Finding her own way

[rmd1064]

Thanks for the thread. I know this is tough topic for the die-hard Haliens. We so much want her to succeed….(now, please excuse my long post)…

I was watching some of the 2011 Idol tour videos, thinking---this is it for probably almost all of them, the height of their fame. Other than Scotty and maybe Lauren (country stars), the rest may never ever play again in front of 20,000 paying, screaming fans, or have hundreds of fans wait for them after the show. Sometimes, I wonder if that is it for Haley too, but am holding out hope.

For Haley, the show, the AI Tour, signing to Interscope, Lollapalooza, Carnegie Hall, the video “Free”, “Listen Up” release all in about a year’s time must have been a whirlwind. But when the CD did not take off (and we can blame Interscope if we want), the label cut her. Now, she goes from the big leagues to the minors, pretty quickly. As Miguel points out, she does participate in a number of fun and exotic gigs throughout 2013, but those cannot be counted on indefinitely.

So here we are in 2014. And, I wonder, what is next. What I cannot believe is that probably one of the most popular Idol contestants ever, with some of the most downloaded songs and video views, over 200,000 Twitter followers, and international appeal cannot find a place in music today.

Haley right now has to consider herself a new artist, and the only way new artists seem to break through these days is through social media. Lorde, Justin Bieber, and so many others started on YouTube, etc, and broke through. The days of a label signing an artist and patiently waiting for years and years for them to develop is over. (Or as John Notto says, you better have your own Itunes Download card ready to go to get a deal…) Even Idol and these other shows are not launching people long term like they once did (see Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze, David Cook, Candace Glover, Jessica Sanchez, Pia, etc) unless it seems you are a country star.

Now having said how tough it is out there today, the Internet has also opened up many more opportunities for artists to bypass labels and create their own music and brands and deal directly with their fans. Tusk points out how friend Anna as trying to utilize such tools. I also discussed such a model here on this Forum via a NY Times article (here is link) that discusses how bands are using a subscription service model to get $2-5 a month to support them. For the monthly fee (easily paid through a one-time set up on PayPal), the band posts one new MP3 song a month, provides blog updates, videos, essays, photos, and other information. Now if Haley could get a 2000 fans (or 1% of her Twitter followers) to pay $5 a month, that is $120,000 a year. That is a lot of money and could provide the foundation for whatever she wants to do next.

And, based on everything I have read, the only real way a musician makes a living is to tour and sell merchandise (as Himm2 points out with his friend Leslie). In this digital world, songs are so easily copied that you can’t count on much from that. I just wish Haley would commit to fronting a band and going out on the road. Start small with a handful of dates if needed, but clearly she can do a 1.5 hour show (see Buffalo Grove, Okinawa) that will blow people’s socks off. Build word of mouth and the people will come and buy CDs and T-shirts! And, I don’t think a label is going to sign her unless she demonstrates that she can front a band and tour to promote a CD (see ZZ Ward).I am holding out hope that all of this silence and no real music performance bookings are a sign that she is clearing her calendar for something like that.

But after all of this pessimistic meandering, I will leave you with this: Haley is just 23. She is still so very young and so talented that you feel like something is bound to happen. I agree with Himm2 that this is just a lull for now, and she does have the fire and desire to make something happen. As she said, there is no Plan B. I don’t even care about hit songs on the radio, I just want her to keep making music and go out on the road and build a long lasting and loyal fan base. If something big happens for her, great, but I just want her to be around a long time making incredible and memorable music…..