Influencers or Signed Artists: Who Dominates in Talent and Skill?
Virtual or virtuosos, who does it best?
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Influencers or Signed Artists: Who Dominates in Talent and Skill? · Source: undefined undefined / LuisPortugal
Influencers and signed artists aren’t that far apart in 2024. Is fame and fortune down to luck or outright talent? Let’s explore the debate. Who do you prefer?
Influencers & Signed Artists
Influencers vs. Signed Artists
We now find ourselves in an age where creating and accessing musical content is easier than ever. Thanks to the likes of social media giants such as YouTube, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram, anyone can record and upload their music.
Let’s say it’s 1984 and not 2024, how does an emerging guitarist get spotted? As history tells us, through hard work, live performances and patience. However, it appears that now all you have to do is get enough views on your reels and you’re doing enough to make a full-time wage.
So, let’s take a closer look at some influencers and signed artists. Who really has more talent? Where these artists just in the right place at the right time? Or, are there some unnoticed heroes online who deserve more credit?
Signed Artists – Ed Sheeran & John Mayer
Firstly, we’ll be looking at two current signed artists who are still in the charts today. Now, I do not wish to discredit either musician, but there are strengths and weaknesses to be highlighted between them.
This video is a live performance of Ed Sheeran’s ‘Don’t‘ from his 2014 album ‘X‘. Regardless of what you think of the UK’s most loved red-headed guitarist, he has done alright for himself over the years. He does have a lot of talent, and is a credible signed artist.
However, in this performance, it is John Mayer who performs a blistering guitar solo with a plethora of advanced techniques. Arguably, Sheeran overshadows Mayer throughout this video even though he’s just playing a few simple chords over and over for 4 minutes.
Target Audience
With this specific performance, it’s all about who the appeal is for. I’m probably right in thinking that the vast majority of Ed Sheeran’s fanbase isn’t looking out for Floyd Rose dive bombs or tapping. Therefore, the merit of this performance goes to Sheeran.
However, John Mayer’s audience likes the guitar work, that’s kind of his whole thing, right? At a Mayer concert, a lot of the crowd are most likely better guitarists than Ed Sheeran, so are naturally unimpressed by a three-chord song. We’ll come to this later, but it’s finding the difference between pure talent and what sells.
Influencers – George Collins & Aiden Kroll
This time in our search for who dominates, we’ve got two similarly famous online guitarists. George Collins is a British guitarist who received a scholarship to study at the prestigious Berklee College of Music. Whereas, Aiden Kroll is an average player with good cheekbones who gets millions of views.
Again, we’ve got two musicians who have made a pretty good start at their careers, and yet neither of them have a record deal. But, do they need it?
Let’s take Aiden Kroll, his short clips achieve anywhere from 200k to 19 million views! From a guitarist’s perspective, all he’s doing is covering trending songs whilst adding some flicky strumming patterns and minor 7th chords. Big whoop.
Whereas across the pond, George Collins amasses anywhere from 11k to 160k views. Across his social media platforms, Collins plays a wide range of guitars and explores some complex techniques such as modes and hybrid picking. And yet, who gets the most credit?
Undeserving Stardom?
This could be said for both signed artists and influencers. There are a lot of acts out there that make the big bucks without having to lift a musical finger. Or when they do, it really shows that they can’t.
This became a meme a few years ago. It shows an actor turned singer ruin a simple opportunity at a guitar solo. There will be guitarists jamming in their bedrooms that could wipe the floor with this performance. But, as we looked at earlier, a lot of Nick Jonas’ audience will never have heard a good guitar solo before, so it doesn’t really matter for him.
Does it make me mad that Jonas will have been paid more than I make in a year for that performance? No. But it’s not the only instance where people who should know better slip up.
There are plenty of videos out there making jokes out of influencers who use their virtual profile to stay hidden and pull the wool over our eyes. If you’re good-looking enough and make enough flamboyant faces, it doesn’t seem to matter how much skill you actually have.
YouTube Collaborations
There are also instances where internet stars put their own spin on songs by signed artists. Most of the time, it showcases their unique skills and rival that of the professionals.
Here is just one example, of many. YouTube guitarist RoyZivMusic takes several pop songs and layers his own guitar solos over the top. Some of these songs didn’t need or ask for solos, but they’re still cool.
From sweep picking to passing bends, this YouTube performer excels over many of the musicians that he’s collaborating with.
Having collated 13 million views since it was uploaded in 2012, Josh Turner’s cover of Sultans Of Swing is an effortless tribute to one of the best guitar songs ever.
With this example, it’s hard to compare to the original version. The skills here are no greater or worse than that of Mark Knopfler. So why hasn’t Josh Tuner also had a successful multi-million dollar career?
Armed with his trusty sunburst Telecaster, Josh Tuner has enough of a following to now be well known across the world. He even has his own signature D’Angelico.
Who Does It Better?
Overall, there are cases for and against both influencers and signed artists. I would argue that there are a lot of recording musicians out there who get way more hype than they deserve. Likewise, there are some online musicians who haven’t been spotted by the right person yet.
Mostly, it’s about what sells. You could be the best guitarist in the world, but if you’re not visually appealing, then you’ve no chance. And naturally, this works in the opposite direction.
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