There has been a lot of transformation in the music business and the advancements in technology have opened up a lot of spaces for inspiring and upcoming artist to make their mark in the game. We have seen so many overnight success stories of people who have had their videos go viral or their music embraced worldwide. Granted there has been a lot of work behind the scenes before these artists get to enjoy this seemingly overnight success but the thing is none of this would have been possible without the internet that connects us all.
It is important to note however that for every success story there are thousands of failures mainly due to competition and lack of skill, talent and drive on the part of the failed musicians. The good news is that you can be different and if you follow some guidelines and stick to them, you can be on your way to achieving success in the music business.
One of the mistakes that people make today is spending all their time, energy and resources trying to get the attention of the music labels who they think have the codes to their future success. But this is backwards. You need to gain the recognition of the people first and see where it leads you.
<strong>Things have changed</strong>
In the days of old, the only way you could make any money from music was to sign to a major label. And there was a huge barrier and obstacle for independent artists to make any real money. Today that barrier has been taken off completely and there are so any unsigned and independent artists who are making a good living from music, getting radio play and making the charts and even getting the top awards.
In this new model, the record labels do not hold all the answers anymore and they will even gravitate more towards an artist who has successfully built a brand for himself online and offline rather than bet on an unknown even talented artist.
<strong>You need a plan</strong>
When you are starting out and independent, you most likely will not understand all the rules of the business and you can easily fall into a trap. This is especially so when you try to copy the different methodologies you see successful artists already employing. What works for one person doesn’t necessarily apply to you.
We have seen artist spend all their money on PR agents and radio promoters without even laying all the ground necessary for any success. Things like having a website and a social media following need to be in place so people can easily access you should they be interested in you. It is painful to see artist waste the little money they have on moves like this without getting any meaningful results.
PR agents and radio promoters are definitely vital but it is all about timing. There will come a time when you have to pay them to work for you but not at the beginning stages where you don’t have enough in place to take you to that level.
