Gerald Albright – HuffPost 6.20.12

Mike Ragogna: What advice might you have for new artists?

Gerald Albright: Knowledge is power in anything, and the music industry is no exception. It’s really about knowing all the facets of the music industry, both creatively and business-wise. It’s really about having some great people around you that you can trust, i.e. managers and entertainment lawyers and record company folks. These are the people that literally have your career in their hands, and if they’re not representing you right, then obviously, you won’t attain that wish list that you really are emphatically trying to attain. I would say to the youngsters create your own brand, don’t try to copy somebody that’s already out there doing their thing. They’ve made their own brand, and they’re successful at that brand, but you don’t want to sound identical to them, because that’s already been done. Create your own sound, your own brand, and be as unique as you possibly can. Then the third thing is just treat people right when you’re out there. Music is something to take very seriously. People rely on music as a life-changing platform, sometimes. I’ve had a lot of military people who tell me that when they were on the front lines in the Vietnam War or the Persian Gulf War or whatever, they would listen to my music and my music would get them through that challenge. We have a responsibility with our music to make it as quality and as positive as we possibly can. That’s what I would say to them, basically.