Playing The Music Game: How To Make It In Today's Industry.

The tight grip that the music industry had on artists is slowly loosening. With the rise of streaming and platforms to help you distribute your music, labels have become less relevant to younger artists.

Technology has really evened the playing field between large industry-backed artists and up and coming indie acts. We see this a good sign but it has caused a new problem to emerge in the last decade which is increased competition.

😫 Lower Barrier To Entry Means More Competition

Just about anyone can now write, record and produce a decent song from their bedroom without spending a lot of money.

Marketing costs that used to be handled by large labels are not cheaper and easier to access through social media, Facebook ads and influencer partnerships. We truly are living in a time where you can do more than labels could do just 20 years ago.

As with any business, the easier it is for new artists to enter the market, the more competition there is for the hearts and minds of fans.

So, how can you stand out from the millions of artists creating music online? It's all about your personal brand. Why should fans follow you? Why should they attend your live show? Creating an interesting but authentic brand is extremely important to differentiate yourself from the rest.

👋🏽 Find Your Real Superfans Not Just Followers

Fans are better than followers.

Yes, it can stroke your ego when you have 50K followers on instagram but ask yourself how many of them will buy your music? How many will pay for a ticket to see you perform live? How many will buy your merch?

Try to focus on finding your superfans that will do anything to support you financially. At first, this will be difficult because the online platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Facebook don't let you narrow-down your target audience without paying for advertising.

But early on, it's important that you find these superfans in your hometown. This is because you will be able to talk with them directly to see why they love your music. This type of feedback is really important in helping to craft your message and branding.

💰Today's Artist Is An Entrepreneur First

DId you know that your music career is exactly like a business?

You need to treat it like a business and will need to focus on marketing not just the product (or your music). A lot of artists we talk to are reluctant to treat their career like a business because they don't want to handle the business side.

Many of these artists will desperately search for a manager or booking agent to do this work for them. This will not work! Fans want to connect directly with you and not your manager.

This means that you will need to do the bulk of the marketing work in the early days when it's harder to get fans interested in what you're doing. Then, when you have a good sized following you can bring on help.

🏙 Focus On Taking Over Your Local Region

So many artists believe they need to move to L.A., New York or Atlanta to make it in the music business. But so do thousands of other artists in the US!

Unfortunately, for the vast majority of artists that go this route will find out just how difficult it is to build a fanbase in someone else's territory. Trust us when we say that starting in your small town is the best way forward in today's music business.

Not only will you have less competition but you will have your local network of friends, family and acquaintances to be your early supporters.

Once you are a well-known act in your city, you'll want to then broaden out to the surrounding states and your region.

Qoncert helps independent artists find their local superfans, find and get booked for live shows and make money from live performances.

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