Over at Service Untitled, it talked about the relationship between musicians and customer service. The entry shared this incident:

During Successful Blog?s Open Mic Night, I was made aware of her songs, but mentioned that I didn?t have RealPlayer or iTunes and had no intent to download either. I eventually found a way around using one of those programs, but that is not the point. She went the extra mile and put one of her songs into a format that almost anyone can listen to.

So Christine provided great customer service to a customer.

Well, yes Christine indeed provided good service to her listeners. Doug then went on to list down the characteristics musicians should have: be nice, do your job, listen, be accessible, and respect others. Continue reading…

Doug has made a very good point here. I realized that, right, the audience are customers, too. When they go to watch you perform, they bring with them some expectations that they hope you will meet for them to be entertained, and be happy about your performance.

I’ve had several occasions in the past where I was the performer. One time, I had the chance of working with a real artist for a local production. He was very dedicated and focused. When we were waiting for the show to begin, he mumbled something like, “I hope more people come in. It would be a thrill to perform before a jampacked crowd.” I didn’t share his wish because the amateur in me prayed for a half-empty stadium.

What I’m trying to say is that real performing artists give their best, if not all, in every performance. More than just entertaining their audience, they want them to share their experience, live it, and learn from it. The artist-audience relationship is a case where you discover instant gratification or frustration.

Looking back, I believe Christine is a real artist, and I am confident that artists will always go for providing excellent service—in the form of excellent performance—for their audience-customers. After all, one’s satisfaction is derived from the other and vice versa.