While some were fortunate to be able to jump straight into music without having to work a day job, everyone’s situation is going to be different. I know artists who work a 9-to-5 and then do music and perform at shows in the evenings. Since we all have bills to pay and other adult responsibilities, don’t feel like having a day job is a negative. However, this also means that just about anyone can try to pursue music, creating a noisy and competitive environment. Fortunately, those days are basically over as you no longer need labels.
Hey, it’s your life, but not what I would personally advocate.īefore the internet, if you wanted to pursue music, your best hope was to move to a big city and try to get the attention of A&Rs ( artists and repertoire) in order to get signed by a label. Some might like the idea of going all in without a backup plan because they feel the pressure to survive will help motivate them to make it doing music full-time. But for the rest of you, your priority should be to do something that pays the bills to keep you afloat while you do music on the side. If you’re financially well off or have built up a strong following through another industry then maybe this doesn’t apply. It’s probably not smart to drop everything and try to make a living off music right off the bat.
Unfortunately, more often than not, it’s more fantasy than reality. In popular culture, we romanticize the idea of leaving everything behind and head to the big city to pursue our passion. Make sure you have a way to make a living (day job) It can be overwhelming, but I hope this blog will be a good starting point for you and serve as a road map for laying the foundation of your path towards a career in music.ġ. Not only are you responsible for the creative, but you also need to run the business side while being in charge of your own artist development. The downside of pursuing music as an independent is that it’s not easy, and it takes a lot of work. This topic could be for another blog, but just know the approach that I advocate for is a fully independent one where you’re in control of every aspect of your career and creative output. However, it may come at a cost that I don’t think many artists want to pay, like them having ownership of your music. Signing to a label definitely has its benefits as they can provide resources, connections and expertise that allow you to focus more on the creative aspects. Just know that in the current climate of the music industry, thanks to the internet, you are no longer dependent on music labels to make a career in music, especially the majors.
Although this guide caters more towards performing artists, singer-songwriters, bands and rappers, I feel a lot of this can still apply to producers and instrumentalists as well.Įven if your end goal is to sign with a major music label, I think you still need to apply these steps. In this blog, I cover all the major pieces and beginning steps you will need to think about when setting the foundation for your music career as an independent artist. Have you recently decided that you want to pursue your passion for music, but have no idea where to start? If you’ve been doing music as a hobby for a while now and you want to get more serious, you’re in the right place.