As a musician or a producer, you can easily find yourself thinking that creating music is the hardest part of your job. It’s not. There are thousands upon thousands of other people who are just as talented at creating music as you are, maybe even more.
What should separate you from them — the thing that separates artists and producers you’ve heard about from those you haven’t — is the ability to get people to listen to your music. So here are a couple of things you might consider doing on your way to becoming a successful artist.
Create a Demo
Let’s face it – it’s unlikely that anyone will take you seriously as an artist if all you have to show for your work is one song. You’ll need a couple of them, and that’s not all.
In modern times, a demo isn’t simply a compilation of songs. It’s your calling card that can include your contact information — and social media presence — and ideally even projects in other mediums that relate to your music.
So, if you can make a creative music video for one of your songs – by all means, go ahead. Create your music video and don’t forget to include It in your demo.
Get Online
There are different channels you can use to promote your music online. There are forums and social media groups that can prove a great resource in times of struggle but require quite a bit of networking to be useful.
You can become a content producer, too, and start your own YouTube channel where you’ll use other skills to promote your music. It’s common for musicians to create music-related content and use it to promote their projects.
Another thing you could consider doing is uploading music to popular streaming services and using them to grow a following. Even if you need to take a slightly meandering route with some in-between stops, being on these platforms is only the start of it. For example, third-party Spotify promotion can help you greatly improve your visibility on the platform.
Work on Your Branding
Artists and producers are, first and foremost people, and music is the product they create. But how many times have you bought a product just because you’ve been intrigued by the brand? You should try branding for a simple reason – it works.
If you’re already online – great. Every asset you create, like a YouTube channel or a social network profile, will work to your advantage. It would be best if you created your website, and maybe even started building a mailing list.
You will have to network quite a lot while you’re setting up your brand. You should also consider getting your voice heard on issues that matter to you and help audiences identify with you as an artist. You’ll have to do that on top of creating good music.
Final Tip – Get Out There!
Even though the online world is where it’s all at, you should never forget that plenty of things go down in the physical world, too. So, become a part of it. Figure out who could be your audience and then go to the same events they would attend.
You should also become a staple of the local music scene, as that’s launched many a career. Be in the know of what’s going on, and make sure that if there’s a time and place where you can further your career, you’re there. It’s hard work without a doubt. So, get hustling!
