Networking and collaboration

Great post by @musiccoaching that talks about the need for all artists to be involved in networking with industry executives and collaborating with other artists, writers and producers - all covered in an interview with a major label A&R exec.

It stands to reason that the more you do these things, the more chances you'll get.

I wrote the other day about a friend who is a manager in the UK who has a very hot act that everyone wants to sign - they have played a handful of gigs and have released nothing....so haven't followed our DIY plan at all!

BUT, they hang out in all the right bars, venues, record stores, music shops etc in all the right parts of town and over the last year or so the frontman (who is charismatic) has managed to get to know huge numbers of record company staff, publishers, journalists, PR people etc. He created a buzz for his band before they did anything!

As for collaborating, I'll write on the main site about some ways to find people to write and record with, but there are online resources such as Indaba, and just searching for things like 'songwriting workshop' will lead you to opportunities.

The entire business is about relationships. So, co-write, meet people who work with other people. I think collaborating is great, because then you have two teams of people who work with you. Even if you were both unsigned and doing your own thing – so, if you have Writer A doing one thing and Writer B doing his/her own thing and both networking – you never know when something is going to hit or get to the next level. It’s not necessarily all about collaborating. It’s about networking: getting out there; meeting other people; getting your music heard. The more people that hear about you, the better. And I think that comes from networking and collaborating with others.

Read the piece here, and see how important making these connections can be to your success.