Artist-Audience Engagement: Talent or Skill? Dr. John Matthias

This is an excerpt from my conversation with my professor & mentor, PRS award-winning musician John Matthias, best known for his work with Radiohead, Thom Yorke, and Ninja Tune.

We talk about how artists could best go about nurturing their audiences. John shares some astute observations on how some of the most successful artists tend to have what he refers to as a 'cultural antenna'.

We go on to talk about how artists and audiences mutually influence each other, how some naturally have a sense of audience 'resonance', while others may need to invest time into developing it.

The dialogue highlights an increasingly complex system of interdependence between the artist and their audience in the current music industry.

(Edited minimally for context).

''Very brilliant people... have this antenna for knowing what's going to resonate.''

John: Very brilliant people, they just have this antenna for knowing what's going to resonate with an audience.

TL: Do you think that's something people can train?

John: That's a really good question. Well, Tom Yorke has it. He just knows and always has.

As well as being brilliant and having a lot of artistic integrity he has this thing that I don't really have, which is really knowing what's going to work then. It's like having a cultural antenna. A lot of the people, the people who have been very successful commercially, do have that.

Noel Gallagher has it. Bjork has it. Even though Bjork does pretty much does what she wants. She always knows how to resonate with an audience.

T.L.: The question I find myself asking all the time is how much does the individual mindset, the fundamental mindset of an artist, play a role in that?

If I (kind of ) make a deal with myself that goes ''...I will figure out a way to take my music to my audiences and find my audiences'', while making sure I find my musical niche first, or built that sound which I really believe in........I feel like so many artists just forget that first step.

John: Well, that presupposes that one comes before the other.

T.L. ...aah yes, it does.

John: I see more of it as a (simultaneous) dynamic.

So you might have some idea of how to go about it, but I think we need to bring the audience with us the whole time.

T.L.: You and think artists and audiences reflect each other?

John: Yeah, I think they need each other.

It's a complex system of interdependence. So if anyone is forgotten about, it won't work.

But having said that, I don't think there's anything wrong with just playing music on your own, in your own shed. Writing what you want to, without involving your audience.

T.L.: No, you didn't sound like you were (saying there's anything wrong with that).

John: Yeah, you need to find your audience and bring them with you in some way.

How that is though, has changed a lot and is changing a lot at the moment with all kinds of electronic processes and distributed people and distributed structures and multiple genres and multiple communities.

It it's an extremely complex situation.

(So) now the question ''what is a musical community?'', has a very complex answer.

T.L.: Thank you.

Summary: Main Topics

Changing Dynamics in Music Communities

The evolving nature of finding and engaging with an audienceComplex interdependence between artists and audiencesImpact of electronic processes, distributed structures, genres, and communities on musical engagement

Artist Mindset and Audience Engagement

The fundamental mindset of an artist in engaging with their audienceBuilding a sound that the artist believes in before seeking the audienceDynamic relationship between artists and audiences

Understanding Audience Resonance

Artists' ability to resonate with audiences Importance of cultural intuition in successful commercial artists Balancing artistic integrity and audience resonance

------

Questions / Answers

Can people train themselves to have a sense for what resonates with an audience?

Some individuals naturally possess this ability, while others may need to develop it through experience.

How much does the individual mindset of an artist play a role in engaging with their audience?

It's a dynamic process where both the artist's vision and the audience's reception influence each other.

Do you think artists and audiences reflect each other?

Yes, there is a complex system of interdependence where both parties need each other for success.

Key points and Insights

The music industry is experiencing significant changes due to electronic processes, distributed structures, multiple genres, communities which impact how musicians find their audiences.

Successful commercial artists often possess both artistic brilliance as well as an innate understanding of what resonates with their audience.

Artists should prioritize building their unique sound while also considering how it will connect with their intended listeners.

The relationship between artists and audiences is dynamic, requiring mutual influence for meaningful engagement.

Related Posts: