7 Tips For A Lasting Music Career
Becoming a real entity in the Music industry more often than not, can be extremely overwhelming. There are so many artists trying to break through and gain recognition that it might leave you feeling hesitant to execute a career in music. Between creating concepts, looks and making pieces fit together where does one start?! I plan to help you figure out exactly that. Below are some important tips in building a lasting career in the Music Industry.
# 1 — Find your audience and cater to them.
To be successful you must create something an audience wants to hear. Deciding what makes you unique and what makes people want to listen to you is the first step in solidifying your music career. Finding the audience you want to speak to can be a little challenging. Research can absolutely be a big help in this matter. When researching you want to find out :
- How old is your audience?
- Where is your audience?
- What are they currently listening to?
- Where do they listen/ buy their music?
- What do they want to hear more of and less of?
Platforms that could help you find your audience:
- Chartmetric
- Google Analytics (if set up)
- Smart Link Analytics (Toneden, Feature.fm, etc.)
- Facebook & Instagram Insights
- Spotify for Artists
- Apple Music for Artists
#2 — Relatable Brand
Yes you are unique, yes you have no desire to please the masses, but to obtain steadiness with your brand and music people need to be able to relate to you. Find your niche and dominate it. Show some character, some personality, some likability. Being relatable will keep your audience coming back for more. Social Media can be a great way to show some personality and interact with fans.
#3 — Promotion
Promoting your music properly is essential to building your career. Having your brand website where people can always see the latest with you is a good start in regards to promotion and a home-base. Spotify is one the most important ways to promote your music. From listing your concerts, merch, and obviously new music, Spotify has many ways to enlarge the audience of an artist.
Online is where you reach most of your consumers and promotion should be digital based for the most part. Unfortunately if you don’t like social media, you don’t really have a choice. This is an absolute must. But even just posting organically is not the same as it used to be. Aligning with the right digital advertisers will dramatically change the way you promote your brand and music. Developing a strategy to reach current and prospective fans with the right content is something that a digital advertising/marketing agency can help you with if you do not have a label to rely on.
Don’t forget radio play is still a huge boost in the music industry as well as DJ’s and have huge promotional benefits. Radio and online interviews are great ways to gain listeners by showing your personality and promoting your work. These techniques require some socializing and you should be prepared to create relationships.
#4 — Prepare and Diversify
It may be very difficult in the beginning to balance bills and social life with music. Be prepared to do what you have to. If it means sticking with a day job or teaching people how to make music , there is something you can do to help fulfill those dreams of being an artist. Most times, things like this don’t happen overnight. Be prepared to stick with it for quite a while if needed.
#5 — Be The Best You
It is very easy for most of us to be taken out of character. You must work hard to make sure this is not the case for you. Throughout your actions you want to be able to look back and know you made the right decision. This will leave your fan base with a sense of pride when listening to you.
#6 — Never Complain
When starting out in the music industry the only time you should be complaining is when your ideas or values are being compromised. Other than that complaining will drive audiences away from you . Whether it is venue management , the sound system or just being overlooked , this comes with the territory. Last thing a fan base wants to hear is you complaining how you are not being given a chance. You work with what is given and you make it better than anyone thought it could be .That is the sign of a true artist who wants to pay his dues and be constant in the music industry. This also entails saying yes to any and almost all musical opportunities. You do not have the pleasure of being picky, you want to do the most work you can and provide a nice discography for your fans.
#7 — Change the World
Most artists that remain a juggernaut in the music industry have or had an actual goal. Not a goal with statistics or album sales, but a goal that inspires their music, such as “Changing the World”. That can be a broad statement but in fact, your music can do exactly that. Whether it is the smallest change or a very noticeable one, it’s still CHANGE. The point here is to create a life long goal that inspires you each time you pick up a pen. This will keep you interested and therefore, the outcome of your work will show dedication and resilience.
Becoming a household name in the music industry can be stressful and difficult but not impossible. With the right dedication, perseverance, and team you can be on your way to a very successful career. It’ll take all the hard work you can give but once those goals are achieved it’ll all have been worth it. Start by implementing these little tips and get going!
Originally published at https://www.l1neupdigital.com on December 2, 2020.
