Things We Think Matter, But Really Don’t

One of the great things about getting older is that you begin to more easily see the big picture. It’s like going from ground level to suddenly being up in the air at 10,000 feet. Suddenly you perceive things in a whole new way. Below are a few of the things that really don’t matter that much in the grand scheme of things, although we think they do when we’re just getting in the music business.

A hit on the Billboard Charts. The Billboard charts have always been there for one reason only – for record labels to keep score with each other. You can have a song high up on the charts, but no one will be impressed if they haven’t heard it (and chances are they haven’t these days).

A Grammy. Awards in general are only good for one thing – they make good copy in articles, bios, and press releases. Out of all the awards in the entertainment industry, the Grammy has always been held in the lowest esteem because the perception is “anyone can get one.” We know that’s not exactly the case, but just like the charts, the record labels can manipulate things so their top priority artists win (I’ve seen this from the inside). And after the fact, does anyone remember or care? (Quick – what was the Record Of The Year winner last year?) I’ve talked to a number of Grammy winners who told me that the award had absolutely no bearing on any subsequent work or career progression afterwards.

A million views or streams. A million of anything seems like a lot, and it usually is, but not when it comes to streaming or view counts. In fact, you have to get to at least 50 million to even be considered a minor hit, and then get to hundreds of millions for the industry to take notice. Back in the days when physical products like vinyl and CDs ruled, a million sales was a big deal. Today, a million views or streams is not that much in the grand scheme of things.

Influencers. This one is interesting because it seems we’re at the tail end of the influencer age. As a niche it’s now oversaturated, and so many have sold out to sponsorship that they’ve lost their cach‘e. Plus, most seem to age out by their 27th birthday anyway.

The sound of a record. We obsess over it, and we should because that’s part of the art of record making, but the general public could care less. If the song is catchy, then they’ll want to hear it over and over, regardless of how it was recorded or the gear used. Plus, that high hat sound that you obsessed over for a couple days won’t matter a lick to the average listener. In fact, you won’t hear the difference yourself next week.

There are many more examples that I will go into in subsequent posts.

Maybe it’s age talking, but there are times in our lives that we make ourselves crazy over things that ultimately don’t matter much at all.