Musicians & bands pursuing a successful career in music typically don’t make it because they simply chase the wrong things. Here are the most common reasons for their failure:
– They believe success can be found by trying to get their music & name to as many music fans and music industry people as possible. This approach is called, ‘Spray & Pray’. Failure Rate: 99%
– They don’t have a real strategy for building a successful music career… In fact, they typically don’t really know the difference between ‘doing stuff’, ‘tactics’ and ‘strategy’. The steps they do take are not part of a well thought-out & proven strategy. Instead, they are disconnected ‘tactics’ (actions) that lead to disappointing results. Failure Rate: 99%
– They don’t have a success mindset. The very first requirement for success is the one thing that people who fail love to skip: a success mindset. Not having it is the biggest killer of success in the music business. With the wrong mindset, a truly successful long-term music career is impossible. Failure Rate: 100%
– They believe they can develop a successful long-lasting music career on their own. Fact is, nobody makes it in the music business ‘on their own’ today – nobody. At every level of the business (especially when trying to get in it), going alone is music career suicide. Failure Rate: 99%
– They focus their efforts on pushing their music & themselves onto music companies (record labels, management, promoters, publishers, etc.) without first finding out exactly what things these companies really want, then become, do or have those things and finally develop a specific strategy to deliver them. Failure Rate: 99%
– They never take real action into building their career in music. They cling to false beliefs that in order to become a successful musician, they might risk everything to make it. Believing in such old myths prevents them from making smart choices to become a true success. Failure Rate: 99%
– They blame their own lack of success, opportunity and income on everyone & everything else. They whine about how nobody else has given them a chance or done the heavy lifting for them. This way of thinking is typically a cover-up for their own mistakes, laziness and procrastination. It then causes them to make poor choices. Failure Rate: 100%
– They drown themselves in the failures of the trial and error approach. The guessing approach or the outdated crap that everyone else says to do (… you know, the people who aren’t actually successful in this industry, but love to give their unsolicited ‘opinions’ and ‘advice’…). These approaches to developing a music career don’t work, suck. In some cases are outright dangerous to you, your music and your music career!
This is what happens when musicians think and act in the ways above.
Two paths await most of these musicians and bands:
- Years of struggle, frustration and disappointment as they spin their wheels, never really getting anywhere in the music business… or
- Give up and return to unhappy day jobs they so desperately want to get out of, but can’t. They’re stuck there… forever. Either way the result is sad.
7 Things Every Musician Ought To Know About Music Career Growth, Creating Opportunities And Competitive Advantage!
There are 7 overlooked, underestimated & misunderstood core principles that are absolutely required to build, grow and sustain a successful career in music. Once you apply them, you will have a massive competitive advantage over 99% of all other musicians. You will experience a fundamental paradigm shift from ‘looking for opportunities’ to ‘creating them’.
1. The music industry does NOT look for great music to sell – or even great musicians…. Record companies, managers, promoters and big successful bands look for great ‘people’ who can also create good music. You need to prove to be rock solid in three key areas in order to be at the top of the list. Need to show people and companies in the music industry that any relationship will be a great, the best possible investment for them.
Doing this by adding lots of value and reducing risks to the other side. Most musicians aren’t aware of this and/or don’t even try. You can do both of these once you learn what they are, how they work and how to implement them.
Fact is, you MUST do this, because if you don’t, the music industry will simply find someone else who will. No matter how great you (or they) think your music is. When it comes to your music career, you need to prove that you put your money where your mouth is. That means the music industry wants to see you investing in yourself before asking them to do the same.
2. Contrary to what majority of people falsely believe, opportunity is never ‘given’ to musicians. Opportunity is created by musicians who have the right mindset (more on this below), add value & reduce risks for the other side.
If you want to build and sustain a successful music career, then it is suicidal to depend on & wait for others in the music industry to ‘give you’ opportunity… You must be proactive and create opportunity for yourself and others around you. It’s not as hard as it sounds when you do the things in point 1 above.
3. The most underestimated and often misunderstood element required for building a successful career is having the right mindset. Many people believe they already have the right mindset to become a successful musician… The truth is, most musicians simply do not possess the right mindset at all – and the few who do.
Often lose that correct mindset once things get harder, the stakes are higher or situations become stressful… However, the good news is, virtually anyone can learn, master and sustain the right mindset for all situations with the right training and efforts.
4. You really have zero competition. You probably think the world is filled with competitors. That in order for you to experience your own success in the music industry, you must ‘beat the competition’. The truth is, you don’t really have any competition.
Most musicians will eliminate themselves from music career opportunities because they don’t know about or do the critical things. Once you become truly valuable, low risk and can communicate those facts effectively, the music industry WILL want you, no matter how many other talented people are also trying to achieve the same things you are.
5. The reputable people and companies in the music industry are looking for musicians and bands to invest in for the long term. This is why they invest in ‘people’ and not in ‘music’. Therefore, the music industry wants to be sure you are committed for the long term.
– They won’t be ‘asking’ if you are committed to the long term. They’ll be looking for the proof based on what they can find out about you via their research teams. Yes, they absolutely will search for all kinds of things about you. Your mindset, your commitment, your track record, your strategy, your value and elements of risk.
6. Getting your ‘foot in the door’ is the primary focus of most musicians seeking a career in music. Hence, they think once they are in, they will stay in. This myth is the surest way to get thrown out the same door you just got your foot into.
To become a successful professional musician, you must have a strategy that gets you ‘into the music business’, ‘keeps you in the music business’ and ‘makes both you AND everyone around you thrive in the music business’. Until and unless you have that, the chance of developing a successful music career is basically zero.
7. The biggest secret to success in developing your own career in music is integrating all the pieces together. This means that when you take an action of some kind (for example: promoting your album, getting people to your website, expanding your social media presence, promoting your live shows, seeking deals with labels, managers, promoters, etc.), all of the things that go into doing those things must be integrated with everything else you are doing.
When the pieces are disconnected, they are simply single actions – that is not effective. When they are integrated as part of a real strategy, then your chances to achieve your objectives go through the roof.
Guest post by Keerthy Narayanan
If you wanna learn and get more insights on a musicians progress, check out “The Essentials for Musicians”. It covers all the various stages on how to progress effectively as a musician in the new music industry.
