Four Business Factors Needed For A Successful Independent Musician

They absolutely frustrate the hell out of me. Who? Talented Musicians, thats who. I know and have worked with many, they are highly skilled, some with beautiful and distinctive vocals, they create amazing tracks and albums, but their downfall is that they believe that after the music has been made, that the rest of the business happens by magic.

I put this down to their childhoods. And their own discovery of artists and music. There was mainly 3 mediums of music discovery, TV, Radio and Press. It was very easy to get excited about a new artist, because on TV new music was scarce, there was total wonderment when you discovered something that affected you, it became very much a personal experience, something that you invested in, and something that you treasured.

These feelings eventually inspired alot of people to take that path, to becoming artists in their own right. But they seem to carry with them that these feelings of their own personal discovery of music will be the same process for anyone that discovers their own music.

Well times have most definitely changed. There's a whole world of new music out there waiting to be discovered through countless websites and devices for music fans to find something new. 

We have mentioned this many times here at Make It In Music, that the Industry as we used to know it is no more. The machine that used to create the paths to success through TV, Radio and Press no longer exclusively control the ways and means to a successful music carreer, there are too many independent routes to take now that anyone can access for little or no cost.

The thing that has changed for the musician is that being a talented songwriter/performer/band is not the only skillset you need these days. You need to get to grips with embacing a whole different set of factors to improve your chances in geting your music out there and building up a solid fanbase.

You now have the same tools at your disposal as the majors labels and industry players have.

What you have to realise also it's not rocket science.

Writer Shaun Letang of Music Industry How To has noted Four Business Factors Needed For A Successful Independent Musician, and of course there are more but he belives that these four things are key to getting you on the right path.

 

1. They Realize That Marketing Is A Key Factor In The Music Career

 

2. They Have A Good Online Base

 

3. They Don’t Burn Bridges Out Of Frustration

 

4. They Aren’t Afraid To Invest In The Music Career

 

 

On building up your own online fanbase he writes...

 

 

 

The internet is one of the best places to both build up relationships with existing fans, and gain new ones. Because of this, it’s important you have your online presence strategically set up, and make yourself stand out from the crowd.

While online properties such as Facebook fan pages and Twitter accounts are important for your online presence, they really aren’t a substitute for having your own website.

Your own website should be the base of your operations. All other account such as Facebook and Twitter should link to your site, drive traffic to your site, and in turn direct people to sign up to your mailing list. Once on your mailing list, you can build up stronger relationships with your fans, and communicate with them directly and effectively.

 

I don't know how many times I have said that to musicians and bands, for me it is the number 1 thing to consider in this new music economy. The chance to have a direct personal relationship is the single most important factor you need to embrace if you want your music to get out there. Your fans are what make you, they are the best form of promotion could ever desire. Keep them engaged.

You can check out Shaun Letangs article in full here.

 

Written by Steve.

 

LInks

http://www.musicthinktank.com/blog/4-key-traits-of-successful-independent-musicians.html