I commend anybody who wants to work in the music industry. Somehow having the will and strength to put everything on the line is inspirational. It’s hard to fulfill your dreams in an industry where millions with similar aspirations have floundered, failed or given up. To have hope that you can achieve the odds and be the few who can achieve big things.
Nevertheless, I write this for the brand new artist/professionals who have just started or people looking to make a career in music.
Here are three things from my experience that I think you should think about:
Networking is Key to Your Success!
Networking and meeting people is very important. I’ve met a lot of people at various levels and through the network I’ve created, and have access to hundreds of people.
Let’s say, I wanted to take a vacation -to Los Angeles, Atlanta Nashville or New York- and while on vacation I’d like to record a few things. With a few phone calls or emails I can have studio session set up within few minutes to a couple of hours (I’ve never even been to Nashville.)
How did I ever achieve this ability? I went out and networked. I’ve traveled to places, went to seminars and shook hands. Remember, each person you get to know or make friends with, you’re getting access to everybody they know. I’ve managed to leverage many business and personal relationships just by knowing one person.
You can do the same with whatever you’re trying to do in music. One doesn’t need to know everybody, but if you’re making connection with the right people and networking on constant basis, you increase your chances of achieving your goals.
Go out and network. You won’t have this type of leverage if you don’t know anybody. Furthermore, nobody can help you, if they don’t know who you are or what you’re trying to accomplish.
There’s No Specific Time On When You Will Make It.
Almost every year, we hear somewhere in the news of this new break out 20 year old singer, producer or songwriter. Sometimes we hear that someone wrote their first song and it was an instant hit. Kudos to them!
For the majority of people this not the case. For example, a lot of your favorite artists, managers or producers, took years upon years to make their dream come true.
Bruno Mars was turned down for a deal a couple of times because record executive thought he wasn’t ready.
Lady Gaga was signed to multiple deals before she came a household name with Knovict Music.
There’s no magical number, stay humble and keep on grinding.
This is Not For the Faint of Heart.
There are many people in the world who might look at successful people in music, and are only driven by what they see in the limelight. In reality, the music business is one hard and tough road.
The more you get you there, the more you’re going to come across a lot personalities and characters. These include the psychopaths, scammers, meanies, liars, narcissists, and all other people you should run away from. There will be people who will try to hurt you and do so only to better position themselves.
Don’t ever forget this. You’ll shed a lot of tears and endure a lot of pain. The question is, are you willing to put yourself through that for your dream or aspiration?
