I received an email from an artist that I don’t really like musically. Maybe someone else thinks they are good it’s just not my taste of music. I just wonder who that someone else is, frankly, in my opinion, they are quite boring. I’m a nice person though, or at least I think I’m a nice person, so when I got the email I was like, ok it’s probably not good but hey let’s take a listen to them.

I opened the email and in the text there was every error you could possibly do when you send something out. They had added the song as an mp3 file in the mail. There was this story that made no sense about the artist. No release date was there. Nothing around the song and no contact information in order to reply to the email.

I was a bit puzzled;  these are the things I have been writing in this column and in my blog so many times. Apparently, they were not reading it. Then I Just checked the email in our mail system and saw that they had signed up on the email letter but unsigned it. They even have unsubscribed from the list where I only send out important information to people in the industry. It was like yes I should be forced to listen to their mediocre song, but they didn’t even bother to listen to what I had to say or when I tried to help people out, and in this case, they really should have read what I was writing about.

It’s not uncommon that the artist is so self-centered that everything else that comes in is not interesting. It is like everything that is communicated to them should be an homage to their music or their personas. We are really talking uber narcissist that makes Donald Trump look like a person that cares a lot about other people. It’s like they have a career just to have a way for people to flatter them even though they are not deserving it. A little bit like when you are forced to attend Christmas play by your neice and have to tell them that they sang really good even if you were tormented the whole time.

Then I thought I was equally bad. I want them to read what I have to say to try to help them. At the same time, I don’t really want to listen to their music. What is the difference here?

Then an email came through. It was the same artist asking if I had listened to the song. I looked on when it was sent to me and saw the email was two days old. Come on you don’t need to remind people after two days. Also, they wanted feedback on the song. No, I never force people to read this,  that is what you do of your own free will, if you do I’m flattered, but if you don’t that is fine too. This artist is just up in the blue thinking too much about their music. I know if I really said what I thought about the song they would be angry; this is just another desperate way to get more nice comments.

I just deleted the whole thread. In the end, it’s two-way communication. Not just one person trying to sell something to you or get free advice.

Editor’s Note: Peter Åstedt has been working in the music industry for over 30 years. He has started record labels, distribution systems, and publishing companies. Peter also runs several major showcase festivals and is an advisor for INES and co-founder of MusicHelp/Discover Sensation. He has worked with the Top Ten most streamed songs and had music on both the Olympics and Super Bowl. Peter has currently taken up the seat of Station Manager of Cashbox Radio, working with MD, PD and station owner, Sandy Graham. In 2021, he worked as the European Consultant for Heal the Earth – An Earth Day Celebration. His latest venture is a new Showcase Festival in Sweden, Future Echoes futureechoes.se/. Peter is a Managing Partner and Editor of the newly launched Record World International.