide value to people your endeavor will fail. People support you only because you give something in return. The thing you give them in return could be anything: food, happiness, to anything they crave.

If you're a musician then you need to get away from the idea that you deliver music but that you deliver happiness and entertainment. You give people something to do while they're studying, driving. It's not the music you're giving. It's what the music does to people that you're delivering.

This is the same for the filmmaker, comedian, artist, etc. The more you realize what you're giving to people the more you'll realize how to broaden your market and get better at what you do. If you know you're trying to make people happy per say, you know now that you'll do anything to make people happy, since that is your ultimate goal with your art. Who cares how it's done, if you make art that gets people to feel good.

Now that you know what you give ask yourself, who wants what you have to give. Focus on them first and then go from there.

You're doing it for them not for you

Detach yourself from the idea that you just make music. You don't simply make music for the heck of it. You make music to make people feel a certain way. Make music for that reason.

I'm truly tired of the selfish broke artist who claim they make art for themselves and could care less about what people like. That might be the reason why an artist is broke; because he has nothing people want or are willing to pay for. I'm sorry but you don't make art for yourself; YOU MAKE ART FOR THE WORLD!

Remember that. If you make art for yourself don't share your art with me nor anyone else. Keep it to yourself. If you feel the need to share your art to others, realize then, that you're making art for the world, for others!

Remember that and don't forget the next time you step into the studio, on stage, pick up a paint brush, point your camera, etc. You're doing it for them, not you.

You hold a guitar for yourself, but play the guitar for them.

You shoot a movie for yourself, but produce a movie for them.

Certainly, the participation itself in the art is partly for you, but the end result, the creation of art is for others, at least until you're a millionaire already. Then you can do art for yourself and care less if anyone looks your way.

Why pop works and why you need to consider it
Pop works because it gets the audience involved. The music is easy to sing along with and the sound is catchy. Anything that gets the audience more involved will inevitably bring you more audience.

If you Google search something you most likely stick to the first page of results. Right? Maybe you go to the second or third but that's about it. So why do you expect your audience to go through more than this to figure out and understand your art, your music, your film.

You're the artist. People want you to express the art to them not the other way around. They want to sing along, bob their heads along and support you. Don't make it difficult for them.

Once a person becomes a fan then they'll probably spend more time to look through your artwork that is more niche.

Selling out is underrated
Once you start making art for others people claim you're selling out, but that's what art is for, it's meant to be shared and enjoyed by everyone NOT JUST YOU.

Once people call you a sellout you should know that you're on the right path as an artist.

It means you've struck a chord in people. You're affecting MORE people. Since when is affecting MORE people worse for you. On the contrary, that's the best thing to happen to an artist. We want our art to affect more people.

As an artist you have to enter a relationship with your fan through something they know and understand. It doesn't mean you're selling out, but how can you acquire a fan if they can't connect with you.

Why did Michael Jackson and Madonna touch so many people the way they did and for the length of time they did. Ask yourself that question. On the other hand why do we see a musician come out and hear nothing about her next year, because the label is only thinking of making quick money, as opposed to giving people what they truly want from musicians.

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