How to Deal With Rejection in the Music Business

Rejection is a tough reality in the music industry, but it can also be a stepping stone to growth. This article explores real-life experiences and offers insights on how to navigate setbacks and come back stronger.

By Magesh MageshContributing Author

Article photo - How to Deal With Rejection in the Music Business

No one likes being rejected in any area of life. It's worse when you get rejected for something you really love.

There have been many times in my musical career where I was replaced by another musician or failed an audition for a great artist. What I realized was, it doesn’t always come down to musical talent and ability.

There are other factors that cause musicians to get rejected. I would like to look at these.

Personality types

If you watch the Metallica documentary Some Kind of Monster, you will notice a few things. When they audition bass players, some musicians look like a fish out of water. I’m not saying that they don’t play the songs well. I’m saying that their personality has to fit with the rest of the band to make things work.

The bass player who ended up getting the gig was Robert Trujillo. He told a story in a recent interview about how Metallica's drummer suggested they get a drink after the audition (before he even knew he was in the band!). They both ended up drinking till 5 in the morning.

I feel the drummer of Metallica was testing the new bass player's personality to see if he could hang out with the band in a social setting. Obviously, he got the gig because he’s a phenomenal bass player, although it probably helped that his lifestyle was similar to the guys in the band.

What to do when you fail an audition

Article photo - How to Deal With Rejection in the Music Business I heard that Australian pop singer Darren Johns of the famous band Savage Garden was auditioning drummers for a 3-week tour of Japan. Unfortunately, the audition was in 2 days and in another state. I got called to audition, although I would have to fly to Brisbane from Melbourne. Because it was such short notice, the flight cost me almost $500!

I had to learn 3 songs—a ballad and 2 up-tempo numbers. I practiced them until I knew the songs' notes perfectly. When I got to the audition, I was surprised to find that I would only be auditioning with the bass player and a backing track. I guess this was to see how good my timing was and if I could play with a click track. The bass player looked at me at the end of the audition and said, "Great job!" I was pretty confident I got the gig.

The next morning, I received a phone call saying they gave it to another drummer. My heart sank when this happened. In my mind, I went over the audition to see if I did anything wrong. I didn’t make any big mistakes, and I got along well with the bass player. In this situation, you might not know why you weren’t chosen. What is important is that you took a shot and can put it down to experience.

Getting replaced on a recording

It’s easy now to fix mistakes in the studio with the invention of Pro Tools and similar DAW programs. This was not the case back in the day. I remember doing a recording session for a famous Australian pop singer. This was a good break for me because he was signed to Sony Records. This meant my name would be on the CD single as one of the musicians who played on the track. I was so excited that I bought the single on the day it was released.

Unfortunately for me, my name was not on the credits! Under “drums,” it said, “drums performed by Abe Laboriel Jr.” This drummer is an incredible session musician who has worked with everyone from Paul McCartney to Sting to Lady Gaga. I asked the A&R guy at Sony why I was replaced. He said the executives wanted the top session musicians in the world because they had put a lot of money into this artist. I tried to look at this in a positive light. If I was being replaced, at least it was by one of the greatest session drummers of all time!

When your band gets dropped from a label, it can be tough. I’ve worked with a lot of artists who were on pop TV shows like Australian Idol and The X Factor. They had quick fame, but if they didn’t make the record company money, they were dropped from their label. So many of these artists end up going on smaller labels or releasing their music independently.

I remember working with a singer who opened for Justin Timberlake. I asked him what his plan was after he was let go from a major label. He had a great response. He said he was just going to keep releasing music until he gets back on top.

In conclusion, it’s important to remember that rejection isn’t the end of the road; it’s just a pit stop.

It’s essential to learn from rejection so you can do better in the future.

About Magesh Magesh

Magesh is a musician and producer who has worked with Rihanna, Lionel Richie, Ricky Martin, Chris Brown, The Pussy Cat Dolls, Nelly Furtado, and Vernon Reid of Living Colour. He released an instructional drumming DVD called "Unique Beats" where he mixed the drum kit with electronics and Indian hand percussion. He recently moved from Australia to the UK to explore new musical opportunities.
Website: mageshdrumteacher.co.uk

Contact Magesh Magesh at magesh.magesh7@gmail.com