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Start your music career the right way and learn the system for a successful music business!
[su_highlight background=”#f8ff01″]This article is also published on Medium. Check it here.[/su_highlight]
Music is a business.
Actually, most of human activities can be seen as a business of some sort.
You give some value to others and you get something in exchange.
It works like that for your job: you exchange time (and skills) for money.
Music is not different.
You provide value to your audience: your music.
And your audience gives you something in exchange: their time (a very precious gift), their attention, their love, and their money.
So music is a business.
And to be successful at it, you have to treat it as a business.
Get sure that you provide value and that you get something back.
It may seem odd, unusual to think like that. But that’s how it is.
The good news is that there is a system to make your musical business a success.
I learned this system while studying business with the amazing Paul Scrivens (Scrivs) at PocketBusiness (#AffiliateLink).
I highly recommend you follow him if you want to understand how to start a business.
So, with this new perception (for me) in mind, I realized that the same system applies to music.
And I want to share it with you here.
Follow this system, and you will be on the road to success.
[su_highlight background=”#f8ff01″]Before we start, if you look for ways to make money with music, check out this article.[/su_highlight]
The system for a successful music business
This system is simple.
Very powerful but simple.
Only 4 steps:
- Get noticed (by the right people)
- Get these (right) people to pay attention to you.
- Get them to trust you.
- Convert this trust into value (money)
That’s it.
Yep. Not more than that.
But not less either.
If you follow and work on all four aspects of this system, you will grow your music business.
Whatever it is.
Still confused?
Let’s break it down and be more specific about what it means in the music business.
1. Get noticed (by the right people)
If nobody has ever heard about your existence, you won’t make much money, right?
Thus, the first step is to find a way (or several) to get noticed.
It can go from busking in the streets to managing an Instagram or Twitter account to get followers.
The tactic is yours.
Check what works the best for other musicians. Where and how do successful musicians get noticed?
The most common tactic is to play live.
In bars, restaurants, weddings… Get as many gigs as you can at the beginning.
You will soon get noticed.
But it works also online.
One of the best tactic online is to have a YouTube channel.
But think broader than that. Be creative.
But wait a minute. It is not over.
I didn’t write: “Get noticed”
I wrote: “Get noticed by the right people“.
Because if you attract anybody, you won’t make them your fans in the end and you won’t get anything out of it. Or just some random money.
Like if you are busking.
What you want is to get noticed by the audience you write music for.
I mean, if your thing is to write and play Metal songs, don’t try to get a gig in a jazz club.
Sounds obvious, but sometimes we try to please everyone to get an audience.
Be yourself and get noticed by people who resonate with you, your style.
Which in turn will ease your job for the next step.
2. Get them to pay attention.
Did you find a way to get noticed? great.
Now what you want is that people to listen to your music.
Because if they run away, well, it won’t be good for your business.
You want to keep their attention.
How to do this?
You have to provide great value.
And something people want to listen to.
Yes, that is the harsh truth and you may start to rebel and fight for your creative freedom.
But if you play something nobody wants to listen to, well nobody will listen.
And you won’t get any value back. Even if you play very well.
But if you manage to get their attention, you may be able to make them listen to your experimental music. Because they will see value in you.
It is not about you. But about them.
After all, you do the same. Do you pay attention to something you don’t want?
A great way to get attention from an audience is to play covers.
Oh, I hear you grunting.
Yes, covers.
I know. You created wonderful and original music. And you don’t want to lower your immense creativity to play these over-heard covers.
Well, do as you wish. But don’t blame me if you struggle to get attention.
I am not saying that it is the only way. And maybe (I hope for you) that you will be successful directly with your own music.
But look at most of the famous musicians around.
They almost all started by playing covers.
And in the end, playing music that you love is not that bad, right?
3. Get them to trust you.
Ok, now people are listening to you.
Congrats!
But the game is not won yet.
Because their attention is taken by many other things. And other musicians.
It is still fragile for now.
You have to get them to trust you, to transform them into true fans.
How to do this?
Be consistent.
In quality and in style.
They have to know that they will get again and again what you offered so far.
The same quality. The same music style. Your style.
Imagine a second.
You are in a restaurant.
You have your guitar, a mic.
People are installed on tables around, having some meal.
Some of them have a beer at the counter.
You played a few Country Music songs and you managed to warm them up.
People seem to enjoy what you play and how you play it.
They think:”Hey this guy/girl/band is good. I like that! I want to hear more of it.”
A guy offers you a beer because he really appreciates what you do.
And then you play a Death Metal song.
And you see people running away, horrified.
Or least with a disgusted face, turning their back to you.
Not wishing to listen to you anymore.
Because they had expectations now.
And you disappointed them.
Not great.
My little story is a bit simplistic I agree.
But it already happened to several famous bans.
For example, take Metallica.
When they released their “Black Album” in the 90s, a part of their fan base went totally upset. They felt betrayed because they made a more “mainstream”, popular album.
Which was a massive hit and made their career skyrocket.
But they lost a part of their audience at that time.
Risky.
It might work and it did very very well for Metallica.
But it might totally make you lose your hard-earned audience and you will have to build up a new one.
Just be conscious of it.
Another way to build trust is to use any kind of (good) social proof. And as musicians, there is a powerful way to do it: to win an award.
Yes, that’s a big one. But I don’t say that you should win an Emmy award. There are smaller ones that are more accessible. Even small local ones.
If you can prove that you are the best band at a local town contest, it already counts. You can use that to reach to aim higher and little by little gather a good collection of awards that will act as immediate proof for most people that you are good.
4. Convert their trust into value (money).
If you applied the 3 first points, you are in a very good situation to succeed.
In fact, you cannot not succeed.
Because following these steps it is the only way to succeed in any business.
There is only this last small step for you to do.
Convert their trust into some value, likely money.
How do this?
The fact is that you don’t have much to do.
Just be sure that your fans have a way to give you something back.
You have to provide an easy way for them to buy your music, tickets for your next concert, or to show their love.
There are many tactics out there.
Such as having a music video on YouTube to allow them to comment and like your music.
Or putting a link on your web page to your Spotify playlist. Or to a crowdfunding platform to help you make your next album.
You don’t have to invent anything here. The recipes are already around you and you probably used them to support the musicians you love.
CONCLUSION
You have learned here THE system to create a successful music business.
Don’t even lose your time looking for something else.
It is the only one.
You don’t follow it?
Well, don’t come to me crying because you don’t make any money with your music.
Do you follow it? come back to thank me;)
By the way, if you want to learn more about how to create a business, go and learn from my “mentor” Paul Scrivens here (#AffiliateLink).
Before you go, let me remind the music business system for you:
- Get noticed (by the right people)
- Get these (right) people to pay attention to you.
- Get them to trust you.
- Convert this trust into value (money).
Memorize it, print it out, and hang it above your bed.
And enjoy building your music business!
[su_highlight background=”#f8ff01″]If you look for ways to make money with music, check out this article.[/su_highlight]
[su_note note_color=”#dd0000″]Please leave a comment below. Let’s start the discussion![/su_note]
