With new platforms to use continually emerging, the music industry is always evolving. Fortunately, this means that you have a wide range of options for building a successful career in the music business.
Understanding the music business is essential for your success as an artist, and you’ll find it difficult to build a long-lasting career if you don’t know how to stand apart. Here are 17 quick techniques to succeed in the music business.
Advice for becoming a successful music artist
- Be apart from the crowd.
- Work hard and be inspired.
- Take advice from others.
- Be fortunate (by putting yourself out there)
- Being a professional
- Make use of social media
- assemble a strong team and network
- Engage in musical collaboration
- Stay humble
Be inspired
Without ambition or motivation, it will be difficult for you to advance in the music business. It won’t be enough to enter the music industry with the expectation that you’ll succeed.
It would be naive to think that everyone would want to sign you, but for every person who says no, there are hundreds of others who might be willing to give you a chance. Promoting your music online might be a good place to start, after which you can consider expanding it.
When you first start out, it’s easy to lose motivation, but you should always attempt to have a positive mindset because it’s just as vital as being diligent and proactive in your work. When a musician first starts out, the road ahead usually appears lengthy, but don’t forget to appreciate the journey as much as the final destination.
Take advantage of social media
You need to somehow advertise your music when you first start out as an artist in the music business. One of the best ways to spread your message is through social media.
Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are excellent options for musicians to advertise their music online if they don’t have a lot of money to start out with because you can instantly reach a wide audience and it’s free.
Use these venues to interact with your audience; be sincere and offer people a reason to engage with your content.
Promote your offline business
When you first start out in the music business, you’ll need to focus on both offline and online self-promotion.
Obtain publication in periodicals
When you’re starting out, smaller neighborhood periodicals are frequently the best to submit your music to.
Magazines like NME are excellent, but you’ll need a lot of support if you want to pitch your music to them.
Instead, get in touch with local publications; they enjoy featuring up-and-coming music that has generated some anticipation. Some of these supposedly minor journals may actually have a sizable audience.
The greatest publication for musicians is typically one that is dedicated to music. These media frequently attract readers that enjoy music, making them possibly a lot more likely to check out your musical endeavor.
Put the radio on.
BBC Introducing is one of the best places for up-and-coming artists as a beginning artist.
Your greatest tracks can be freely uploaded to the BBC Introducing uploader, and if the hosts like your song, they’ll play it for listeners who are interested in discovering new bands and artists.
You never know who might want to get in touch with you because many powerful people tune in to BBC Introducing.
There are many local community radio stations who would love to play your music if you have a good song. See what radio stations up when you Google the name of your city and “radio stations”; give them your song and ask them what they think.
Engage bloggers
Online bloggers are frequently excellent contacts for musicians to begin forming inside the music business.
There are certain web blogs that are managed by ardent music lovers. They might even be managed by musicians. You should absolutely get to know and establish relationships with these folks.
You could also request that these bloggers highlight you on their blogs if you’re an artist. It significantly increases your “social proof,” which is the process of demonstrating to your audience that you are an actual musician (by having your content highlighted on another site).
Be apart from the crowd.
It goes without saying that you need talent if you want to succeed in the music business, but talent alone might not be sufficient. Of course, the key to succeeding as a vocalist artist in the business is having excellent vocal and instrumental skills, but there is always opportunity for development.
For instance, many singers believe they don’t need singing lessons because they can sing well. A singer can improve their voice and learn strategies for using it well with the aid of singing lessons. Even well-known singers will continue to take classes to keep their voices in shape and make sure harmful habits don’t develop.
It’s your responsibility to go above and beyond the great musicians who already exist and truly be outstanding.
Have a picture
Many lesser known artists in the field frequently ignore the importance of having your own “image.” It may not be something you want to concentrate on when you first start out, but if people choose to follow you as an artist after seeing you live or online, they will take notice of it.
The entirety of your work as an artist must be uniform and consistent, even down to your style decisions and social media artwork.
Your music and image are essential to your success as an act, therefore they must reflect who you are.
Be distinctive
Your appearance should enhance your musical style and possibly help you stand out as well.
