There’s a young musician that goes by the name of Venus Theory, also known simply as Cameron, who creates video essays about the act of creating music. Many of them are practical tips on technology, practice, performance and recording, along with ruminations on the state of mind of an artist.
However there several videos he posted recently that have taken a more introspective turn, lamenting the state of Spotify playlists in which all the songs seem to follow a certain pop formula and posing questions that have always plagued musicians…
Why is music starting to all sound the same?
And…
How do I get people to listen to my music?
I’ll address the first question with observations from my personal experience. The second question is of special importance to those artists seeking O-1 visas. At the end of the blog, I’ll present some ideas to help get your music heard by more people.
I was a professional musician (keyboards and vocals) for 20 years in the 80s and 90s, and I’ve been an avid lover of music my whole life. I’ve heard many variations of the first complaint, “Today’s music sounds all the same!” in every decade, through every style of music, blaming whatever technology at the time was pervasive.
Beginning in the 1950's, radio began to be blamed for making music homogenous with repetitive playlists (sound familiar?), hammering the same 40 songs into the heads of the listening public along with blatant bribery that helped certain songs and artists get more airtime than others. (The “Payola” scandal.)
In the early 1960s DJ Alan Freed plead guilty to bribery
Throughout my life record executives have also been blamed for being reluctant to take risks on new artists and only signing acts that were carbon copies of the flavor of the moment.
And then it was the chain record stores in the malls across the country. They were to blame for all stocking the same CDs, destroying the mom-and-pop record stores and contributing to the “bland-ification” of America.
Today, as Venus Theory claims, the villain is streaming services like Spotify and the difficulty of getting new music onto playlists.
The truth is, all those things are responsible for music eventually sounding very same-y. It’s all part of a cycle.
It goes like this…
A few innovative underground musicians break out and establish a new style. The style becomes popular, people want more. Other struggling underground artists who were already experimenting with the new sound get their opportunity to be heard. The music goes mainstream, younger musicians begin to imitate it order to get a record deal (or get on a Spotify playlist).
Some even get pigeonholed into a style they never wanted to be a part of. (See Elvis Costello’s old interviews in the 80s about being lumped in with the “New Wave”. He hated that!)
Eventually the public gets tired of the same thing over and over, of course, and the door starts to creak open to allow for a new movement. Record execs begin looking for the “next big thing” and the entire process repeats itself.
I witnessed this phenomenon over and over during in my life, starting with Rock and Roll in the 50s, Hard Rock and Psychedelia in 60s, then came Soft Rock, New Wave, Rap, Hip Hop, Grunge, etc. One by one what were once exciting, edgy, innovative new forms of music were copied and co-opted by commercial pressures.
It's interesting to note that a reaction to this process of the over-commercialization of music was voiced loudly by fans of Alternative music. As Alternative music radio stations popped up across America and the music became increasingly imitated, watered down, and ubiquitous throughout the 1990s, early adopters of the music began wearing t-shirts proclaiming, “Alternative to WHAT??”
It's not the technology that’s entirely to blame, although technology certainly exacerbates the situation. In a way, this cycle of innovation, commercialization, imitation and stagnation is really just human nature. It’s the natural cycle of the creation, evolution and dissemination of many kinds of art, technology and culture.
So one way to look at Venus Theory’s observation is not as a negative, but as an opportunity. Encroaching sameness in music can be seen as a positive sign that a change is ripe. As fans of music start to get bored with the same old thing they are primed for a new sound.
And that new sound could be yours!
So how do you get your music heard in the modern streaming era? It's always been hard to get new music heard in every era and although new technology is presenting new challenges it also presents new opportunities.
Here are some strategies for musicians to get their work heard in 2023.
1. Post on YouTube, Soundcloud and Bandcamp
I know this sounds a little basic, but these platforms are still viable way to captivate an audience. Just because Spotify is dominating right now doesn’t mean that it’s the only game in town.
YouTube: YouTube is one of the most searched platforms by people looking for all kinds of things, including music. Charlie Puth, Tori Kelly (who was rejected on American Idol), The Weeknd, Ed Sheeran and of course the biggest YouTube success story of all, Justin Beiber, were all discovered by posting their music on YouTube and have now become top selling artists.
Once monetized, a YouTube channel can make money. Unlike Spotify, YouTube does not rely primarily on advertising to subsidize creators. Therefore, it doesn't require artists to participate in promotions or giveaways in order to maximize earnings. Instead, YouTube splits ad revenue 50-50 with artists after deducting necessary processing fees.
Soundcloud: Post Malone, Lana Del Rey and Billie Eilish were all discovered on Soundcloud.
In April 2021, SoundCloud launched its industry-first ‘Fan-Powered Royalties’ platform – its own branding of the user-centric streaming payment model.
This method of monetization sees royalties from each individual subscriber’s monthly payment distributed only amongst the artists they listen to.
That’s opposed to the more typical ‘big pot’ or ‘pro rata’ streaming royalties model – adopted by the likes of Spotify – which sees all royalty revenue paid/generated by users centrally pooled by a service, before being shared on the basis of artist market share across an entire platform.
Bandcamp: Bandcamp is a privately owned platform that features musicians dissatisfied with how little Spotify and iTunes pays in royalties. Where Spotify has revenue streams dependent on ads and data, Bandcamp operates on a simple revenue share with artists and collects no information on its users.
