Mousso Korobo chairs for and by Malians

1. Get yourself heard play at open mic's/talent qeutss/bars & clubs in your local area. If you stay persistent you will gradually build up a fan base and people will know your name. If an A&R representative is looking for talent, they will be more inclined to sign you because you're already successful on your own.2. Do your research the music industry isn't just about singing, it's a business like any other who wants to make money, and if that means exploiting you, then that'll happen. Read about the music industry in books/online and find out everything.AND 3. Differentiate yourself from every other singer honestly, a label doesn't really care if you sing like Peter Cetera and Steve Perry, they just want to make money from you, so you have to make yourself stand out (think Lady GaGa). Develop a unique style that people will associate with you. Because if you think about it, all famous singers have a style, e.g. Katy Perry = colorful/candy/sex symbol, Rihanna = exotic/unusual accent/flirtatious. Usually this image is constructed by the label but labels don't like spending money on artist development anymore, so you're going to have to do it yourself.

What will be really tienllg is how the NEXT album after Revelation sells IF it has only new material on it-with Arnel covering NONE of the old Perry numbers that Perry not only sung, but co-wrote. I think Arnel has the talent to be a mega star in his own right-but frankly, you would have to prove to me that Revelation going platinum is anything other than( A.) Pent up desire to hear ANYTHING that sounds like Perry and the old Journey; (B.) the marketing wizardry of Azoff with Walmart-who worked the same magic for the Eagles comeback. (The same person Perry had replaced H. Herbert with before to do the same for Journey after making Trial by Fire in the mid-1990 s before he hurt his hip with the plan falling apart.) What is tienllg is LOOK AT THE ALBUM SALES FIGURES. I'm only talking about commercial success here-I realize that Schon is talented on his own, that the original Journey was artistically a great fusion band, etc. But what is tienllg is that ONLY during the Perry era have they been commercially successful. Not before, not with Augeri after, ONLY with Perry. And Revelation as an album is a full 1/2 Arnel sound alike covers of Perry-which can appeal to young people who don't know the difference because it is new to them, or curiosity seekers who want to hear how he stacks up to Steve, etc. Just like people were so desperate for a Beatles reunion that they would go to see the impersonator shows on Broadway and in Vegas just to have something CLOSE to the Beatles-until Arnel can record and maybe write with the guys some original music and have an entire album be that stuff, and have individual songs chart high that are totally new-well, I don't think he'll be able to really know whether it is just nostalgia rock from people hungry for anything resembling Steve or that they are coming to see HIM. Until some totally new Arnel songs have staying evergreen' power like the old Perry writing/singing collaborations, well, to me you've got a very talented singer (Arnel), stuck in a tribute band because Schon and Cain, talented as they are, aren't commercially viable without the sound of Steve Perry. And so far, the only song I've seen that has been half way successful After All These Years', is a milktoast, insipid, syrupy pale imitation of the raw power and emotion that Journey songs used to have when Perry was the other part of that writing threesome. Just like Rodgers and Hart, and other great writing collaborations, sometimes it is the chemistry between artists that creates the magic. So, prove it to me Journey that you actually can create magic on your own without Steve-but you haven't done it yet! And those European sell out crowds were multi-artist stadium shows-they weren't just Journey shows. And in the states, now that people have satisfied their curiosity once about Arnel, will they be able to sell out the same venue a SECOND time? Only time will tell Frankly, I'd pay twice to see Steve Perry doing new material with his more mature, soulful, R&B/jazz timbre in his voice in a small,intimate club. And I wouldn't spend a dime to see a nostalgia tour with Arnel covering Steve's stuff-any more than I would go see someone who sounded just like Paul McCartney, or Springsteen.And that is NOT a slam against Arnel-again, I wish him well in creating his OWN legacy. Just hopes he realizes that they'll throw him away like so much spoiled meat if he allows them to damage his voice with too much touring. If rumors are true, Schon has now imploded his 4th marriage, and with all his kids by the various wives, and the costs of divorces, well, it is likely that he HAS to tour financially-and I hope Arnel doesn't find that he is expendable like all the other singers they've discarded over the years.