Develop a distinct quality about yourself that makes you stand out, then advertise it to the target market that would connect with you the most.
Try to find something unique about yourself that people can respect but also relate to because even bands and artists who don’t seem to have an “image” in the traditional sense still have an identity.
Be fortunate (by putting yourself out there)
Although it isn’t technically a tip, this is one method to go about it. Some vocalists have found success by being in the right location at the right moment. As an illustration, Usher discovered Justin Bieber after he published his videos to YouTube.
Putting yourself out there more will boost your chances of being lucky in the industry, however you can’t rely on it as a means of success. One thing is certain, though: the harder you work, the luckier you’ll be. Of course, you should also work smartly while working hard.
Being a professional
Always act professionally when attempting to establish relationships with those in the music business.
This doesn’t mean dress in a suit and tie; instead, show there on time, be polite, be well-rehearsed if it’s a performance, and don’t cause trouble.
Arriving late to a concert isn’t “cool,” it just makes the promoter and sound engineer unhappy! They’ll respect you much more if you arrive early and go over your setup; doing this will win you their regard over time.
Make optimal use of distribution
The importance of your music seeming professional follows from the preceding point about maintaining a professional demeanor.
In 2019, practically every successful musician has some of their songs available on streaming services like Spotify. In order to increase your fan base and present a professional image, it is essential to allow people to listen to your music for free today.
A record company will be able to distribute your music for you if you’re signed to them, but if you’re an independent musician, there are several websites where you can post your recordings.
Websites like CD Baby and DistroKid are fantastic choices for you if you only have a modest collection of music. TuneCore might be a better choice for you if you have more music that you’ll be regularly uploading as albums.
It’s important to keep in mind that each of these services charges a modest fee to upload music to Spotify, but it’s worth it to present yourself as a professional.
Play shows and perform a fantastic live act
You must be an expert on your instrument if you want to advance in the music business.
Gigging is a great way to get the exposure you need as an artist so that people can hear your music and see you live.
Having performing experience gives you practical expertise on stage and in front of an audience, which is beneficial for marketing your music and yourself as an artist.
Create connections with actual people in the music business.
You can make new friends via gigging as well. In order to be successful in the music business, you must first establish relationships with others and collaborate with them; you can frequently meet these people at live performances.
Find some smaller engagements and Open Mic evenings if you’re just starting out before moving on to bigger gigs.
Promoters will want to schedule you to open for a bigger band if you’ve built up a larger fan base. This gives you the chance to perform your fantastic tunes and, hopefully, win over the band’s audience!
Engage in musical collaboration
Continuing from the prior point, it’s crucial to build positive relationships with other musicians if you want to succeed in the music business.
It’s fantastic to jam out with other musicians since you might pick up something new from them while you play, advancing your musical abilities.
The musicians are always the heart of the music business, so be sure to make as many of them your friends as you can. But keep in mind that if you gain a terrible reputation, it will be difficult for you to advance in your career because both positive and negative words get around in the music industry!
Hard work
The majority of successful people in the industry have worked many hours on their music, networking, and developing relationships with others who can support them in achieving their long-term objectives.
Unless, of course, you take first place in a singing contest, it will always take time. Don’t take your victory for granted if you do win! Even after you’ve won, you’ll need to put in a lot of effort to sustain your career, so putting in practice, a lot of effort, and commitment today will help you later on when you’re successful in the field.
Put in the hours, and the money will come in this field where time is money.
Expand your clientele
You need a committed audience if you want to succeed as an artist in the business.
It’s a frequent misperception that success requires a sizable audience. Although having millions of fans is undoubtedly wonderful, you may still earn a very good living with just a small number of devoted followers.
Bring value to individuals
Consider this: If you had 500 fans who adored you completely and would pay top dollar for all of your music and merchandise, you could easily earn thousands of pounds per
month by simply releasing consistent, valuable material (such as merch or tickets for your live tour).
It’s crucial right now for artists to genuinely add value to their audiences. Music lovers are interested in you as a person as much as your music.
