Summary

The author argues that modern recording artists lack the qualities that made earlier artists iconic, and suggests ways to improve this situation.

Abstract

The author observes a significant difference between recording artists of today and those from earlier times, attributing this to the lack of "star quality" in modern artists. The author questions whether current artists can be considered icons, suggesting that they have not earned this status. The author proposes that artists can become iconic by creating their own signature style, staying off social media, and honing their talent. The author criticizes the current music industry for lacking creativity and relying too heavily on nostalgia, and praises artists from the past for their uniqueness and mystique.

Opinions

The author believes that modern recording artists lack the star quality of earlier artists, and that this is reflected in the public's lack of knowledge about their music.
The author argues that modern artists are not as creative as their predecessors, and that they rely too heavily on copying older music rather than carving out their own musical lane.
The author suggests that artists can become iconic by developing their own signature style, rather than trying to imitate other artists.
The author criticizes the use of social media by modern artists, arguing that it makes them too accessible and less mysterious, and that this decreases their mystique and reduces their ability to sell out arenas.
The author praises artists from the past for their uniqueness and mystique, and suggests that modern artists could learn from their example.
The author acknowledges that not all modern artists are lacking in talent, but suggests that they could improve their craft by rehearsing more.
The author concludes by expressing hope that modern artists will take their advice and become more iconic in the future.

Here’s What The Current Music Industry Needs to Get An Iconic Artist

A true icon — not a social media personality.

There’s a stark difference between recording artists today and recording artists earlier on.

Star quality.

What are the chances I ask someone on the street if they’ve heard of Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Prince, Mariah Carey, Queen, etc, and everyone knows who they are? Let’s change those names to Drake, Justin Bieber, Cardi B, Taylor Swift, and Miley Cyrus…crickets. Sure, people may know their names, but what are the chances they can name a song from these artists? Very slim.

People love throwing out the word “icon.”

Can we honestly call artists today icons compared to those of the 19th century? Have they done anything that rewards icon status?

Hell no.

But here’s how they can fix that.

Create your own signature style.

I get bored listening to a lot of artists today.

The music isn’t horrible, but I get a jolt of life back in me whenever I listen to an older artist. Music isn’t as creative as it used to be. People aren’t carving out their own musical lane.

If I hear another song that sounds like a knockoff of 90s music, I’m going to throw up.

Everyone’s in this pit of nostalgia. Everyone wants to copy older music. Everyone’s in a creative rut.

You don’t even need to be that musically creative to be iconic. Just show us some personality. What makes you unique?

Metallica created thrash metal. Whitney Houston had her angelic voice. Michael Jackson had impenetrable dance moves. Heck, I’ve been skeptical about Madonna, but her provocative imagery and looks in the 80s were more iconic than every artist today.

People can fix this by honing in on who they are. Stop getting over-inspired by artists so much that you feel the need to copy them. If I wanted to see Michael Jackson's dance moves, I’ll just look up one of his performances.

Stay off social media — for real.

I saw a clip yesterday of Michael Jackson standing on stage in front of thousands of fans.

Everyone yelled their brains out. Girls fainted. People cried. Stretchers were used. All for this man who hasn’t begun performing yet.

I never understood why people fainted back then. Sure, there’s a legend standing in front of you, but it can’t be enough to make you physically faint. People were faking it, right?

I get it now.

Sometimes I forget that people had no social media back then. The only time you got to see an artist was on MTV or during their tour. Concerts were treated more as a luxury.

Now I can look up a performance in two clicks. There’s too much access nowadays.

A lot of artists are feeding into that; getting on Instagram live to address haters, Tweeting one-liners every hour, posting life updates, etc. Nothing is sacred anymore. People just want to be “relatable.”

When in reality, people were revered as icons back in the day because they weren’t relatable.

You barely saw them outside. You couldn’t take pictures with them. No one knew their day-to-day activities. Think about someone like Beyonce. One huge reason why she’s elevated so high above everyone else is that she’s the most mysterious. She barely posts on social media, and when she does, all the posts are pictures with no captions.

The mystic decreased so much to the point where artists aren’t selling out arenas anymore.

If you’re a recording artist out there, please just stay off social media. Your fans don’t need to know your every waking thought.

A dash of talent.

I can’t discount this.

The more you practice your craft, the better you get. A lot of artists today simply don’t want to rehearse.

Simple.

Final Thought

For the record, I know this is not ALL of the music industry.

The points I made in this post are directed at the mainstream since that's what everyone knows. I’m not saying the current artists I mentioned are shitty. They have some good music. But I highly doubt they’ll be elevated to icon status like the ones mentioned previously. Why?

They lack star quality, mysteriousness, and creativity. If they fix these elements, we might see another icon in our lifetime.

Cross your fingers.

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