I used to ask myself the same question. After a long journey and several doses of reality, I can say that music is not really the "end product" like it used to be when physical media was the only way to listen. The cost of entry is minimal and promotional channels are abundant.

It seems to me that the end product of the music industry now is the dream itself - the dream of being the big artist or producer. There is likely more money and opportunity to be made in selling "music creation" now. Gear, software, online mastering, marketing packages, web hosting, sample packs, Online A&Rs who promise to get your music considered for licensing, music conferences/expos, the list goes on.

Here is great blog that offers a sobering perspective at times about the music industry:

http://thecynicalmusician.com/

So where does that leave those that only want to focus on creating music? I see music now as your business card. YOU are the product. With that said, work on your personal development and what you want to contribute to the world.

 

With these words still ringing in my brain-ear, let me spam you politely with my own simple minded way of doing just that, albeit badly
Youtube.

http://youtube.com/c/iAdvanceMasked

Yes please evaluate, and yes please subscribe, need all the kudos and likes and comments and subscribers, and patreon patrons I can attract, and yes my heart I will keep on making 'content' hope also make music.

 

How to be succesful in the music industry?



I me mine and take no prisoners.

 

Somehow, people often forget that "success" is completely relative. Success only means that you achieved some of your goals. So I think that people who say that "my goal is to be successful" kind of fool themselves into not really taking the time and reflection to know what those goals actually are in the first place.

 

If it is foreseen in your karma (or your pre-natal travel plan) you will be successful even if you can not do anything; if it is not foreseen in your karma ... you will remain at the stake even if you are Mozart. Right or unfair, these are the harsh rules of life on Earth

 

With my little knowledge I´m just want to say what success is for me. [ When youngsters has a "förfest" The party before the acctual party before going out and tune in a song or mix and then play it over and over again and never change cos the music get them happy, immortal, positive, and they feel that the world is theirs. And they stay home to long cos music is so freaking good and when they finaly goes to the nightclub they sing the song/s all way to the entré ]. Thats my definition of success I would be satisfied with anyway. That isn´t the answear of your question but as someone mentioned before. Do your own s*it and get a fanbase. I se several hundreds of boys and girls doing fantastic music on soundcloud for example. And they have maby like 20 "listens" Thats get me sad cos ppl/we drowns in music today and with all homestudios you suddenly has a ocean of skilled musicmakers. So to do that little extra you must be yourself nerest and do music you like and maby missing. Your own thing. How to get a fanbase then? I shouldent start at one of the big dragons (soundcloud, mixcloud) I should start at a smaller musiccommunity that suits my music best. Today it is the whole package that counts. Work on everything, avatars, covers for your music colors on your space on community. If you are good looking let ppl know. Let ppl know alot about you. Someday you can mention that you have a account on a big site and you can ask your fanbase to follow you there. So much easier with followers and listeners. Ppl do the same thing on soundcloud as a search at google. They choose one of thoose that is on the frontpage. they haven´t the time to search for that little extra it seems =/

 

Last edited: Oct 21, 2018

sad but true...
if you are real ugly let them kno too he he...
--------------
unfortunality you got to stick out so they can find you....so you must have the whole artist package media machine...but to be everywhere with right image is a lot of 24/7 work...and always new stuff has to be there...
and you have to sell a image....not just youre music when you want be true mining capitalist with the right rising numbers dividend
----
for sure you can live from mediocre music spread out on all platforms by building fanbase with usual methods
-----------------
in which genre you produce is differentiated youre market a lot..best is german hitmix...i will make millions in future on that market ha ha...no shit
..............
or just give a fck and produce killer music and wait till the right dj plays you track in the club..or better send stuff to dj's to play youre stuff....

 

Last edited: Oct 22, 2018

I live in France so i'm talking about france and what i know & saw about it is ...
You better have a man in middle , familly or friends of someone famous ...or in the music circle...
(all tv, radios, Majors , big studios are located in Paris)
France is very locked ... and really poor for music and lyrics
it was not the case in the past but wanting to copy everything of USA music style ... they've lost their identity
it's the same for tv shows and series but they're not americans and it sounding wrong ...
And now many people are sure that the voice or other are the only way to be famous
years after years , winners of the voice are fading after few months
exepted for some rare who have more than a voice .... a real music style & identity

 