Most importantly, put a lot of effort into developing close bonds with your supporters; treat them like people because they are! If they like you, they’ll be far more inclined to later purchase your music and any related items.
Take advice from others
There are many people that are successful in the music industry, but there are just as many who have tried and failed.
To become a great musician, you need to discover what’s good and what’s terrible to do, both inside and outside your creative process.
Asking successful people about the specific measures they took to achieve where they are in their careers is a good way to gather tips about what to expect in the music industry.
However, it’s crucial to speak with those who have tried and failed. Even if not everyone enjoys music, try to learn from someone who failed in their attempts to succeed in the music business.
Compare these two distinct individuals and take note of how they approach the market differently. It will make it possible to see both the positive actions to take and the dangers to avoid.
Converse with successful people, too, and find out what they feel they should have done differently to advance their professions.
But most importantly, grow as a musician by learning from your own errors.
Ask for opinions on your music from others
You can constantly develop as a musician and increase your chances of success in the music business by soliciting honest feedback on your work.
If you’re an artist with a song you’ve written that you want to release, start by playing it for your loved ones. Make sure to ask for their feedback if you want to improve. What do they like? What are they opposed to?
Send your music to professionals in the industry who can give you feedback, especially experienced artists and producers/recording engineers.
Managing criticism
It will be difficult to hear criticism at first, but it will be beneficial in the long run since you will be able to create music that others are more likely to enjoy.
It’s vital to keep in mind that you can receive conflicting responses, which just serves to highlight how subjective music is. Get as many different perspectives as you can on the production, arrangement, lyrics, vocals, and overall recording quality of your song recording. Based on what the majority of people are advising you to work on, you’ll be able to draw some conclusions.
Assemble a strong team and network
In general, it’s a good idea to surround yourself with positive individuals, but for musicians, finding a network of supporters is crucial.
Successful musicians use a dedicated manager, booking agency, label, and P.R. team, to mention a few positions, to promote their music. This covers all of your bases and enables you to successfully advertise your music as well as build a successful career as an artist.
Stay modest
It’s crucial to maintain your humility at all times, no matter where you are in your career in the music industry.
Never take for granted what you have. Even successful musicians might lose their means of support in a split second. Always be on the lookout for dangers, especially when it comes to recording contracts. Never ignore the fine print!
Do make an effort to treat everyone, both above and below you, with respect. Always be kind to those who are behind you in their musical careers; if they become successful, they might have something to offer you in the future. It’s easy to want to hang out with people who are more successful, and, of course, it’s fantastic when you want to learn about their success.
FAQS
Do musicians receive payment?
Royalties, advances, live performances, the sale of their music as well as licencing fees are all sources of income for musicians. Sounds like a lot of cash streams, but keep in mind that mechanical royalties and performance rights royalties frequently require them to split the money with the individuals named above.
Is music a profession?
What professions are available in the vast field of music, and how stable are they? Is it possible to make a livelihood off of music while maintaining a reliable income? Yes, it is the answer.
Does music have a degree programme?
Bachelor of music (BM)
The most typical music degree is a Bachelor of Music. These degrees are virtually exclusively provided by conservatories and university music departments. Students who seek this degree can anticipate focusing on theory, composition, and performance.
What courses may I take if I enjoy music?
- Sound engineering and music production.
- Music technology.
- Music education.
- Musicology.
- Music therapy.
Is a music degree difficult?
We won’t lie to you; pursuing a music major requires a lot of effort. But because it’s so fulfilling, it’s the best type of hard labor! We wanted to provide you with six things to anticipate as a music student and how you might be prepared for them because sometimes all we need is a little forethought in order to achieve.
Is it possible to work in music without a degree?
Music industry jobs don’t require a degree
Are artists paid by Spotify?
Spotify compensates rights holders—record labels, distributors, or other entities—instead of the artists themselves. These parties allow the artists to upload their music to the platform, and the rights holders then pay the artists with the revenue they receive from the streaming service.
How much money is generated by a million Spotify streams?
For one million Spotify streams, an artist can expect to get between $1,000 and $8,000, but it’s more likely that they will make around $4,000.
