Success in the Fringe: Analysis and Guide for Independent Musicians

Abstract

In today's chaotic arts and entertainment economy it is difficult to decipher what it actually means to be successful. With a stronger focus on monetary profit as the indication of achievement within the mainstream music industry, those that lie on the outside of the commercial arena find difficulty in defining their own achievement. This financial structure of the industry has shifted and changed the way we as an audience perceive an artist's viability in hyper critical market. With major record labels hoping to find major income return from their various projects, they pour all of their resources into the creation of sustainable artists that act as brands. These brands are then used to generate massive amounts of income that, in turn, finances the creation of other brands thus continuing the cycle.