Who Are You Trying To Sound Like?

Impressionists and “Sound-Alike-Artists” have been around since Noah first did his famous impression of Charlton Heston. Garth Brooks, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash and, even, Little Jimmy Dickens, plus scores of others with celebrity status, have look-alike and sound-alike artists paying tribute to them on a daily basis.

Almost every single performer has mentioned someone in their past who has greatly influenced them. It goes without saying that all of us are influenced by others in our lives in one way or another if not in several ways. Dean Martin was influenced by The Mills Brothers, John Lennon was influenced by Hank Williams and Elvis was influenced by Bill Monroe. Yet, I would be hard-pressed to find anyone who said that John Lennon sounded like Hank or that Elvis sounded like Bill Monroe.

Herein lies the difference between the truly great and those still attempting to be great. The great have found a way to allow the influence to feed and nurture their talent and creativity without letting it take over. They have used the influence and then moved on while the others get stuck in the rut. Many a career has stalled at this critical point.

Almost every celebrity performer has basically the same thing to say when asked to give advice to an up-and-coming artist, and that is, “To be yourself, find your own sound and stop trying to sound like me, or Waylon, or Dolly, or whomever it is that you idolize.”

So why is it that today's best tools for artist development and fan-base building – Internet based social connectivity and content sharing sites – almost all try to force the user into claiming that they sound like some other well known group or artist? It's a fundamental mistake - a psychological trap that can easily set a career on a path with very little reward.

As a radio programmer, I probably have every recording ever released by Alison Krauss including some that probably weren't meant for public consumption. So if I'm looking for a new talent to put on the air, why would I choose someone who thinks they sound like Alison, which becomes only a poor copy of Alison at best, when I've got the real deal by the score?

And, if I'm a festival promoter looking to hire, I'd hire Alison if that's the sound I wanted. How could I sell something to a crowd that isn't the genuine article? Never heard of her? … well she sounds like Alison Krauss. Mind you, that's only an opinion based upon what was presented on the entertainer's on-line profile. So the crowd shows up expecting to hear Alison, or something that sounds incredibly similar, and is disappointed because, obviously, the sound-like artist was not what they expected. That's a risk no promoter will take when they pay good money for talent. What the artist needs to do is find other descriptive terms that will cause the reader to sample the sound.

In an on-line publication, Bob Barker (author of "Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook," "Unleash the Artist Within" and "Branding Yourself Online") claims that the practice of identifying your sound with that of a more known artist is beneficial. His reasoning is the online music streaming services such as Pandora analyze music that listeners choose and then offer other selections that “Sound Like”....much the same principle that Amazon uses with "customers who bought X also purchased Y" recommendations.

While that mechanism may work (how well it works is subject for debate) with computers, the human emotion cannot be factored in. And while an off-hand comment that you sound a lot like Hank Jr. may not be devastating in itself, the under current working on your subconscious that causes you to actually try to sound like Hank Jr. can be devastating. Tell enough people that you sound like Hank Jr. and you'll start believing it too. Then it's a catch 22 scenario that takes on a life of it's own and we may never know what the real you sounds like.

I've also heard presenters at workshops instruct bands to develop their 30-second elevator speech by saying … wait for it ... “who you sound like.” People will recognize a famous name and know exactly what you meant to convey without all the superfluous banter. I don't know of anything more wrong than that. You can't be Willie Nelson no matter how hard you try. Besides that, the world doesn't want another Willie Nelson. We already have the best Willie there is. But what we don't have is the best YOU!

One of the best entries I've seen in the profile category of “Sounds Like:” The artist put, “No One but Me … I sound just like ME.” Other than that, I've seen a lot of these fields left blank; but, it's hard to tell if that was done intentionally because the artist doesn't want to fall into that trap or because they took the path of least resistance and left several fields blank, being in a hurry to post their product on-line.

So, if you're an artist trying to be heard, avoid the “Sounds-Like” dungeon everywhere you can because you may go in very easily but you'll have a hard time getting back out – if ever.

If you're a web developer looking to start a brand new Facebook, Reverbnation, Pinterest, YouTube or other such service hoping to attract musical users, do not simply copy what is already in place. Avoid putting in a category for “Sounds-Like” Copying an error means you own the mistake. Instead, give us a much needed improvement. Give us suggested fields but allow us to remove the field if unused. Do some research first … ask some well known experts in the music business what works … don't just ask those musicians who will input the data. Ask the end users, the consumer of the product, the buyer of the talent, the user of the content what it is that they want and need. By providing that, you'll give the musician something they not only need but something that will help them as well as you to grow and prosper.

Trying to sound like anyone other than yourself is like putting on a mask. Remember, there is only one you in this world. Do everything you can to shine and sparkle but don't dim it with a layer of someone else.