I know and love that we start making music for the passion and the joy behind it, to bring something beautiful to the world and that is 100% the reason to begin!
If we aren’t here because of passion, then yeah you’ve definitely started for the wrong reason. But if you want to stay around for a long time - or at least make an honest effort of it because of course it doesn’t happen for everyone… you really need to start like you’re a business.
The thing is, I see people - solo artists or bands get upset because they’re not growing as they want to, they’re not getting booked, they’re not growing on socials, not selling tickets, or merch - whatever the case may be. It’s easy to see that they consider it more of a passion project than a potential full time career. I’m not saying that’s wrong either! Just because you play - you don’t have to make it a career but this is more about people who would like to work to being a full time artist.
If you’re not making the progress that you want, I think it’s time to consider whether you’re thinking of it like a business or just a hobby and what you really want to get out of your music. The main kinds of things - like who is your target audience? Who are you writing for? Who are you speaking to and are you speaking in their voice?
There’s no right answer, there’s nothing wrong with not wanting to make your art into a career. For this post - I’m just talking about artists that want a full time career.
One thing that will always set you apart is if you really start out thinking like a business. Seeing opportunity in everything, thinking about your band as a brand, seeing potential in everything for content and expansion. Looking at expenses vs income, what is meaningful exposure or not. You don’t want to or need to be everywhere - on every platform or doing trending videos for example. But you do need to think like a business. Be where you want to be seen and where the people you want to connect with spend their time. Strategise on where you’d like to be seen, where you want to play, brands you may want to work with, networking, your marketing and releases and everything in between. You know they say if you fail to plan you plan to fail.
It's not fool proof by any means, not everyone can make a full time career even if they want to - and for some, it does just come a lot easier. The main thing is that you are taking steps to give yourself the best chances possible to reach your personal goals. It may take a lot of time, but if it was you truly want, it's definitely worth putting the thought and effort into it.
Are you already thinking like a business? What’s working and what isn’t? Get in touch! Let’s plan for your future together!
You can now join our monthly calls to get feedback on your music and coaching in small groups (max 10!) Here is a link to our one on one consultations or - join monthly for £15 with small groups. Now is the time to join!