Don't Forget The Other Half

Can you see that in the distance?  That “thing” that keeps getting further and further away in the rear-view mirror?  That’s the shrinking visibility of a distant entertainment microcosm that forced amateurs and professionals alike to be aligned with financially prosperous partners in order to fund, market, and distribute quality content.   

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What Does “Success” In Music Mean?

Guest post by Patrick McGuire. This article originally appeared on Soundfly’s Flypaper

For some, it’s the ability to pay one’s bills exclusively through making music. Others think they’ll find it once their songs hit a certain number of plays over streaming platforms, or once they sell out of a run of physical copies of a new album. I personally love being on the road, and am always striving to feel like the crowd out there is really excited to see me play my music. That’s when I feel truly successful.

Success means something different to every musician, but one thing is clear: Musical success is no longer, and may never again be, what it used to be. I’ve been thinking about this question a lot, what success really means right now. Here are my thoughts on the matter.

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The Remarkable Effects Music Can Have On Student Success

Music is a magical art form that is well-known and nurtured by almost every culture in the world for centuries. Most people listen to music for fun, but it actually has many other implications that strongly affect human beings.

According to a famous study, individuals who listen to music do it to regulate arousal and mood, to achieve self-awareness, and as an expression of social relatedness, but we want to concentrate on the fact that beautiful tunes can arouse and strengthen students’ mental activities.

It turns out that this type of art can have remarkable effects on academic success and achievements. It’s not possible to identify every single effect, but we can definitely pinpoint nine features that make music such an effective driver of mental activities. Without further ado, let’s check them out here!

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The Music Marketing Manifesto: 10 Principles For Success

Five years ago, we were asked to write a simple marketing guide for unsigned bands and independent artists. We came up with ten principles for success and it was shared on the Unsigned Guide Music Blog. Since then the music industry has changed dramatically with the shift from music sales to music access. iTunes has been replaced by Apple Music and downloads with streaming. Spotify is increasingly becoming the default music service for the masses. With these developments ringing in our ears, we decided to update our principles for success.

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The Proven Formula For Achieving Music Business Success

You are likely to struggle in your music career when you don’t follow a proven formula for success. Musicians who reach their goals faster than everyone else follow one formula in particular.

The formula successful musicians follow to achieve the highest levels of success is this:

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5 Keys To Success As A Garage Band

So, you have a guitar, a voice, and some friends that want to make music. Well, in order to succeed in this difficult industry you’re going to need some help. Many bands try and fail hard because they don’t remember these important factors that will help you reach your dreams of rocking the big stage.

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3 Power Steps To Success In The Music Industry

Any aspiring musician is looking to get the most out of their career. A lot of the times, however, approaching the music industry is daunting to say the least. There is a quote by Hunter S. Thompson – “The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There’s also a negative side.” How exactly do we go about achieving success in such a doubtful industry?

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Why You Don’t Need A Record Label To Be Successful

We live in a time where musicians have everything they need to be successful all in fingers reach, yet many artists still don’t understand exactly why artists are steering away from labels more and more. With these few topics, artists are able to understand why you don’t need a record label to be successful in today’s music industry.

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4 Tips For Successfully Building Your Personal Music Brand

This article originally appeared on the Sonicbids Blog

There’s so much more to being a professional musician than just creating and playing music. If you want to make it in this business, you’ve got to stand out from the crowd, and when it comes to musicians, that’s tough. Some people go overboard with insane costumes and exaggerated personalities, but that’s hard to pull off. Sure, it’s worked for some, but if you’re not trying to wear a mask onstage or be batshit crazy online, you’re going to have to find something that works for you. 

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10 Things Artists Must Have To Succeed Today In The Music Business

There are many things an artist must have to succeed, and then there are a few things that will make life easier. Today, I am focusing on the necessities. We all know the music business is currently changing, but there have always been changes in the music industry. How we adapt to those changes determines our outlook and success. Perhaps I’m used to change because I’m from the rap world, which was new to music in the 1980s and rap just began making money for the labels heavily in the 1990s–so it’s a relatively new art form. Today, independent rap artists can build successful careers that feed themselves and their families without having to sign to a major record label. Here’s what is needed for that to happen, for rappers and for all artists and musicians looking to build a successful career:

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Make Yourself An Irreplaceable Musician

This ariticle originally appeared on the Sonicbids Blog

This may be difficult, but try to picture your role in the band. Not just as the drummer or guitarist, but seriously look at your significance in the group. Unfortunately, many musicians find themselves as “cogs” in the system. They show up to band practice, learn the songs just enough to get by, go home, and repeat the same process. While there could be far worse situations, being a “cog” doesn’t make you unique. In fact, it makes you entirely replaceable.

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Band Management: How to Make Your Artists Truly Successful

Whether it be a new artist getting prepared for a wave of gigs, or an artist who is seasoned with entertainment experience, a manager can be a useful and essential element is the prosperity of their career. A manager is the business backbone, the organizer and the planner; a band without proper management is restricted from success. This person can be an outside source or a member within the band or group who has a knowledge of business and professionalism. There are some key points to have in mind when you are seeking success for your artist.

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The Scary “S” Word: Redefining Success As A Musician

Too often, our first instinct when measuring “success” is by the amount of money that’s in your bank account. One year Joe Shmo is making 30K annually, and the next year he gets a raise to 45k. Now he’s more successful, right? However, in music you’ll notice that unlike most other professional fields, “success” is a far more intangible and complicated concept to measure.

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The 5 Most Important Things You Should Ask If You Want To Have A Successful Music Career

FACT: Musicians generally look for the answers to all the wrong questions. What questions am I talking about? The ones that all amateurs or people who have never been in music ask. These questions are based on ignorance, guesswork, fears and self-destructive thoughts centered around how some people think the music industry works. By seeking the answers to these questions, you can only reduce the likeliness that you will ever have a chance at growing a successful music career.

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