The title says it all. I have no idea about the industry, management, promotion and how to network and find and collaborate with quality musicians etc. I put my heart and soul into an EP I had recorded at a quality recording studio on the Gold Coast a few years ago (Dawn awaits EP). All I cared about was the music and thought producing a quality EP would be enough to have musicians line up to audition for the band and provoke fans to promote us by word of mouth. It turns out that this top-down approach mightn't have been the best way to invest $10,000.

Now I'm a little older and wiser, I'd like to give this another shot and do it properly. Would anyone be able to share some useful resources about making it in the music industry so I can learn about the facets that I've neglected to learn about? It also might be a good time to mention that I'm looking to collaborate with some proficient EDM/ RnB/ Pop writers who know their way around electronic music production gear.

What I really need is a mentor. Anyone interested in taking me under their wing? I'd appreciate it enormously. Thanks guys.

 

Last edited: Sep 3, 2015

Hey man, sounds like power metal to me. Its very impressing.

When you feel you got a song you really like, invest in a video clip. Or do it for one of the songs you already have if you really love one.

try releasing it through VEVO. or somewhere an audience will hear it/see it

 

Last edited by a moderator: Sep 3, 2015

Thanks for the response mate. This song was meant to be the single: The Hardest Words by Sarajevo Rose [lyric video]. Perhaps I will push this on VEVO. Will they accept lyric videos or film clips only?

 

I would say make a video clip if you have some resources.if the person making the video cares much, it can add a deeper layer of connection with the viewer/listener. It can make them travel even further with the song. Its exciting.

if you manage to put it on VEVO...I haven't read their rules, hopefully you'll put it there.

 

Real artists are the last to know what exactly they are. Someone else decide who is an artist and says: "He is an artist, yeah. His thoughts are so deep, her words are so bright..." and bullshit like that.

 

Good songs mate I heard Mew are looking for a new guitarist, your music has a certain synergy.

 

Good Song , try to get yourself a good manager who has solid connections & know a lot of people in this business
if you have a band & you want To Get Known : Try to play live in Local Festival so people will know you more
be more Active on social media & try to use YouTube & Soundcloud & Vimeo & etc......
you can also try to collaborate with someone you know in your local area who is well known in your city
that will help you build a fan base
try to visit local radio station in your city and put your music and when they do , people will notice you
last thing is try to make a deal with label or well known production (and that i wouldn't recommended for you)
good luck yeah it's not that easy but you will get there if you keep believing and making more great music
always make sure to be present in music events by that you will always meet artists from all over the world

 

Last edited: Sep 3, 2015

Your music is, fortunately, commercial-sounding. That's description isn't a value judgment, it is like saying, "The sky is blue," or, "The Pope is Catholic." I mean, it should be easier to market, or to find a market for it. Marketing has become increasingly important, now that production itself is handled by the music-makers themselves. If you can't do this sufficiently yourself, you'll probably have to find someone to market your music for you. Social-media sites are necessary, but it takes some ineffible skill or mojo to make people ignore other music in favor of yours, or to push other musicians out of the way as they try to promote their stuff on your pages. If a band is really good live, then touring is absolutely necessary. If you can discern what's right for you and your music, stick to that and don't let anyone distract you from it.

 

do you do live shows?.. go that route.

If it's all yourself playing, put an ad out in some of your local music periodicals expressing desire for bandmates; also, you should include influences so people that are on "the same wavelength" will have an idea about that as well... that should work.

Do a bandcamp page and whatnot, and leave links in the ad that you place.

 

This is quite a difficult topic and I think every musician and artist comes to this point (regularly). The guys here already mentioned some great advice. A well produced video is indeed a good way to reach a bigger audience. Also the whole social media thing is something that can boost a career a lot. When I remeber correctly "Flume" (an electronic music guy) just became popular because many people reposted his songs on Soundcloud. Or YouTube is probably the biggest communication channel today. Although there is so much competition, the opportunities are still great.
Combined with that I would still play live as much as possible. A connection between artist and fan in real life is much stronger than through the internet. Also you can get a real feedback with your music and performance. And especially on festivals you can reach A LOT of people with one gig.
I think a clever combination between live and digital is the way to go. Behind all of that a solid artist / brand startegy can help a lot. This does not mean you have to make music everybody makes or some management guys tells you every step you should go, more like a guideline for you and also for your fans, so they can understand who you are as an artist. Nevertheless I would be careful if you go to a management or label and check if they understand you and if they really want to support you as an artist or just want to make money. There are many examples where managements and labels destroyed the careers of artists, because they thought they know better, instead of supporting what the artist has to offer. I actually studied music management and also work in this artist management, but I am a composer and producer as well, so I know both worlds .

