The whole phenomena of “blowing up overnight” is a myth. Take any superstar artist you can think of…If you actually look into their background, you’ll find their career took time. TONS of time (and a lot of consistent, hard work). Simply learning how to create, produce, write or perform any kind of music takes years…in fact, it’s not simple at all; And that’s not even half of the battle. You also have to learn how to market your work, develop your network, build a brand and learn how the music industry works which includes events, royalties, record deals, agents, managers and more. As you can probably now see, there is a whole lot more beyond just getting a record deal or having your track go viral on Tik-Tok. Industry folk, viral exposure, endorsements and other forms of promotion can certainly help sky-rocket someone’s career. What you don’t always see is all the countless hours of thankless hard work on the back end of their career to make things happen. Rather than gush on about inspirational mumbo jumbo, all of us at New Something have collected a practical list of tips to help you grow in your musical endeavors.Check out our full list of tips below.
“Find passionate, motivated, and likeminded people who share your vision. You don’t have to be alone, join an online community if no one around you produces music. There’s always a way to find other people doing cool shit - check out school clubs, go to shows and chat people up about production, and then there are Reddit communities, Instagram, Discord, Twitch, etc. where you can find your niche. If you already know people pursing music, starting an artist collective can be a great way to build a team of quality people who will help pursue your goals. Offer your services to people, be a person who genuinely wants to help. Bottom line, be proactive, network and if you’re lonely GET ONLINE.”
“Block out a time once per week or biweekly to setup your marketing calendar and brand strategy. Taking time to map out releases + promo content over time will yield more powerful results compared to just winging it day-of with a random IG post or just throwing a new single on Soundcloud. Take your time to brainstorm and build a release campaign strategy with content, days of publishing and captions. This will free up so much more time for you to make music without having to stress too much about marketing and the business side of your music. Also, the more frequently you are releasing + posting on social media, the more data points you can gather from your fans - Ask yourself after every campaign ”Did the content work?”, “How was my engagement when I post in the morning vs the evening or week vs weekend?”, “What more can I do next time?”. All in all, if you are spending 50 hours creating a piece of music, you should spend at least 10 of those hours brainstorming and implementing a release strategy.
“When it comes to the music industry patience is everything. Nothing happens over night and when you’re entering into this path, you need to be prepared to be in it for the long hall. Approaching your journey with that mentality is key to keeping you motivated when things don’t work out exactly as you’d hoped, which will happen...often. Work hard and fast but make sure not to rush things for the sake of getting them out. When you release a track or submit it to a label it should be your best work. Don’t let perfectionism hold you up but be realistic about what you’re capable of and hold yourself to that standard. Keep going and be patient. If you are deliberate in what you do eventually the wins will start coming, even if it takes much longer than you had planned for.”
“Searching for the “secret” recipe to a successful music business within a constantly evolving industry can be nothing short of a timely and daunting task. There are no guarantees of success within the industry, so how can you leverage your assets and strengths to accelerate your music career with the highest chances of growth and fulfillment? Although there isn’t a cookie cutter answer for this, the most commonly accepted practice among successful musicians and producers is that you must treat your pursuit as a business, with complete and undivided dedicated time to harness your musical talents and boost your career forward. This level of dedication demands time commitment and energy, because successfully managing your career will permanently shift your perspective on how to pursue a successful music career.”
“Creating interesting and engaging content is key, even if you aren’t the best at it. Use your resources, including other people, or take some time to learn a new skill like photography or graphic design. If you can’t find somebody to make you a cover or to shoot a video or have the money to do so, do it yourself. Being self reliant is a priceless skill. Being able to give a complete package to listeners is key in building your own personal brand. Through those skills and other forms of creative outlet you’ll find your own aesthetic that will help drive your creative process forward.”
“Building an appealing and consistent online presence is crucial when developing your brand as an artist. You could be a top notch producer with an immense amount of knowledge and skills, but if your marketing plan is lacking, you may never get noticed. In today’s music industry, the internet and social media are your best friends when it comes to engaging with your current audience and finding new fans. Think about the vision you have for your project and how you want it to be portrayed online, and then execute it through as many mediums as you can realistically manage. Build a website, create a Spotify for Artists account, develop engaging social media pages, so on and so forth. If your concept and aesthetic are harmonious through all of these tools, potential fans will be more likely to take notice.”
Unless you’re writing great music, none of these tips will mean much. You need to be uncompromising about improving as an artist - which means diligently putting in the hours writing music, practicing your instruments, and refining your own unique sound. YouTube, masterclass, twitch production streams (such as Disclosure), music production college, piano lessons etc - there are so many amazing resources and a lot of them are free. And of course, there’s no substitute for PRACTICE!
- New Something -
