It’s 2015! And although you’ve failed to fulfill some of your resolutions last year (and the years before that), I’m sure you’ve accomplished some of the things on your list, too.
The start of the New Year is a great time to review what you’ve become and what you’ve done so far and plan your next steps towards your goals.
If you want 2015 to be the year you made the big leap in your music career, here some things you might want to include in your list:
Table of Contents
1. REACH OUT TO AT LEAST ONE PERSON A WEEK
You know what they say that success is about knowing the right people? It’s partly true. If you have no talent, you probably won’t go anywhere.
But if you know the right people in the music industry, they could help you mold your career even if you have almost zero talent. What more if you already have the talent?
They will help you reach the moon! Start with your facebook friends or the friends of your friends. Ask your friends to introduce you to people and make genuine connections.
2. CREATE MORE
If you used to write one song every two months, then write once a month.
That’s very basic and definitely the best way to improve your music career.
3. TAKE BRANDING MORE SERIOUSLY
Start off with decluttering your online presence. While it’s natural to hop onto new and trending online outlets, it can actually be detrimental to your overall online image.
Simply Google your name and band name and even music titles and see what shows up. Anything that’s outdated or is not useful for your brand, delete it. Next, develop your brand by following these branding tips.
At first you might think that having a career in music is all about talent. Well it’s mainly about music, but it’s doing a lot of other things too.
4. BE MORE ORGANIZED
In everything! I know some artists kinda find it tough to be really organized but it’s actually less pain in the arse if you organize your stuff from the start of the year.
Keep receipts in a folder with proper labels, have meetings regularly, get copyright and other necessary legal stuff, organize your e-mails, Facebook, etc. It’s not a waste of time, trust me.
5. BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL
Making music or any art is not a lucrative career until it becomes one.
The practical voice in your head will sometimes tell you that it’s time to “grow up” and take life seriously. It will tell you to stop “wasting your time.” If you keep hearing this voice, you have to pause and ask yourself whether you should believe it or let it shut up.
But the thing is, it is possible to have security and your music at the same time. Once you believe in it, you can start planning on taking your music to the next level. It will not just be a hobby from now on.
______________________________________________________________________
James Hill is a veteran of the music industry. He first worked at Warner Reprise Records then later joined Interscope/ Geffen Records where he managed producers and songwriters and got his first platinum record for Keyshia Cole’s The Way It Is. He is now helping indie artists with branding and manufacturing through his company Unified Manufacturing, a CD/DVD, custom vinyl records and merch company in LA.
