Viva, Las Vegas. One of the most iconic honeymoon destinations in America. And the only place I know where you can get married, honeymoon, and get a divorce over the span of a weekend.
Over the years, some musicians aspire to perform in Vegas. There are those that would say they've “made it” when you become a musical resident in Las Vegas. A musical resident, also known as a concert resident, is an artist that performs a series of concerts, similar to a concert tour, but only performed in one location. Vegas is known for being a popular music hub. This has been going on since the 1940s and ‘50s beginning with Liberace and Frank Sinatra.
Even today concert residents are happening with artists such as Aerosmith, Britney Spears, and Lady Gaga. You can see why someone in music would say making it means performing in Vegas. You can earn a treasure chest of revenue, and you don’t have to travel.
Before an up-and-coming musician makes it, often times they go through what I call the “honeymoon” phase. The honeymoon phase is like a rite of passage.
Musicians want to make it in the industry, yet many don’t know what that means. For some it’s reaching super stardom, with lots of fans and a boatload of money.
When we first release our debut album, and it goes live on iTunes and Spotify we might think: "it’s only a matter of time before everybody listens to it, everybody will download it or stream it…and love it. I mean it’s the best album to come out this year. The fans and the money will come rolling in at any moment. Venues will line up to book us. Record labels will fight over who signs us. It’s got to happen. We recorded one album, the greatest album."
I’m over-embellishing, but you get the point. There's somewhat of a let-down when we're not instantly successful with our first record. The truth is, success never happens immediately, and when it does there’s always a price to pay. Sure one may get a break and land a record deal early in their career, but the artist could be dropped at any time.
Many indie musicians are successful, but it takes time. It usually takes years to earn a sustainable income from music. That’s part of the journey though. My definition of making it is to earn a comfortable living from music revenue that pays all the bills. That is a very obtainable goal. Some indie artists are earning just that, yet they may not be a household name.
Musicians will go through the “honeymoon” phase. That’s ok. The sooner we learn that success doesn’t happen instantaneous, the sooner we can press on and work hard toward our music goals.
Set goals now, both short-term and long-term goals. Whether you like to perform, write songs, or be in the recording studio, set goals that will propel you to the next bigger goal.
Regardless of what your goals are, get your music out there on a regular basis, whether it's performing, streaming, or licensing your music. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll be a musical resident. Viva, Las Vegas.