Open Letter to all Artists: Artist Development, Pt. 1

By: Christian JaLon

“People don’t make albums anymore. -- They just try to sell a bunch of quick lil’ singles. And they burn out, & they put out a new one, & they burn out, & they put out a new one…” - Beyoncé.

Dear artists,
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You do not have to rush your art. And if we’re being completely honest, you’re unable to rush your art. Something I learned while being involved with Young Chicago Authors; “You are not the art. The art is it’s own self. You are simply the vessel.” - Avery R. Young, resident at YCA.

I’ve noticed, since being involved in the art scene, that a lot of artists don’t take their time when it comes to their craft. And this is something I had to learn for myself, but it truly should be “quality over quantity”. Longevity (if that’s what you’re aiming for, anyhow), doesn’t come with how many songs you release, but with the time and energy you put into a body of work. And after you release that body of work, it’s ok to not release anything for another 6 months to a year, or however else long it may take for you to feel like you’re ready to release something again. And if your only motive is making money, putting out singles won’t bring in as much revenue as a full length project will.

via GIPHY

Did you know that whenever you upload music to any large streaming platform (Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, etc.) that pays you for plays, if your tune doesn’t gather a certain amount of plays, your pay is… close to nothing. Don’t want to take my word for it? Here’s an article by Forbes.

Before I dip, I’d like to point out that some of our (or maybe just my own) favorite artists, it seems takes hiatuses after putting out any body of work. For example, Beyoncé. Before she released “Lemonade”, it had been three years since she gave us anything (as far as I know of, feel free to correct me if I’m wrong). Same w/ Frank Ocean, it took him four years until “Blonde.” I once thought John Legend didn’t even make music anymore, but then he released “Darkness and Light”. And each of these albums are masterpieces. You can tell, regardless of any lime light they received, or lack thereof, that they put themselves into those projects. That they took their time. There was passion involved.

I, myself, am still learning that I don’t have to release every song I record as soon I record it, so I am in no way, shape, or form faultless of releasing joints back to back. But as I am learning, I’d love to share each of my lessons with you all. But only if you’d allow it.

Peace, light, love & joy,
Christian JaLon <3