And of course connections and knowing the right people. But here as well, make sure to surround yourself with the right people, that understand you and your music and where the chemistry is right. A few weeks ago I had the luck to speak to the manager of a really famous rock band (Grammy nominees) and he said that one advice he can give me is, to always surround yourself with the right people that support you as an artist (not as a money making machine). And also to trust yourself with your creativity and that what you do is good. You don`t have to be like all the artists we know, just be yourself and I am sure there a more than enought things one can market and use to build up an artist brand.

From what I can hear you totally have what you need to make music that people will like. So trust in that.
And if you like to make a collaboration together, just send me a private message and we can talk about some more things .

 

I suggest reading "How Music Works" by David Byrne. Even though it's a few years old now, it still seems pretty relevant. He writes both about the changing "industry" and being an artist. He also describes current business models and ways to think about setting up your own. Plus a lot of interesting history from an earlier time when the biz was also in an upheaval, the beginning of punk and new wave. My plan? Since the biggest thing on the internet are porn and cats, I am going to make a music video featuring cat pornography....

 

So to correct you, you are artist, but you don't know how to be a successful businessman. From my understanding, most important these days is to make connections with real people. Talking with them(about everything, not only about music) and make new connections everywhere is possible. You simple need to convince everyone(with own personality, knowledge, relaxed coversation, spontaneity) after they talk to you to say: "Wooow what a great guy to talk with. I will remeber him.... definitely". You have to be very sociable. With that you will get better deals with more familiar names and consequently more income in comparison if you make connection mainly through social media. If you can't socialize in first person, then you really don't have future in any kind of business. This mean traveling a lot and sacrifice money and family time, learning all kind of things that come with business. You can socialise and advertise through social media and you will probaby earn some income, but to really step forward in your game, you just need to start talk with people in first person, there is no other way. I 'don't want to be romantic here as business mean a lot of hard work, dedication, with a little ice cream here and there.

Where to start learn business? i don't have a answer. There are no one simple answer, everyone have own way. But take your time with that. Start on google search for example if you don't know person who can and wish helping you. And if you insist on searching and learning, you will sooner or later find some valuable information and some great ideas for your business model.

Good luck!

 

Just a comment from me about your vocal: your voice sounds like it would be more suited to Rock ballads rather than the energy stuff. For this music your vocal needs to sound much more like you MEAN it, more FEELING, really PUSH it. It sounds too soft for the music.

 

The music is actually better than a lot of top-streamed stuff these days.
All songs can always be improved if you're not on time constraint but I would first:
- improve the chorus melody, find a hook, make it pop up from the rest of the song
- as said above you are gifted by Mother Nature for your voice, but if you think hard rock (acdc, guns n roses, etc), singers have an awful voice which seats well in the mix of their genre. So agreed with Thankful, you need to shout to the point where your voice sounds dirty.

Think of a group like Scorpions. The singer has a beautiful voice when he sings ballads (for which they were actually known), but able to sing hard rock either (although it's certainly not what made them famous)

But still your music as it is now sounds far better than a lot if not most successful tracks. Which brings you to the business angle you're struggling with.

 

I like the lengths you've gone to in ensuring that I don't wrongly take your feedback as a compliment haha. Thanks for your neutral advice though.

 

Really interesting observation there and I appreciate your feedback. I came to the exact same realisation during the recording of the EP that my classically trained vocals were just way too restrictive for the style of music I wanted to sing. My solution was definitely not to sing music that suited my voice - I just started exploring different vocal techniques and more importantly, worked with new vocal coaches!

 

I will keep that in mind.

 

This may be of interest

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Your song posted above is excellent, good instrumentation, good sound, good lyrics. However, the main vocal parts are a little dry, and also need to be brought forward a bit. If that doesn't give them more punch, maybe a little compression might help. Good luck with your endeavors.

 

Thanks a lot. Looking back, I think the vocal could have used some distortion to give it some crunch. I have a very clean, classical voice and have no idea about techniques like vocal fry / edge that give a more weathered, rocky sound but I've learned all about it since and can't wait to record again.