STARTING A CAREER IN MUSIC
So many times I come across musicians trying their best to start a career in music but struggling to find out the best way to do it. They are swimming upstream and forever trying to play catch up with no clear direction. They have no game plan to go by or even goals set to measure their progress. It is my intention with this blog post to help set a few things in motion for musicians who are struggling with this particular issue. We all know how paralyzing it can be to feel completely overwhelmed, and this is not what you need when launching a career.
First and foremost you need a vision. A definable vision statement that you can explain who and what you are. A mission statement is next and this explains the path you are taking to get to your vision. It’s hard to sell yourself to any industry expert if you don’t know who and what you are and where you want to go.
Then you need to develop a business plan of some kind. It doesn’t have to be some monster plan until you are seeking capital or label placements. You need to have at least the goals and marketing plan done here. Basic financials would be great as well but can be added later. There is no point in recording a CD if you don’t have a fan base to sell it to and a way to distribute it you will just have a garage full of unsold CD’s. It always best to have a game plan before making major purchases. Remember YOU are the product not the CD.
Once you do you have a plan in place, image together and a CD or EP to market, plan on spending a couple years on just this one package of music. You don’t need to rush into another writing another CD. Chances are that while this music may get old to you, most won’t have heard it and it is fresh to them. Then you need to concentrate on booking yourself as much as possible. Keep at it as much as you can and don’t give up. You most likely are not going to find a good booking agent until you have radio airplay, management and a label. This is up to you so be diligent!
This is just a quick lesson on what to be thinking about so work hard, play out as much as possible, track everything you sell and give away and let wisdom guide you!