The Chainsmokers and their secret of becoming a festival headliner
American duo The Chainsmokers are undoubtedly one of the most unstoppable pairings that the music industry has ever seen. Their success has inspired many over the years, owing to the pair having seemingly taken over the world overnight. Naturally, with all success stories there is a huge degree of hard work that takes place behind the scenes, yet remains unseen in the public eye. This often gives the impression that leading artists have found their way to the top through luck alone, which is very rarely the case. Becoming a festival headliner takes effort – lots of effort.
Throughout their careers, the pair have gone to great lengths to make sure their music is always heard by the masses, as well as performing a staggering number of live shows around the globe. As an artist, there is plenty can be learned from The Chainsmokers’ rise to stardom, including their use of comprehensive campaigns and consistent branding.
The Chainsmokers certainly experienced an extremely quick rise to fame, after their second ever release ‘#SELFIE’ went viral seemingly overnight. It was the music video itself paired with the female vocal sample that enabled the release to gain traction so quickly, using humour to make the track transcend genres and become instantly memorable to anyone who heard it. Shortly afterward, the pair released a string of successful singles that included ‘Kanye’, ‘Let You Go’ and ‘Roses’, each of which proved a hit with their growing loyal following. It was in 2016 though that the pair truly took over the world. Their global hit ‘Don’t Let Me Down’ went viral all over the globe, exceeding 1 billion Spotify streams and becoming one of the most popular tracks that year.
Now, the pair have won a Grammy award, two American Music Awards, released one platinum selling album and seven platinum selling singles, and they continue to headline major festivals around the globe throughout the year. With such a glittering selection of accolades it is unsurprising that the duo serve as such an inspiration for so many budding artists around the globe. The pair broke into the mainstream charts much more quickly than most artists, becoming a household name in the electronic music industry and in the pop industry simultaneously. A major aspect of this success was undoubtedly their marketing and live performances, which allowed them to become so globally known so quickly. In this article we will explore the methods The Chainsmokers used to achieve such widespread success and how artists can learn from these methods.
Looking back at the earliest history of The Chainsmokers, Alex Pall had grown up DJing, while Drew Taggart had taken an interest in DJing and had begin to release original songs using Soundcloud before they were introduced by a mutual contact. In 2014, the pair performed their first live show, supporting Timeflies at Terminal 5, just a few months after the release of ‘#SELFIE’. The lesson to be learned from this is the need to be open to opportunities during the early stages of your career in particular. Never underestimate the value of getting your music heard, even if it means performing a very intimate local show at a talent night or a bar for free. The Chainsmokers weren’t afraid to get out there and share their music with the world, a feeling that every artist should share.
Building relationships
Building relationships with those you come into contact with is invaluable in the early stages of your career. Nobody is able to jump straight into performing arena shows. As well as performing at intimate venues for free, make sure to leave a positive lasting impression on everyone that you work with. Whether you are dealing with the club owner or a member of security, always ensure to treat everyone with the same level of respect. You never know how much effect a negative encounter may have. People talk, so ensure not to become an artist that people talk about for the wrong reasons. With so many DJs trying to break through into the mainstream, standing out from the crowd for the right reasons is imperative.
Social Media
As well as making a good impression in person, it is important to have a strong social media presence in order to continue moving upward and landing more gigs. If you look at The Chainsmokers’ social channels, you will see that their branding is mirrored across platforms, creating a seamless view into their branding for those discovering them online. Having a strong social media presence does not necessarily rely on your volume of followers, an account with a huge audience but poor content and a poor appearance is not as valuable as an account with a smaller, more dedicated audience backed up by quality content. Even with a relatively small audience, being able to showcase your brand effectively with a quality presence across social platforms can give off a great first impression.
Behaviour
While working your way up the ladder and performing larger and larger shows, it is vital to consistently leave behind a positive impression wherever you perform in order to advance to the next stage. If you display any kind of inability to perform at a 500 capacity show, why would you be trusted to perform at a 1000 capacity venue? Much of the organisation that enables you to give a positive impression falls into the hands of your team, in particular, your manager. It is important to make sure you are surrounded by the right people who will be able to assist you on your journey to the top rather than hinder you. As an artist, one of the most important aspects of choosing the right manager is trust. If you do not have complete faith in your manager, the whole system will crumble. The Chainsmokers have remained with the same manager since 2012, Adam Alpert, who actually introduced the pair. Alpert has guided them all the way to the top and with such a long-lasting work relationship it is clear that they have chosen the right man for the job. Once you find yourself a manager who can be trusted, understands you and your brand, and helps to elevate you to new heights, make sure to do everything you can to keep them on board. Finding the right manager is a lengthy and difficult process, which makes having the right manager already on board even more valuable.
Experience
Once you have established yourself as an artist who can perform well at shows, has a quality team, and a beneficial social media presence, then it is time to start chasing after festival bookings. The key to securing a festival booking is prior research, make sure to only target festivals that have a good chance of deciding to book you. Don’t overlook smaller festivals, as with solo shows, most artists must spend time climbing the ladder before reaching their goals. Performing at a smaller local festival is a good chance to prove your abilities and having more experience will always be seen as a plus by major festivals who will need to know that you are capable of matching their standards. Nothing is more persuasive than being able to approach a festival with proof that you have already performed shows and exceeded expectations.
Press kit
When you’re ready, start sending applications to festivals of your choosing, include a short bio explaining who you are and what you have to offer. Make sure your application is professional and includes photos, live video and a press kit. Remaining professional throughout the process is key, if a festival decides that you’re not quite ready to perform, don’t burn any bridges by reacting negatively, the same festival may decide to book you 2 years down the line. In all aspects of the music industry it is never wise to burn bridges, Alpert introduced The Chainsmokers to each other. The truth is, you never know when a huge opportunity could arise through a contact simply by giving them a good first impression and allowing them to form a positive opinion about you.
The real key to reaching the top and being a festival headliner is moving up the ladder, performing at smaller shows and working your way up. No festival will be willing to book an artist who has never performed in front of a reasonable crowd before, they will want to know that you have prior experience and can handle the pressure. Always leave people with a good impression, act professionally and don’t rush.
With an outsider’s perspective, it is easy to look at a successful artist and only see the fruits of their labour, rather than the hard work they have put in behind the scenes. Most people are likely to have only discovered The Chainsmokers after they really broke through into the mainstream, therefore most people will be completely unaware of any hard work that went into building the brand prior to this success. This often leaves artists with a desire for overnight global success, when the truth is that perseverance is the foundation for any successful artist’s career. Working your way up the ladder may take time, but it is necessary in order to reach the very top.