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Labels want sure things.

They're a profit-making exercise, the majors. They want a sure thing and what they do is that they capitalize off of something that already exists. That's why you have to see so many artists that go viral and then cultivate a larger stream base out of that. They get those sweetheart offers from majors where the terms are good because they've done all of the groundwork.

[Elan Mlgenovich of Authors of Fate, on MAKE // BREAK:] "Why would a major pick somebody who doesn't already have that full package and fan base kind of ready to go when there's one right next to them that does?"

Oftentimes what we saw in the beginning of the TikTok era, as we've been calling it, is that these artists would blow up, go mega viral, and then they just wouldn't stick. They would crumble with respect to any follow-up.

There's literally footage from shows and concerts, like big ones, where the audience would sing along for the hook of the song and then wouldn't be able to finish it. That's devastating for an artist's morale and headspace.

Then you have artists that do it all and there's no label come in to greet them. Artists that have everything going on. Everything. They may be getting offers, possibly. There might be some interest. But it's definitely not something where a major is swooping in and saying “okay, here's a blank check, let's go.”

The artist who's waiting around thinking that somebody is going to come and save them thinks that there's going to be some sort of magical moment where an A&R rep is going to be at one of their shows sipping on a mojito, bored out of their mind, and then suddenly the artist starts playing, and there's this magical moment where the A&R is just standing there at a bar going, “Wow!”

If life needs to be some sort of cinematic scene, you're gonna get disappointed every single time.

A friend of mine has this expression: “You gain so much freedom when you realize nobody is coming to save you.”

I wish that artists would understand that.

Nobody is going to come to save you.

The waiting around is gonna cost you your peace of mind. There's always going to be a shit sandwich that you have to eat, and for musicians there's more stuff that sucks than, I would argue, most industries. Carrying a goddamn 8x10 up and down some narrow ass staircase that was not built for an Ampeg. Driving eight hours to make it to the next podunk middle of nowhere town to play to another group of ten kids, most of whom are truly not there to see you. Posting on socials to have one like and no comments and no new followers over the course of the next month. Releasing your song and having four plays, and you know that two of them are you.

I'm here to tell you, you are going to be filled with so much more resentment, hatred, loathing, and jealousy, because you're going to see those shit sandwiches as indecencies that are being committed against you.

If you really love this, you're gonna eat that whole fucking thing and you're gonna love every minute of it.

“I release the song, got four plays, two of them are mine. Yay!” Filled with joy.

“Oh my god, I get to go and play to ten kids. Holy shit, there's ten kids here!”

“I get a workout lifting this Ampeg up and down the stairs.”

“We get to see so much of the country while we're driving.”

It's the most subtle and it's the most powerful thing. If you can access that, there's an unlock there waiting for you.

Stop waiting around for some white knight to come and save you.

Stop waiting. Start creating. Start living your life.

Let's get into it.

Dave Fowler’s remarkable journey spans humble beginnings in rural North Carolina to sharing stages and studios with icons like Dolly Parton, Billy Bob Thornton, Toby Keith and Cinderella, but his greatest success isn’t measured by accolades.

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