Have I got your attention?

Okay let me be clearer on what I mean by the above jolting header. Your audience is not interested in how or why you did not, or could not perform to the very best of your performance ability. You’re the artist and they’ve paid good money to come and see you because your unspoken promise to them is that you will deliver the goods. They’ve also placed their trust in you that you will deliver a great performance, because that’s what you as the artist are entitled to do – in other words it’s your job to do just that. After all, you may have sold them on the strength of your album or your appearance on your local TV station, or maybe they heard your song on radio. Because of this, they believe that you’re going to deliver what they want in the live performance area. Right? Well that’s how it should be.

I’m a little old school in my belief and conviction that you need to spend the proper amount of time practicing and honing your God given skills and talent, to the point where you are more than able to entertain your audience. Also I have to admit that I have no sympathy when I see so called ‘stars’ getting caught out when it’s quite apparent that they just don’t have the chops to deliver onstage. This scenario pretty much applies more to an industry such as the music business where quite often a singer or band is ‘manufactured’ by the record company, in the studio. They end up sounding great on a recorded format, but when put to the real test of a live performance fall flat on their face. Again, I really don’t have sympathy for these individuals or the record company that put them together, because if other hard working artists are prepared to put in the hours to develop their sound and skills then why should the ‘manufactured’ guys simply skip the hours to get the glory?

The fact is, the greatest bands and stars in the world all worked at their craft. That’s how they became great! That’s also how they managed to nab that multi-million dollar record deal or pick up the best leading roles. Its how they got the opportunities to be exposed to millions of people. This principle applies across the board to whatever level you presently find yourself in to whatever level you aspire to reach.

The underlying message in this article is that you have to work hard (and smart) to succeed in performance. The hard part of this equation is the amount of time and effort you devote to the practice and study of your chosen art. The smart part is what you create in order to attract the lucky breaks to yourself. This is just as important if not more so than simply working hard. You can doggedly work hard and still find yourself singing in a Holiday Inn lounge when your grey hairs start to emerge. Working hard is cool and a primary factor in attaining success, but equally, having an awareness of how your industry operates is paramount in gaining ground. In general, streetwise artists tend to advance quicker along the path to success than people who have no idea where they’re going.

To return to our original focus about delivering to your audience what they expect… the thing to realize is that the entertainment industry is quite unforgiving. The statement ‘you’re only ever as good as your last performance’ is soooo very true. So work hard and smart and remember that your audience is with you every step of the way, but only as long as you deliver what they expect from you – your very best.

Always respect your audience!

Georg Voros is an award winning musician with over 30 years experience in the music industry. He has performed and recorded at highest levels and is also a respected educator and author. To find out more on improving on stage performance and receive a free inspirational fortnightly newsletter go to www.stardomfactor.com.