Last edited: Oct 22, 2018

i feel you...very well
-------------------
let me say that i think you talkin bout the old way...the record label A&Rs times
i say that cause i kno this world very little..but little .. in germany labels are in every big city...whenever berlin is the whhoohhhooo city....
i was more talkin bout the modern internet platform music,image,merchandise selling way...
i watched some tutorials bout and always look out on yt .....its bout generating fans through image and music and sell music through platforms for max2-3$ per song or track i think...
but as you say you need a man in the middle also here if you just want do music and not want becomne music platform and facebook nerd...and guys with mediocre music have enough time cause they are mediocre but this guys make a better living out of platforms then some guys with a good job cause they invest a lot of time to sell music , sell copyright and make image on platforms...ive seen it on yt...guy with 8000 netto(of course this must be his best month not every month is like this i guess)...
it was a christian rapper lol...#christian rapper #christian #rap ....hashtag hashtag...
connect with as many hashtags as possible on selling platforms is a tactic...

i also think in electronic music artist or rap artist gain big part of fanbase through liveact
and when you build you own fancy contetoller with thousends of lights and shizl show you did the right marketing move for youre image

 

Last edited: Oct 22, 2018

i kno its just a show but a fckn really good show bout the topic from the past

https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/20...w-hbo-series-about-the-1970s-record-industry/

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3186130/

 

totally

 

Learn an instrument
Form a band
Rehearse a few dozen popular cover songs
Make a demo tape on cassette
Send it to pubs and clubs
Play as often as possible and put on a good show
Add original songs to your repertoire
Wait for A&R representative to sign you to a label
Record album
Collect royalties
Enjoy limousines, drugs and groupies

Oh wait. It's not 1980 is it.

 

Well ia, you asked about how to be successful in the music industry, so it's safe to assume that you mean how do you make it as a famous artist with a major record deal. Well industry means business. Businesses sell products. You have to offer them a product that they can market and make money from. But I mean that you have to be the product. It's no more complicated than that.

 

This seems very realistic, love it!

After seeing a lot of negative ideas in this thread I'd like remind that this is also the day and age were people seem to be generating revenue just from "reaction" videos on youtube, which is ridiculous but shows how possible it is to accomplish stuff from a bedroom...

Not so sure about the music industry being better before either, it was apparently easy to be shelved and dropped in the corporate label system.

A good song from a new artist is going to get proper attention if the artist is persistent and determined. I know several artists who started out by selling cd's on their own able to get by and invest in their talents, I was the one printing the discs, it really didn't take much for them to self sustain at that level..

I learned more about writing in the last few years then the confused previous decades working outside of music, and not developing the craft as much as I should have, making a bad impression with some early clients. If it was back in the day I would have passed my prime and lost my chance but new doors seem to keep opening.

An artist's survival has always been hard but the process will refine them one way or the other

 

Last edited: Oct 23, 2018

The advice I am seeing here reminds me of why I made the (somewhat controversial) argument in that "talent" topic that it's useless to discuss talent because people often confuse talent versus fame.

Here's a weird way to look at marketing music or anything else objectively: How do you know how much to sell? Meaning, how do you determine how many people actually want/need what you are offering? Pretty much nobody ever does this. The answer tends to be a reflexive "As many as possible!" without any real thought behind it. But not unlike an art project, or a garden, or whatever, the process would benefit from careful planning, as well as adapting to circumstances. Make sure it can scale and grow with the rates and resources you can work with.

And be aware that to a lot of people, art is inseparable from egotism. There is no real reason why people should care about your work beyond "Because I'm ME and I'm special!" Likewise, more popularity isn't necessarily going to make you a better musician.

 

Last edited by a moderator: Oct 23, 2018

Get off this forum and start making music

 

It's not what you know.
It's who you know.
Pander to the lowest common denominator.
If you're in the right place and time and with the right connections, you might make it.

Or fuck it all, do your own thing, find your audience and build from there.

It's all relative.

"The Problem With Music" by Steve Albini. Read that and weep after the fact that that essay is easily almost 30 years old and is still very relevant.

 

Anyone else have a compulsive AS habit during rendering?

 

mainstream is not as big as in past , today is more individual market...but much more ppl out there doing music , so much more need to stick out....how you define stick out , everybody need to find out for themselfs..

for me suxxesful means.....you can make you living with youre own music you really like , not the redcarpet....shoot the cat if you ever see it on a red carpet

but art in common and making money does not fit well....i never could go deeper into contract graffiti cause i didnt want to paint what someone with sero clue has in mind...i did it once in a gym but never again...

on the other hand we kno for some artist :
art in common and making money does fit very very well.....i dont mean sell out...sreoius good stuff i mean

 

Last edited: Oct 23, 2018

This guy clame to be a DJ and collect millions $ from his sets. He has as many skill as my grand mother in music making.

.
Business industry can make wonder. This is 1 example but I think most of these people have no skill. I spoke with a sound engeneer which told me that skill doesn't matter now to succed in music industry it is a matter of the right relationships. Most of the time, famous people don't make/write music by themselves.
Naturally, it helps a lot if you was born in a rich familly working in the music industry and if you are of the right religion.
stop making stupid people famous.