Make Sure You Are Clear On Your Purpose
http://www.greatmanagement.org/articles/980/1/Make-Sure-You-Are-Clear-On-Your-Purpose/Page1.html
Simon Fuller
Over the course of twenty years, Simon Fuller has built a long roster
of major recording artists and top international talent, including
Annie Lennox, sports legend David Beckham, Claudia Schiffer, and The
Spice Girls. He has managed the largest-selling music acts in the U.S.
for the last three years, and in May 2008, Billboard Magazine crowned
Fuller the "most successful British music manager of all time," with an
astonishing 116 million units sold in North America alone. By Simon Fuller
Published on 02/27/2009
t is said that those who know Simon Fuller either love
him or hate him. On the more favourable side, his role in the music
industry has been compared to the late Brian Epstein, the Beatles’
manager responsible for the great British Invasion. On the other hand,
Fuller has his critics who denounce him as someone who has sullied the
music business with talentless artists and made fame a characteristic
that can come irrespective of talent.
It is said that those who know Simon
Fuller either love him or hate him. On the more favourable side, his
role in the music industry has been compared to the late Brian Epstein,
the Beatles’ manager responsible for the great British Invasion. On the
other hand, Fuller has his critics who denounce him as someone who has
sullied the music business with talentless artists and made fame a
characteristic that can come irrespective of talent.
Critics “probably don’t like because I’m so nice,” Fuller once remarked. “I’m incredibly articulate, thoughtful and moral, and I think about what I do. I want to be known for doing something good. I’m not f*****-up enough to want to be famous for doing bad things.”
That probably does not tell the whole story. After all, Fuller did once tell S Club 7, one of his now defunct singing groups, “I could put cardboard cut-outs of you on the stage and it wouldn’t make any difference.” Several members of the band followed by suing Fuller, arguing that they had subsisted on £2,000 a week while Fuller was raking in profits upwards of £50m. Fuller did not have much to say in response, except, “The whole thing was my idea. I came up with the name and the embryonic group.”
Nice or not, Fuller is clear on why he is in business, which is why he is so able to counter his critics. How many of the more than 100 number one hits he has been responsible for were actually good? How many of the singers are still making number one hits today? The answer to both questions would be very few. Even his Idol winners have a short-life span in the industry following their first CDs.
Fuller, however, does not seem to care. He knows that self-made talent tends to last longer and be more successful in the music industry. But Fuller never once pretended to be promoting real self-made talent. Fuller knew he was never going after artists with long-term sales potential.
What Fuller has always focused on is short-term cash flow. That is why no matter how great the artist he is working on promoting today seems to be, he always has another one waiting in the wings to go. When the Spice Girls dumped him as manager, he immediately began to promote S Club 7. After S Club 7 split, he was ready with S Club Juniors. And that is the beauty of his Pop Idol franchise – it does not matter how much real talent or staying power the winners have, because audiences will quickly move on to listening to next season’s contestants.
So, Fuller might not make music that lasts. He might not even make music that is very good. But then again, he never promised he would. Instead, Fuller looks for opportunities to capitalize on, however long or short those opportunities may be. He is clear on why he is in business, even if his critics are not.
Critics “probably don’t like because I’m so nice,” Fuller once remarked. “I’m incredibly articulate, thoughtful and moral, and I think about what I do. I want to be known for doing something good. I’m not f*****-up enough to want to be famous for doing bad things.”
That probably does not tell the whole story. After all, Fuller did once tell S Club 7, one of his now defunct singing groups, “I could put cardboard cut-outs of you on the stage and it wouldn’t make any difference.” Several members of the band followed by suing Fuller, arguing that they had subsisted on £2,000 a week while Fuller was raking in profits upwards of £50m. Fuller did not have much to say in response, except, “The whole thing was my idea. I came up with the name and the embryonic group.”
Nice or not, Fuller is clear on why he is in business, which is why he is so able to counter his critics. How many of the more than 100 number one hits he has been responsible for were actually good? How many of the singers are still making number one hits today? The answer to both questions would be very few. Even his Idol winners have a short-life span in the industry following their first CDs.
Fuller, however, does not seem to care. He knows that self-made talent tends to last longer and be more successful in the music industry. But Fuller never once pretended to be promoting real self-made talent. Fuller knew he was never going after artists with long-term sales potential.
What Fuller has always focused on is short-term cash flow. That is why no matter how great the artist he is working on promoting today seems to be, he always has another one waiting in the wings to go. When the Spice Girls dumped him as manager, he immediately began to promote S Club 7. After S Club 7 split, he was ready with S Club Juniors. And that is the beauty of his Pop Idol franchise – it does not matter how much real talent or staying power the winners have, because audiences will quickly move on to listening to next season’s contestants.
So, Fuller might not make music that lasts. He might not even make music that is very good. But then again, he never promised he would. Instead, Fuller looks for opportunities to capitalize on, however long or short those opportunities may be. He is clear on why he is in business, even if his critics are not.