How hard work is the key to success in the music industry

As an emerging artist, working hard and regularly gigging is essential to your career, which was the case for George Farrar, drummer for Queen Extravaganza, who is about to embark on his third tour with the tribute band.

When starting in the industry, consistently gigging and putting in that hard work are foundational to an artist's career. Whilst talent is, of course, essential. But without putting in the hard graph early on in your career, making it to the heights of the music is a distant dream.

The time spent perfecting skills, mastering your sound, and performing regularly allows an artist to stand out. As many say, the ‘10,000-hour rule’ holds: mastery is earned through practice and patience, not shortcuts. This sustained commitment is what ultimately separates successful artists from those who struggle to break through.

In the digital age, social media often gives the illusion of “overnight success.” While online platforms can accelerate visibility, more often than not, the success isn’t instantaneous, and that myth often clouds people’s perceptions of the music industry. The hard work behind the scenes – playing to small audiences, experimenting with sound, and improving stage presence – often goes unnoticed but remains essential.

This was the case for George Farrar, an RNCM graduate, who was gigging in and around Manchester with his original band, Dalmas. Now the incredibly talented drummer was hand-selected by Brain May and Roger Taylor to be behind the kit as part of Queen Extravaganza. The official Queen tribute band is set to embark on their upcoming UK tour in the New Year, which will be George’s third tour with the band.

But before performing internationally as part of one of the greatest tribute bands to ever live, George was putting in the hard miles to chase his passion.

GigPig spoke with George Farrar, drummer and backing vocals for Queen Extravaganza, about the importance of hard work in the music. He said: “The trouble with my generation is that we all want things super quick. We came out of university, and I was thinking, ‘Where is my gig that's going to allow me to play in front of loads of people? I've just done four years of work, so someone needs to come and give me a gig.’”

“I definitely thought that, and the advice I'd give myself is you've got to do your apprenticeship. You’ve got to play the smaller venues, with few people listening, as that's where you get your experience performing. It's a really good thing because there's no way that you can do bigger gigs without having your apprenticeship.”

Platforms like GigPig help to facilitate those ‘apprenticeships’ for musicians, as it connects thousands of artists to hundreds of the best venues across the country to hone their craft, build a community around their music and earn a credible living by doing what they love… playing music.

Driven by our passion to create a fair and equal music industry, GigPig will always be free for artists to find, play and get paid for gigs with complete control over when, where and how much they are paid.

This innovative approach is ultimately revolutionising how live music is booked within the hospitality sector.

“I used to get really frustrated, thinking, 'Why is this not taking off?' You've got to give things time, and that's something my generation is really bad at, is giving things time,” George added.

Being selected by Taylor and May came about when Neil Fairclough, bassist for Queen and Adam Lambert, delivered a masterclass at university for George. The pair kept in touch, and Fairclough would watch George’s original band when they were doing the circuits, which eventually led to the phone call offering him a place in Queen Extravaganza.

Now the band will be touring to celebrate 50 years of their iconic hit, Bohemian Rhapsody, where the tour will visit 25 venues across the UK and Ireland next year kicking off with a date at the Liverpool Empire on Tuesday, January 28.

But even when Queen Extravaganza isn’t touring, George is rarely idle and is consistently behind the kit performing in some capacity or another as a session musician.

That hard work has led him to not only fulfil a professional milestone but also a personal one.

About following the footsteps of one of the greatest bands in the past four generations, George said: “I'm a massive Queen fan, so it really is a dream come true for me to be picked by those guys.

“I used to dance around singing these songs when I was six years old, and now I'm working for them and playing songs that mean so much to me. To be trusted to play these songs really is mad.

“The reach that they have is just amazing, and the generation span at gigs. You can get a six-year-old up to a 96-year-old, and they all love it as it’s a celebration of the music.

“The upcoming tour, I just feel like I can relax a bit more, which will hopefully translate on stage, so I can’t wait to get out there.”

Behind every success story is years of hard work to hone your craft, build your following and master your sound, and George’s journey is the epitome that hard work can take you further in the industry than raw talent and offers a vital reminder that success is built from gigging in those smaller venues.

Tickets for Queen Extravaganza’s UK tour can be bought here.

Photo accreditation: Dave Nelson

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