Hey all! I’m still working on getting all the kinks worked out for the official re-launch of RockStar Machine, but I figured that I’d post something for this great article I just read by Michael Ventre on the Today Show’s site – Would Beatles make it in today’s music world?.

While the article itself does discuss the notion of whether bands from prior decades would make it today, the bulk of the article actually focuses on how artists need to look at and approach the music industry of today.  Much of the advice and observations are things that I’ve posted about before and plan to explore more fully once the site’s at 100% – ideas such as the importance of playing locally and the death of the major labels, which are prominently mentioned and are ideas that I happen to agree with.

John Hartmann, a former record company executive and manager is quoted as saying:

“If you can’t make it at home, you can’t make it anywhere,” he explained. “If you can make it at home, you can make it anywhere. You don’t need a record company, you don’t need a tour.”

Hartmann recommends concentrating on a 100-mile radius around where you live, noting that if you’re act doesn’t have an impact there, then something may be wrong.

I’ve found that artists that concentrate on where they are now and what they’re doing tend to do better than artists that try to take on the world all at once. If you’re just starting out and you obsess over national exposure and “getting signed,” then you probably won’t get either. If you set your sights on your local scene and getting exposure there, then your chances of success greatly increase… and if you make enough noise locally, someone will hear you in the larger world.