There is an element of gambling and risk in everything. Not just in terms of gambling and risk-taking, but also in terms of real life. Every activity we do carries some element of risk and it is how we choose to handle that risk that matters in life. Even jobs carry a risk, especially creative ones. You might wonder what role risk-taking and chance play in things like music, and the role is significant.

For example, people in the world of hip-hop take chances every single day. People take a chance that the well-established singers are going to put out another banger of a track. Others take chances on the unknowns and the fresh faces. Still, others focus on turning those risks into the rewards of a hit song.

Sure talent, hard work, and strategy all play a role in making someone great. At the end of the day, it all comes down to a dice roll. Here’s how taking a risk can create the best hip-hop hits.

There is a strategy behind every chance: The example of the Roulette game

Now, many people seem to think that chance is just going for it. You roll the dice and pray that the higher powers above land in your favor. But the best people who find serious success and take advantage of their luck are people who think things through. For example, look at roulette.

Roulette strategy is about making the most of your information. While Roulette might seem chaotic with betting on red, black, or a set of numbers, players use the information. For example, some roulette strategies such as the ‘James Bond’ strategy focus on spreading money around. Others focus on increasing or decreasing bets each round so players always have some money to play with.

But the people who win the most at roulette games come in with some type of strategy to give them a game plan. They won’t win every single time, but they will have a plan that helps to improve their odds of winning.

Chance is taken on marketing

One of the biggest pieces of advice anyone in the industry is told is to market aggressively. Especially for a rising star. Once they have a venue a mixtape or an appearance anywhere, they need to share that information every chance they get! However, even the most aggressive marketing campaigns fail sometimes because you can’t control other people. You could hand out a million mixtapes, but chances are only a small fraction of people will listen. Out of those people, only a small fraction will take action and become fans. But persistence will pay off. For the artists who know that their music is good, they will be hungry and persistent.

Chance is taken on public opinion of the song

Even if a song manages to get on the radio, on the charts, and in the minds of the people, people need to listen to it. There are plenty of songs and artists that could have been serious hits. However, their music came out at the wrong time or was overshadowed by another song. For one reason or another, people just didn’t listen to the song, and that was that.

The wheel is spun every time a new single is released. Even artists who have been in the hip-hop game for a while still might get into a situation where no one listens to their song. Now, they’ve got a lesser chance of this happening, but it could still happen. If the public doesn’t interact with the song, then that is it.

Chance is taken on the artists themselves

Any musical artist can fall in with a bad crowd. They can have a poor relationship, can be overcome with addiction, or can make poor choices in life. All of this can affect the music and also the public perception of the artist in question. Most artists need to be able to keep up a certain image for themselves, and circumstances don’t always benefit that.

Things both inside and outside the artist’s control can affect how they are perceived by the public. This affects the sales of the song and the personal brand of the artist as well. Even though a chance is taken on the artist getting a hit, they also have a chance on the artist.

The Gamble Is Part Of The Fun

The best hip-hop artists are the ones who embrace the gamble and decide to have some serious fun with it. Many people get into music because of the hunger they have. That desire to see if their song truly becomes one of the number-one chart toppers is what keeps them going.

The post Spinning the Wheel in the Studio: How Chance Plays a Role in Hit-Making appeared first on 24Hip-Hop.