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Let’s dive into today’s topic:
Before we start, a shameless plug: Scalio is an insanely talented electronic music artist I work with. She recently launched a Substack to document her journey to create “The Mothership”. This week, she’s playing at Amsterdam Dance Event. Subscribe to Scalio on Substack :)
Ideal world versus feasible world
Why emerging artists grow faster in short, imperfect iterations.
Why it matters
Many artists think through every aspect of their artistry. Every detail carries meaning.
This drive for perfection often holds back debuting and emerging artists.
They might benefit from loosening their perfect plans to fit their current situation. That applies to almost everything: their brand, their content, their stage presence, and maybe even their music.
How it works
In my corporate days, I learned to distinguish between the ideal world and the feasible world.
The ideal world is the plan without limits. The feasible world is the plan that fits the time, energy, and money available today.
Feasible solutions aren’t perfect. That’s exactly where they clash with many artists’ ambitions. But ideal solutions almost never reach the market. Sometimes there’s no time, budget, or resources. And sometimes artists work with people who don’t share their definition of ideal.
Economist Herbert Simon (1956) called this satisficing: choosing the option that’s good enough, because searching for the optimal option costs more than it returns.
Emerging artists face an extra constraint: they lack the power to enforce their ideal solution. Promoters, venues, and labels set the conditions, because the artist’s market value isn’t there yet.
Knowing how to work within a feasible solution while keeping the career on track toward the ideal world is a valuable skill.
Some examples:
Does the set really need that LED screen when the promoter wants a plug-and-play club performance without a soundcheck?
Can performing as a tape-act set help an artist grow in the first months, before a full live band is affordable?
If one social media post takes hours to create, can the artist realistically post several times a week?
Does the brand world need to be finished before the first release, or can it grow release by release?
Each feasible version becomes an iteration. Artists learn from it, and the next version moves one step closer to the ideal world.
Yes, but..
Some things artists shouldn’t compromise on. Those differ per artist. For many, it’s the music. For others, it’s their brand.
The feasible world only works when artists keep the ideal world in sight. Artists who compromise on everything end up with a career that no longer feels like theirs. Feasible solutions may become permanent. The tape-act set meant for three months might still run two years later.
Take action now
Artists can pick one career element they’ve postponed because it isn’t perfect yet, and find a feasible solution.
Your thoughts
Further reading
Satisficing (The Decision Lab)
The limits of business logic in music (The Fanbase Builder)
Market value is the music industry’s hidden currency (The Fanbase Builder)
Why artists shouldn’t skip steps (The Fanbase Builder)
Growth phases help artists build sustainable careers (The Fanbase Builder)
Why artists play it safe (The Fanbase Builder)
Simplify your marketing strategy (The Fanbase Builder)