Widespread success; virtually everyone craves it to get exposure some extent. When someone or something becomes a huge sensation there are many imitators. One need not look any further than the current American Idol phenomenon. The template has been set by this show for a plethora of talent search shows where there are three judges, one male, one female, and always one rude and critical British judge.

The concept of copying success stories is not necessarily a bad idea. America is supposedly founded on this concept of using others triumph as inspiration and a guideline of our own. While this may work fairly well in a music business setting copying does not work too well in the realm of creativity.

Even if a band is not trying to sound like anyone in particular it is only natural to describe their sound by comparing the band to well established groups. Some bands are simply waved off as being just another (fill in with choice of popular band) knockoff. This is label is one of the top things a band should avoid. You DO NOT want to be thought of as a lesser version of an existing band.

Bands especially do not want to describe themselves as sounding like another band. This preconception could ruin the first impression that a listener has of the music business. Best to leave the comparisons up to the listener if one must be made. A pet peeve of mine and others is the sounds like section on Myspace.com. Many groups list the bands they think they sound like, but then when listened to the group sounds nothing like they say they do. Of course sometimes the band does sound like who they mention, but this just shows lack of creativity and originality on the part of the band. Although a straightforward tell-it-like-it-is approach is usually preferable to the goofy overly wordy and under poetic sounds like descriptions that some bands give.

If your group is trying to sound like a certain successful band, then you are missing the point. Music is creativity. Successful bands are original. If someone wants to listen to U2 they are going to listen to the actual band and not some imitation. Do not be afraid to be different. The slight initial advantages of sounding like another group are not even comparable to the overwhelming success that can be had by being original and sticking to your vision of what music is, no matter how unorthodox it may seem in the beginning. Do not tell yourself that it can’t be done, because it has. I could never have imagined a genre of music called noise where bands sell records composed of little more than erratic static and feedback, but it is out there. If you are in music for the money then you are in the wrong industry. UK graffiti independent artist Banks says it best: Any fame is a by-product of making something that means something. You don't go to a restaurant and order a meal because you want to have a shit. Creativity should not be sacrificed for success. If you are creative first, success and fame will then follow.