10 Reasons Why You Should NEVER Compare Yourself To Another Musician (part 2/2)

In part 1 we introduced to you 5 sound reasons why you shouldn’t ever compare yourself to another artist. In part 2, we’re hitting you with 5 more reasons that will help you navigate the feelings of comparison and aid you in coming to terms with the fact that you, your path, and your achievements are thoroughly unique. Don’t fret about deadlines and awards. Worry yourself with doing better than your past self every single year, month, week.

5. Your message is different.

They may be received AND perceived differently due to the message they promote. Let’s assume, although unlikely this would ever realistically be the case, that you have the same look, background, same resources, and even produce the same genre of music. If all these variables were to be absolutely equal but your message differs, the outcomes will be entirely different and separate. They may be promoting singlehood, lavish living, and promiscuity while you’re promoting having children and caring for your elders. None is wrong but you will have different metrics for success based on how society thinks at that moment in time. If society is conservative, you will prevail. If society is feeling flippant, they will garner attention easier.

4. Your markets are different.

Their music might be custom-tailored around teenagers’ experiences and feelings, like first love, first adult heartbreak, opposing authority, finding one’s path in life, etc. Whereas you, assuming you’re an adult, will likely create music for people your own age speaking of age-relatable topics like being persistent, getting back up, losing family members, rediscovering oneself, etc. And well… youngsters are more impulsive, emotional, and obsessive, thus that will translate to a more loyal fanbase and more social media engagement. Adult people are at most, followers, but never true fans. They are chill and have their priorities in order and before they buy tickets to your show, they will buy their kid new shoes. To avoid a mistaken assessment of one’s career compared to another, ensure you know who listens to you.

3. Your locations are different.

This is bigger than what anyone gives it credit for. It doesn’t matter that we’re all transitioning to a mainly digital economy and entertainment industry. Where you’re physically located, still matters more than just about any other variable in your music career. Do English Rap in French-speaking Quebec and you’re doomed for serious struggle. Do Soul Ballad music in a city that holds Rock festivals and you’re gonna have a hard time building any following whatsoever. Do Dance music in an American state and you will soon feel like giving up because no one is truly supporting you although you know you’re great at what you do. Not to mention that ALL algorithms STILL prioritize your geo-location when deciding who to show your videos to.

2. Your social circles are different.

And there’s not much you can do about it unless you’re ready to change your entire personality and lifestyle. By the time you hit your 30s, you get a rather clear understanding of your social circle’s outline. If you’re Christian and do Gospel music, your friends will have just about the same values as you and know the same people you do. So if you dream of being mainstream while at most you know the local church choir director, either change your genre, or change your aspirations. You will need others to grow as a musician and if nobody is placed higher than you, you’ve already reached the limits of your environment. Whereas the guy you envy, mixes Country with Gospel thus he opened more doors for himself by entering more social circles based on the affinity rooted in the two different genres.

1. Your personalities are most definitely different.

Just by being a more introverted person, a musician might miss out on big opportunities. Being extroverted will buy you more chances but can equally bite you in the ass as exposure to more people increases the probability of conflict and then it’s an unfortunate domino effect should you fall out with the top influential connection. There is no right or wrong but we all have very unique, very different perspectives on a myriad of topics and it is enough that you have one pleasant conversation with the right booking agent at the right time, and you may just break the glass ceiling. So when you feel less than the artist next door, remember that they may just have a more agreeable personality overall and that they probably often agree on subjects and ideas they don’t even believe to begin with. It is up to you if you want to build a more politically correct facet of your brand or if you would rather stay your true self at all times and work towards attracting the right fans instead, even if that means you won’t necessarily ever make it to mainstream land.

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