How to be a Successful Music Maker

Greetings

"Your dream of turning your lyrics, song or beat into a real product that you can unleash on the world is a reality"

Once upon a time, the title of this blog post would have been fantasy. However, technology has enabled consumers to listen to music in different ways and music makers can have direct access to their fans.

Fans want music on demand and they want good new music. There is a market out there for your musical ideas. You just need to be able to turn it from idea to a digital product. There are different skill sets required to achieve this and certain decisions need to be made but we’ll discuss this later.

We’ll discuss 5 key points that will be the foundation for your success. The takeaway from this is that your dream of turning your lyrics, song or beat into a real product that you can unleash on the world is a reality.

1. Having the Right Mindset

I am sure that you have heard the phrase ‘It’s all in the mind’ but the truth of the matter is that to be successful, it is, all about the mindset. If you read any of the ‘how to be successful’ or motivational books out there, they will all emphasise this point so I won’t dwell on the research here.

The reason why it is so important is that it will decide whether you complete your musical journey. The downside of technology removing technical obstacles is that the relevant tasks will be your responsibility to fulfil. Unless you hit the jackpot very early, the journey can be a long one. It takes determination to continue when things aren’t going your way.

2. Evaluate Yourself and Your Ambitions

So you know you have what it takes to see it to the end. The next step is to evaluate. The modern-day artist and producer are not only music makers but the owner of a business. Some things to evaluate are:

• Do I have the level of skill needed 
• How will I acquire missing skills 
• Is there a demand for my genre/style
• How and where will I produce my music 
• What budget can I allocate to the project

The answers to these questions give you a picture of your undertaking, what lies ahead, who else you may need to assist you. It is important that you have this picture as this will enable you to set realistic goals. This last point is important be REALISTIC.

3. Start Improving Your Skill Set and Knowledge

Now that you have your goals set this is the time to do some research. None of us has the answers to everything (if you do you are wasting your time reading this post). Your goals could be achieved in different ways so this is the time to find out your options.

Whatever your goals it is highly unlikely that you are the first person to try, so put in some research.

• Join Facebook groups and Google+ communities of your niche
• Reach out to fellow artists and producers that may already have travelled your road (but be mindful their experience does not mean the same experience for you, positive or negative)
• What skills do I improve and what do I outsource e.g. mix and mastering.

It is important to evaluate your options as the wrong option could incur you needless expense.

4. Create and Implement your Plan

This is the key to delivering the goals you previously set out. This doesn’t have to be on a special app or in a special format, a spreadsheet will do or a word document or even post-it notes. It is the content that matters. It should contain: 

• A list of activities and tasks, 
• Each activity is given a completion date
• Each activity is assigned to someone (in many cases yourself), 
• Estimated costs for each activity.

The key here is to stick to the plan. When you devise it make the dates and costs realistic. Don’t make the tasks large, make them small. It is amazing the lift it gives when you can tick off tasks as complete. It is the best motivator.

5. Get your Music Out There

To build your reputation, brand and following, your music needs to be out there. Don’t take yourself too seriously because at the start no one else is. If you try and create perfection and take two years to fix that last 2% you may well be pleased but, your journey is going to be very long.

Do the best you can with the resources you have but get your music out there! You must mix and master your track to compete and also for submission to radio stations, but regular output is the key to gaining a following. A quote that's worth remembering:

Good luck with your project.

Bless