It’s likely that your belief in one or more music profession myths has already ruined your chances of success in the music business. How am I aware? I frequently receive emails from a large number of musicians (all seeking the answers to the WRONG questions). Although they may appear to be good queries on the surface, these are actually very harmful inquiries that lead individuals far from their artistic aspirations.
Knowing the questions you don’t need to be looking for answers to and learning how to ask far better questions that will set you on the proper path to achieving your music industry goals will help you put together a successful career in music as quickly as possible.
In order to develop a lucrative career as a professional musician, you should steer clear of the following four worst music career questions:
Should I become a “starving artist” to pursue a career in music?
Many people think that becoming a professional musician means either “making it” and touring the world and selling millions of CDs, or “becoming a starving artist” and having to perform at subpar bars and on the streets in order to survive. This music industry myth sabotages people’s careers from the start, either by leading them to believe they must have full-time employment outside of the music industry and “try to do music on the side,” or by making them fearful of making an attempt to break into the industry.
There are various ways to make a living in the music industry, and there is a sizable middle class. You’d be astonished at how much simpler it is to succeed in the music business than it is to make a solid living elsewhere. But before you can earn a lot of money, you need to quit asking questions of poor quality. Instead of stressing about being hungry as an artist, start thinking about all the numerous ways you may earn money as a musician.
You are not required to live paycheck to paycheck when working in the music industry, unlike in a typical day job. Instead, it’s always possible to have several streams of income coming in simultaneously. Being able to rely on more than one source of income makes becoming a professional musician a much more secure career decision. There is one thing you can do right now that can significantly increase your music-related revenue in addition to the obvious methods that musicians attempt to generate money in music (selling albums/downloads, performing live, or recording as a session musician):
start expanding your music instruction business. Your students will start paying you various streams of money right away, allowing you to work far fewer hours per week than you would otherwise.
It’s definitely possible (and not as hard as you may believe) to earn more than $100k per year in your music career when you develop several sources of musical income as stated above. I know this because I’ve assisted many musicians in doing this.
Second-worst music industry query: How do I sign a recording contract?
Answer this: “Why should someone give YOU a recording contract?” to see why it is not a good question to ask. If you believe that you are the reason, try again. You should never be signed to a recording deal for this reason. Just because you can make good music doesn’t mean that someone will spend thousands of dollars in you. This would be an incredibly hazardous investment that wouldn’t even make sense. Would you go to a casino and risk everything on a single roulette spin if you had saved up $200,000? OR would you rather put your money into the hands of someone who has already shown they can make you even more money (at least on a lesser scale)? You would undoubtedly invest it wisely in someone who might assist you in increasing your financial gain. Recording labels think in this manner. Therefore, stop worrying about how to land a recording deal and start transforming yourself into a “smart investment” that any company would find useful right away. This calls for much more than just producing excellent music, being an excellent musician, or having a Facebook presence.
Here are some steps you may take to position yourself as a worthwhile investment for a record label:
- Before beginning to work with musicians, they should be aware of what the music business is searching for in them.
- Put forth daily effort to advance your musical career. Before they start working with you, record labels want to know that you have a solid track record. The more activities you engage in as an independent musician, the more probable it is that a record label will take an interest in you.
- Obtain training in the music business from a seasoned mentor who has achieved great success in the field and assisted others in landing record deals.
Record companies will start looking for YOU once you start building your music career on your own and become a shining example of success!
How Can I Get My Music “Heard” By More People? is a poor music career query number three.
Most musicians hope that as many people as possible would listen to their music because they think that doing so will help them pay their bills and succeed as professional musicians. However, the sheer number of listeners is not particularly important in and of itself. The number of individuals you are able to convert into ardent supporters who will stop at nothing to help you and your music is what matters most.
Instead of worrying about how to increase the number of people who hear your music, focus on making your current fans into true FANatics. The total number of individuals who hear your music won’t matter until you have a plan in place for converting “casual fans” into “hardcore fans.”
What Is The Best Music City To Move To? is a bad music career question no. 4.
Many musicians believe that relocating to a “music city” will greatly increase their chances of success in the music business. Then, with this belief in mind, they pack up their belongings and relocate, thinking that once they get there, opportunities will just “fall into their lap.” After some time at their new place and nothing seems to have changed, they start to blame the city and start looking for somewhere else to move to (totally oblivious to the REAL reasons they aren’t succeeding).
The following is the reality regarding the role that “location” plays in musical success: You can succeed as a professional musician regardless of where you live. This is especially true today, when it’s simpler than ever for anyone, no matter where they live, to secure a recording contract, release music, plan world tours, or perform as a session musician. The fact that a musician lived in one place as opposed to another did not determine their level of achievement. If that were the case, there wouldn’t be any successful musicians residing in large music scenes-free cities. No matter where you live, the same basic concepts apply to building a successful music career. For more details download lagu
