The Tip of the Iceberg

By: Ray Sare

Those of us who've been educated past the fifth grade (despite the fact that we were distracted by sex, drugs, and Rock 'n Roll in out later years, derailing our aspirations to become nuclear physicists), remember the theory that the visible part of an iceberg represents five percent of it's total size; the other 95 per cent remains invisible beneath the water. The iceberg analogy may well be applied to the area of fame and success.

For every famous hockey player, film actor, model, musician, inventor, etc., lie thousands of wanna-be contenders who experience varying degrees of success but never crack the elite 5 percent that is visible (famous). The reasons for this phenomenon include the law of supply and demand, the law of natural selection (survival of the fittest), and the law of gravity (the cream rises to the top). But let's cut this law and physics crap; after all, we are musicians despite what our parents thought we should be. so here it is, an easy test to see if you have what it takes to make it big.

When prospective pros are ranked, while being scouted by the "big money people, "the individual or group is rated in a broad range of industry categories. The following areas are vital for a band to reach the top and become the tip of the iceberg. Score each area between one and ten, for possible 150 points

Now that you have evaluated your project, you may want to get an objective person to do the same for you and then compare scores. If both average over 135 points, congratulations, you have a chance to be a visible part of the iceberg. Of coarse there will always be exceptions to the rules. One guy who broke the rules and became famous became the captain of the Titanic, and we all know what happened to him.

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