Even before the internet boom, there were tales of US based artists without label representation making a killing as rock superstars in Asia. A classmate of mine in high school was one such rockstar, building an extension onto his parents home for his state of the art recording studio funded by his millions of records sold across Asia, all before his senior year. His music was mediocre- acoustic coffeehouse garbage typical of the time. How his demo made its way to Asia, even he didn’t know, but it was topping radio charts and copies were in high demand. He secured a distro deal and the CDs flew off the shelves, which he followed up by playing 10 sold out arena dates in 3 countries…over spring break. He hasn’t done anything since then, but for 2 years he was a faceless American high school student by day, Asian Rock God by night.

He was definitely the exception at the time, but today with the internet being the primary tool for artists, bands can find a fan base anywhere in the world. Let me put this in perspective. The population of the world is about 6 billion. After you subtract the population of the US from that number, it’s still 6 billion. Tastes around the world are quite varied. Hasselhoff may be a joke and a novelty here in the US, but he’s still gigantic in Germany. Pop punk comedy act, Bowling For Soup has never picked up serious traction in America despite their Grammy nomination, but their records do very well across Europe and they’re still big ticket sellers. The misconception that American mainstream is the be all end all measurement of success is completely wrong, more so today than ever.

The global reach of television is a good indication of how off American taste is from the rest of the world, with television shows produced in the US being shown in other countries. Programs that did not resonate with the American public and were canceled after only one season are finding audience with television fans around the world, disappointed by the short run the shows were given. It’s unlikely that studios will attempt to reassemble the cast and crew to produce more episodes, but there is certainly money being lost here. The same is true for artists who cannot see outside of their own neighborhood, state, region or country. You’re excluding people and doing a disservice to yourself and your music.

Artists in the alternate industry need to be aware that what is happening in US magazines and television and the hype and trends they feel they need to follow aren’t that important in the bigger picture. You may not have a chance on commercial radio in the US, but what about in other countries? If you’re obsessing over trying to land a good review from Pitchfork so you can be an indie superstar, you could be completely neglecting the audience that would enjoy your music just the way it is, without all the pretense. Mimicking what is on the Billboard charts or being hocked on MTV is not the only way to make it. Actually, the more you follow the mainstream and what’s been done, the more you suppress your ability to be original and creative…and if you’re not those things then what good are you? Be honest with yourself as an artist and stay true to your unique voice and perspective. You don’t have to compromise and you don’t have to sacrifice your integrity to find ears that can really hear you. There are more than 6 billion people in this world and you have access to most of them. Find your audience.

AJ, KOAR