In 'Outliers: The Story of Success', Malcolm Gladwell examines the often-overlooked factors that contribute to high levels of success. He argues that success is not solely the result of individual talent or hard work, but rather is influenced by a complex web of advantages and inheritances, including cultural background, family, generation, and luck. The book delves into various examples, such as the success of Bill Gates, the Beatles, and Canadian ice hockey players, to illustrate how these factors play a crucial role. Gladwell also discusses the '10,000-hour rule' and the impact of cultural legacies on behavior and success. The book is divided into two parts: 'Opportunity' and 'Legacy', each exploring different aspects of how success is achieved and maintained.
If the route to longevity is to be bendable into the music industryโs rules for success, The Lumineers really shouldnโt be here at all. It makes no sense. Their stripped back, rootsy โAmericanaโ (if thatโs what we can call it) took hold for reasons not usually listed in the music industry rulebook. Instead, their unlikely ascendancy into the realms of being a major league band, by any measure, has happened through the real route to success: trial and error, hard graft, writing songs from the heart and performing them with vulnerability. And yes, when that led to big breaks, like supporting U2 on the massive anniversary tour for The Joshua Tree, they didnโt blow it.
You donโt have to be a phenomenon but do have to be a pro. In todayโs music business, you canโt phone in the work and expect a career in return.
Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites have thought about it all, a lot. They know their strengths and weaknesses, their inspirations, and how to tap them. Tom Petty, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen and Radiohead are there in the mix. Indeed, you could say that The Lumineers self-awareness seems to be the real root of their ultimate success and longevity. That, and treating the work as sacred. As Fraites puts it:
โEven to make one song is impossible. Itโs so much work. One song is already a pain in the ass, before you talk about doing a full LP.โ
As Fraiteโs friend and British booking agent Alex Bruford told him once โeverybody wants Radioheadโs careerโ. And itโs a truism. The artist who doesnโt compromise creatively, can take a 180 degree turn if they want to, can meld their influences but render those as something unique to them. Artists that can call on the tradition of the song but dress it in different ways, adding something to the DNA of popular music. And do it all with success and recognition, and no need for hype. Dignity intact.
Itโs likely then, that a new generation of artists and bands coming up in todayโs fractured and frantic music business, bands that really want success but donโt want to be moulded by the industry like plasticine,
might just be telling themselves that they want a career like The Lumineers.
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The Art of Longevity 
