Girlfriends
Fans (especially young girls) have a fairytale dream, which is that their Prince Charming (the rocker) will see them in the crowd at a gig, they will fall madly in love and will shack up happily ever after behind a white picket fence in LA. We all know that more times than not, this dream is just that, a dream. However, these groupies still hang onto that tiny glimmer of hope and show unsurpassed loyalty and dedication to the rock star and attend every gig without fail. They are the biggest and most effective brand advocates that the rock star could ever ask for, more so than any advertising or publicity campaign.
The biggest fail for the rock star's career is if his girlfriend hangs onto him like an insecure rash, demonstrating a ridiculous number of public displays of affection at shows and giving daggers cloaked with threat and jealousy to any girl who comes near her man. This isolates fans, causes the impossible dream to be shattered and the moment that the rock star is seen to be "unavailable" or "taken", the fan is gone forever, heartbroken and in search of her next rock star obsession.
The solution: No one is saying hide the girlfriend and pretend that she doesn't exist. Girlfriends can by all means show their support at gigs and the relationship can be public; however they need to understand that this is work for the artist and that until such time as they leave the venue, the artist is doing his job. The artist has to be seen to be "available" and accessible.
Every mum wants her daughter to be a mega-famous pop princess and has red carpets and Hollywood embedded in the brain. The stereotypical "mum-ager" is usually an over-possessive and bored housewife who has gleaned her knowledge from Google and self-help books. She is more often than not delusional as to what good talent is and thinks that her daughter is entitled to be the next Rhianna, Adele or Celine. She flaps around like a mother hen, igniting unnecessary fires and generally hindering her little darling's career. She cannot understand that success in the music business is a process that takes smart and strategic work, and balls of steel to deal with the knocks. It is literally survival of the fittest.
The solution: Unless the "mum-ager" has a strategic business mind and an above-average understanding of the music business (and business as a whole), the best thing that she could ever do for her child's career is to f**k off! Yes, there are some incredibly successful "mum-agers". They are good at what they do because they understand the dynamic nature of the music business and are able to share a holistic vision that goes beyond having a famous daughter. The best advice is to get an outsider to assume the management role, someone who believes in the music, but isn't emotionally connected to the artist.
The green-eyed monster (jealousy, for those who don't know the saying) rears its head with often dire consequences that manifest in completely unreasonable, "diva-ish" and irrational behaviour towards peers in the music industry. It happens amongst artists at the tail end of their careers when they see a newbie in the industry gaining attention, popularity and success - something that they once had but have failed to sustain. It happens amongst peers in the business that have started out on a level playing field and one shoots miles ahead, whilst the other is left on the starting blocks. Jealousy, if not controlled, can lead to sabotage and can, in fact, be more damaging to the jealous party's career as it screams insecurity.
The solution: Celebrate the success of your peers, but do it authentically. Learn from them and attempt to gain insights to their success - what do they have that you are lacking and how can you fill in what is perhaps missing in your own career. And, the biggest words of advice: shut up and keep your opinions to yourself. There are reasons why there is success and there are reasons why there is career stagnation and failure. Be open-minded, identify solutions and implement a strategy towards your own success.
To conclude, see the bigger picture and identify any threats that may get in the path of success and nip them in the bud as soon as you can. One more thing, if you think this article is aimed at you, then you probably have a guilty conscience! Just saying.