There are lots of way to discover new music on Bandcamp. You can stream for free and as soon as you find something you really like you can download it for a reasonable price. (You can tip them too, which I like to do.)
Let me take a minute at this point to spread the word about one of my favorite young bands.
The duo of astounding drummer Louis Cole and the ethereal voice of Genevieve Ardati call themselves KNOWER. They gather around them amazing musicians for their funk/jazz/pop/avante garde explorations. I listen to their new releases on Bandcamp and buy the music there.
However, I discovered them on YouTube where they post quirky home made “no-budget” videos like this one with 6.8 million views…
If it wasn’t for their weird and funny videos on YouTube, I probably would not have discovered this band.
Audius and others: There are new platforms being created for the more equitable dissemination of music. Venus Theory also posts his work on Audius which is a “…decentralized music streaming platform for fans and creators. Artists can host their music on the platform for free and start generating revenue on their work — no handshakes or record label deals required.”
The point is, the middleman is long gone. In my day (quick old man rant) before the internet, you had to send your recordings to record executives to sit in a pile on someone’s desk only to be eventually tossed in the trash can without any acknowledgement of any kind that anyone ever listened.
Today there is a direct link from the creator to the audience, not only for them to hear your music but also giving your audience the ability to give feedback. It’s a great time for artists and musicians to have a voice, but it’s not the only way to establish your credentials for an eventual O-1 visa.
2. Critique the Music of Others
Start a blog in which you display your expertise by writing critical reviews of the work of other artists you admire. Ask collaborators to do the same for you. Talk about your process of writing, playing and recording. Explain the deeper reasons why you are compelled to write music.
This is one of many ways to establish yourself as an authority in your field, beyond the making of music, which is a very important aspect of assembling evidence for an O-1 petition.
3. Collaborate With Other Artists
Reach out to other artists and suggest collaborations. Not just musicians, reach out to visual artists of all kinds.
Offer to score the work of young filmmakers who also desire greater exposure. Share their work on your accounts.
Create an ambient soundtrack for a live or virtual gallery exhibition.
Write music for dancers.
Sharing audiences with other creators can greatly increase the reach and following of both you and your collaborators.
4. Volunteer with School Music Programs
Volunteer with music programs at colleges/universities and community orchestras to mentor newer musicians, teach composition or technique. Teaching a subject or craft will enable you to strengthen your own skills and may help you to discover new ideas, skills or thoughts about your performances.
In addition, this will help you to find new collaboration partners or may inspire you to take a completely different music path.
Moreover, teaching newer/younger musicians will help you to establish yourself as an expert in the field.
It’s interesting to note that Venus Theory is doing all of these things already, and more. In the description of his YouTube videos, he includes links to his website, Bandcamp, Twitter, Instagram, Soundcloud, Audius and VK accounts.
He has collaborated with Ben Jordan, a filmmaker and science writer, on a beautiful, ethereal video that I suggest you check out. It’s a great combination of Cameron’s powerful, floating soundscapes with Ben’s hauntingly beautiful images, expertly shot and edited.
He collaborates with technology companies, creating video reviews and tips videos for a vast array of music hardware and software.
And yet he gets discouraged at times, as we all do, posting a video recently with the title, “Why make music when nobody cares?”
I understand the frustration. If Cameron is not seeing the same kind of views and following that other musicians have, it’s certainly not from lack of trying. In fact, I suggest you Google Venus Theory to see how many ways Cameron promotes himself and his music; there’s much more than I am able to list here. His efforts are a lesson in social media diversification.
I think the main reason that he doesn’t get pop music numbers is because his music is not pop music. As Venus Theory, Cameron creates what is often described as soundscapes, soundtracks or ambient music. It’s very well done, but not the kind of thing you crank up in the car while driving to the beach, hence not the kind of thing that usually ends up on playlists of popular songs.
His music has a more limited appeal than the music on Spotify playlists these days. Cameron may have to come to terms with that, and he may acknowledge that he does understand his limited appeal somewhere in his prolific library of videos. (Full disclosure, I haven’t watched them all.) But that doesn’t mean he can’t have a good, satisfying career in music and he seems to be on the way to accomplishing that.
There has never been a time when it was easy to make a living at music. Most musicians I have known have to do much more to survive, teaching music, playing in wedding bands and holding down non-musical jobs to make ends meet.
Even though the opportunities for amassing a following for your music online are nearly unlimited today, there is still tough competition, and it is as difficult as it ever was to make a living as a composer or performer of original music, but not impossible.
And I suppose that would be my ultimate message to young musicians like Venus Theory, and especially musicians who want to establish a career that would enable them to come to the USA to work; don’t get discouraged and don’t give up.
Use every avenue possible.
Start today.
Be prolific.
And save copies of everything for your eventual O-1 visa. When the time comes, having a database of your accomplishments can go a long way to reducing the difficulty of filing your petition.
CONCLUSION
To qualify for an O-1 Artis of Extraordinary Ability you need to establish your art and yourself as an artist of distinction but also as an expert in your art space and someone who makes an impact in the art world.
We live in an amazing time. The internet gives us ample opportunities for finding an audience. We need to be creative and exploit every avenue we can.
