I recently came across a TV show where the host and guests were discussing the topic of how upcoming musicians can be nurtured. One of the guests seemed to be of the view that the upcoming musicians should be left to come up through their own efforts – he called it bootstrapping. He seemed to be saying that upcoming musicians shouldn’t be supported: that, as he kept on asserting, ‘they should be left to come up organically through their own effort’. By the time the show ended, I found myself almost hating the fellow, on account of his callousness. Perhaps that is because my views are diametrically opposite to his. I believe that upcoming musicians should be given all the support they need – because if they are not supported, there is a risk that they will end up giving up, and the society will then miss out on their talent. Come to think of it, there are actually four ways in which upcoming musicians can – and should—be supported, rather than being left to come up through their own efforts.
Firstly, upcoming musicians should be linked up with mentors, who can encourage and guide them. Musicians have the potential to influence the society in major ways, and they need to be well guided.
Secondly, musical instruments should be availed to the upcoming musicians: so that they can practice on them and use them to compose new songs. Recently, I was really happy to learn about the musical programs at the local county jail. Through the said programs, inmates who have musical talent are given a chance to cultivate the talent. Such programs consume a very small percentage of the jail budgets. But the impact from them can be huge.
Thirdly, music recording facilities should be availed to the upcoming musicians, so that they can record their music without struggling too much.
Fourthly, the media outlets and DJs should be encouraged to play the music created by the upcoming musicians, in order to promote the new talent. Upcoming musicians are often discouraged when they release songs, only for the songs to dumped into the archives — never to be heard again. It has been argued that there are ‘unpleasant people’ in the entertainment industry who ensure that the same songs (from the same ‘well established’ musicians) are played over and over again: to the detriment of upcoming artists.