Musician
Plan your music career
Breaking into the music business can be difficult, but it is also very rewarding for the few who manage to become successful. Anyone starting a music career must always keep in mind that it requires hard work, dedication and perseverance. Too often it is only the MTV perspective that is shown, with all the houses and nice cars. The years of gruntwork to get to that point are glossed over in favor of the glitz and glamour of the musician lifestyle.
It’s all who you know?
Sometimes, a successful music career begins simply because the musician knows the right people or happens to get lucky with someone overhearing a demo tape. As in any other industry, who you know can be much more important than what you know. Always make an effort to introduce yourself to people you meet who work in the music industry, even if you are just starting out and don’t have a band put together. You never know who may remember your name or face and put in a good word for you later on down the road.
Music Referral System
The musician referral system can be the best way to get your demo in front of a record company executive. This also applies for people working in behind-the-scenes jobs such as lighting and sound technicians. These jobs aren’t usually thought of as the ones that can lead someone to their big break, but they are often hired based on word-of-mouth, not by ads on musician classifieds and job boards, so you never know what might happen.
Internet Promotion
There are more ways than ever before to start a music career. Internet sites like MySpace have made it easy for a band to expose many fans to its sound without spending any money. This has revolutionized the music business and broken down the old barriers to entry that kept most people from getting signed. Songs can be offered for sale as individual MP3 files right from a band’s website. Community-type musician classifieds and musician referral sites are becoming an influential force in locating and signing new bands as well.
Be sure to take full advantage of video sites such as YouTube by creating your own video for your latest songs. This does not have to be an expensive production, but it shouldn’t look cheap, either. Look for a partnership with someone in music video production, acting or even music theater, who wants to get some exposure for themselves. Often you can get a free video in exchange for giving them credit for their work on the project.
