Influence: Musics most valuable currency

For artists in the music industry influence is more valuable than money — Hear me out. The word influence and the term ‘influencer’ is thrown around to a grotesquely today. An individual with 25K IG followers can pass as an influencer  in most circles. The number of likes and views one receives on any given post can be another misleading measurement of someone’s actual influence. 

By definition, influence is the ability to affect a person’s character, development or behavior. In business, it is the ability to bring others to your way of thinking without force or coercion. This skill is highly coveted by professionals in every industry. Being able to get a person to ‘buy-in’ to a  brand or idea is what every business wants AND needs to be successful long term. 

Money vs influence in music

Capital is a necessity for an independent artist. Artist has to either have the funds on hand to create quality one-of-a-kind content and market it or be connected with someone who is willing to invest the money for them. There is no way around this. However, an artist can spend the big bucks and produce high-quality content with great marketing strategies to accompany it. But if they can not convince people to buy from them, all of their efforts are wasted. 

At the end of the day, artists are salespeople. Unique in method but nevertheless salespeople all the same. Sales are what keep the business world spinning. For most artists, their ability to sell will make or break their careers.

It doesn’t matter how many followers an artist has if they can not sell ten tickets to a local venue. Nobody is going to book them. If an indie act cannot sell their merchandise to their fan base then what organization will sponsor them? That’s what real influence is. Getting others to buy what you are selling. In other words, without influence there is no money.

Music is free

Artists have to face reality. Music doesn’t make much money by itself. Hard album sales are practically non-existent and streaming pays a fraction of what artists actually deserve. In fact, most of the money for artists come in with tours, merchandise, and paid features. Everything in between is better off being considered a promotional tool. Artists who can cultivate their influence and make it work for them, earn more money and have more longevity. 

Cultivate influence

Building real influence as an artist is no simple task but it can be done. Unlike most salespeople who rely on planned pitches to sell products, artists have their music. Music penetrates the mind and soul. It reaches deeper than logic and pulls on emotional cords. Any sales expert can tell you that most people buy from emotional impulse rather than logic. This means, how something makes us feel weighs more on our purchasing decisions than our practical needs. 

Making music on a consistent basis that makes people feel good is an easy way for artists to begin cultivating their influence. Pain is another strong emotion that artists can pull from. Everyone has felt pain, music that echoes that pain is relatable and easily digestible.  

Long story, short

Influence isn’t about the number of followers one has or likes they receive. Having real influence can affect these metrics but are not the determining factor. Just look at the 18-year-old Instagrammer who had over 2 million followers and yet failed to sell 36 shirts.

 Real influence is the ability to affect one’s thinking and decisions. The easiest way to affect the thinking and decisions of others is to connect with them on an emotional level. Music is a VERY effective way to shift the emotional state of people. Artists should focus on creating music that evokes emotion and draws from relatable experiences. Once an artist can make an individual feel something, they will see how much more willing those people are to support them through purchase.