So You Wanna Be a Rock Star: 5 Keys to Being a Successful Musician

 

Dream of one day rocking out in front of adoring fans packed into a stadium? Well dig in… becoming a successful musician is a long and bumpy road. But you knew that. Ever heard the saying, “An artist’s true best friend is a trust fund”?  That’s because having money is critical to things like food and shelter while you pursue your dreams.

But not everyone can be so lucky. For us non-trust fund babies, it can be difficult—if not impossible—to go after our dreams while being stuck in the real world. And that goes for budding artists and filmmakers too. So with that in mind, here are some tips to becoming a successful artist:

1. Income
Successful music publishers will tell you that they put a lot of work into their final product. And that work comes at a cost. You have to sacrifice something, and saving is how you get there. If you can get to a point where you have six months to a year of your income saved up, it might be time to strike out on your own. Free yourself from some of the pressures of the daily rat race.

Bank that income then grab a part time gig like bartending. That’ll free your days to work on your passion projects, and you might just meet some contacts at your club or bar. Pick the right place, and it will not only be your source of income, but it could be the first place you get the exposure you need.

2. Get Social
There ‘s nothing wrong with aspirations to be the next Rolling Stones, but you have to remain focused on your objectives to get what you want. In a recent article for The Wall Street Journal, Taylor Swift talked about a casting decision made by someone in the industry. The winner beat out more talented competitors because they had a better following on Twitter.

This is a clue for musicians. Swift says that she found success because she was able to approach her recording deals with a built-in fan base. If you focus on building these social connections, you are more valuable than someone with “just talent.”

3. Develop Presence
Now we come to the thorn in the musician’s side: web presence. Between all the working and the songwriting, how many amateur music publishers actually have the time to publish their own music? Keeping a blog is hard enough without having to manage distribution through multiple platforms. The solution is automation. Try to use third-party services that will distribute music for you, so you can focus on reaching out to fans. For example, you can use platforms to distribute your music on iTunes and Amazon. This is normally a lengthy process, but platforms make it easy to manage and track it all from one location.

This way, you spend less time uploading music and waiting for things to happen. Tell fans (and your social media followers) where your new releases are going to debut, when they will come out, and provide demos through sites like YouTube and Spotify.

4. Get Weird
A unique personality is your strongest asset throughout this process. (You think Madonna or Bieber made it on talent??) Personality is what helps you get more followers on Twitter, and more likes on your Facebook page. It’s also difficult to cultivate. Companies like Coca-Cola spend over $2 billion annually on marketing efforts, and most of that money goes to branding. Branding is a fancy way of saying that Coca-Cola works hard to cultivate a personality for itself. It uses iconic imagery, like those polar bears, to draw us in.

The takeaway for artists is that you want to do more than just post your latest work. This is where so many amateurs get it wrong. Don’t be afraid to express yourself. And remember, sometimes being controversial generates more interest than being nice. So playing it safe might keep you in obscurity.

5. Develop Revenue Streams
Your music sales probably aren’t going to pay the bills when you first start off. Without regular infusions of the almighty dollar, you might be playing in the homeless shelter. That’s why successful artists look for other ways to develop revenue. Try writing a guest post for pay, discussing music production or reviewing an album. You can also run your own blog and accept guest posts. You can run ads to make some revenue, or sell band merchandise through sites like Cafe Press. Indie video game developers are always looking for artistic talent willing to take fair pay for exposure.

The point is, step outside your comfort zone, and your “I can only make money off the music” mentality, and you’re bound to find that music isn’t something you do alone in a recording studio. It’s a unique chance to connect with your fans and build a lucrative career.