Is It Worth the Investment?

Today’s the day of the month that I usually do my monthly paperwork where I record all my income and expenses from the previous month. My business expenses are very different from the business expenses of my clients’. Below is just a snapshot of what a recording artist’s expenses include for just one album project. But there is one item on this list that, once the money is invested into it, it typically carries over into all future projects and other areas of the artist’s career because of how much it affects so many of the other expenses/line items. Can you guess which item that is? It’s the line item that is one of the least expensive items on the list, but the one that carries a great bit of weight. It’s the image consulting line item.

Image consulting is closely tied to branding and therefore affects areas such as web and graphic design, promotion, photography, video production, advertising, and marketing. The type of image consulting I do also includes media coaching which directly affects an artist’s radio tour and print and television interviews.

While I’ve highlighted those areas that are directly impacted by the development of an artist’s image in the snapshot below, there are some other areas on the list that can also be positively affected by the proper development of an artist’s image. For instance, when it comes time for putting an album together (recording/production), having an understanding of his or her image will help an artist make song selections that best represents who he or she is. Also, it takes a polished yet genuine image to attract the right team. An artist who is still building his or her team and is currently looking for the right manager, publicist, etc. is more likely to attract a successful team when those industry leaders can already see you as a worthy investment instead of having to imagine what you could potentially become. This concept is not much different from the career development concept of “dressing for the job you want, not the job you have.”

Knowing now how the development of your image impacts so many areas, how would you answer the question, "Is it worth the investment?" For more tips on how to develop a polished image that will make you successful in your future projects and business partnerships, check out my book Advance Your Image.