#038: Are you a pioneer? Or are you chasing a wave?
“The way of the pioneer is always rough” — Harvey S. Firestone
Are you a pioneer? Or are you chasing a wave? No, really. Think about it. Whether it’s in the music industry or in business, that answer will be the big difference between receiving the highest level of respect, or simply trying to get whatever market share is leftover. Let’s take a look at a snapshot of what can be expected from each path:
PIONEER:
It will be an uncomfortable and bumpy journey until the early break-through successes, full of people saying ‘no’ and sometimes even being laughed out of the room. This path isn’t for everyone. You must have a true passion for what you’re doing and belief that borders on the edge of insanity.
There is no guarantee that the journey will end in success, riches or fame. Anyone who has been a pioneer has been smart, driven and had a clear vision of what was ahead; but they also needed some luck in timing or circumstance along the way.
Once success is achieved and the dream is realized, there is no higher level of respect within an industry than being a pioneer to do something new for the first time. This always will come with the highest level of praise, acclaim and very often profits.
Examples: Steve Jobs and what he did with the creation of Apple. A manager breaking an artist vs a manager who signs an artist who is already successful. Spotify being the first to market within music streaming. Grandmaster Flash being one of the founding fathers of Hip Hop.
FOLLOWING THE TRENDS:
It is very easy to feel comfortable and like you are doing something great. The problem is that tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands or even millions of others are doing the same thing, at the same time. This makes it incredibly difficult to separate from that group, especially when everyone launches their idea in the same time period.
There is still no guarantee that the journey will end in success. In fact, it is even more difficult because you are entering a saturated market that has already plateaued or might even be in decline.
If success if achieved, it won’t come with the same level of acclaim the the pioneers of that movement received, nor will it come with the profitability either. Success will be collecting the crumbs that have fallen from the mouth of the pioneers in the space. The only times this isn’t the case are when a follower becomes a pioneer by reinventing their field and improving or enhancing the discovery of the original pioneers.
Being a pioneer doesn’t simply mean trying something new. If the idea is bad one, you might be a pioneer in that given field, but the end result will not be a successful one. It is incredibly important to trust your gut in those early days. Sometimes the best decision is abandoning the new sound of your music or business idea, if it’s a bad one. However, when you feel something special or have those early believers who see the same vision that you do, ride that journey out as far as it can go. Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Chuck Berry and Grandmaster Flash are all human beings who started with an idea and a dream. The decades ahead will produce similar figures in new and unknown fields. Keep your focus on being a pioneer and you can become one of the trailblazers remembered forever.
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JAY’S SONGS OF THE WEEK:
benny blanco x Gracie Abrams - “Unlearn”
Gallant x Brandy - “Dynamite.”
24kGlodn - “Love Or Lust”
Shelley FKA DRAM - “Cooking With Grease”
Teddy Swims - “Til I Change Your Mind”
