Over the last few weeks I have taken you through an over view of the process of becoming an artist. Starting with the recording process through how to successfully sustaining your career, the process of becoming an artist is a long and tumultuous road. If you are expecting to become on overnight success, this is not the industry for you. (and frankly, the though people have of, “Just having one hit single, or going viral,” is not only nearly impossible and a stroke of luck, but is a mind frame of an act that has already lost before the game has started) If you think that you can record your songs off your laptop microphone, release it on SoundCloud, (or any of the vast amount of online and streaming platforms) spam accounts on social media, (or not promote on social media at all, hoping some how, someone will stumble upon your music) and you will have the next viral hit, I am sorry to break it to you, but you are greatly mistaken. Being a becoming an artist, (especially in todays music environment) is easier than ever, (due to the advancement in technology and the ubiquity of social media) but becoming a known artist, and sustaining your career is incredibly difficult.
If you take the time to read through all of the articles that I have released over the last three weeks beginning with the recording process, you will have a basic knowledge and understanding of where to start, and how to navigate through each step of becoming an artist. Having a proper recording, getting the post production done properly, understanding how to work and operate a proper social media page, having an understanding of the different independent distribution channels to release your music, assembling your team, rehearsing for and performing live shows, producing and selling merchandise, preparing for label meetings, understanding the different types of label meetings, understanding the contact you are signing, having the correct representation during your contract negotiations, understanding the language, clauses and terms in your contract, knowing what to expect after signing your contract and beginning working with your label, what to expect from/for touring and finally know how to sustain your music career past getting signed, are with in the knowledge base you should have when beginning your music career.
Granted in each article, I have only given you a brief overview (some more in-depth than others) of each aspect, the information I have attempted to provide was in an effort to better equip you in regard to becoming an artist. By no means is the informations I have provided you with the end all be all of becoming an artist. (as the order of these steps can change based on your particular situations, as well as the exponential amount of variables that a career in the music industry, especially as an artist can have) What I have provided in these articles is just the start, the tip of the ice berg, because the music industry is incredibly complex, and forever changing. (just think of how it has changed in the last decade or even five years with the emergence of social media and steaming) There are so many different aspects of the music industry that are involved in the creating and sustaining of an artists’ career, (so many that the artist may not ever know or need to know about) that happen behind the scenes, that sole purpose of the manager and their team is to serve the artist and ensure their daily happenings run and operate smoothly.
I have spoken about the process of creating music, because a lot of artists (established artists at that) have stated they have absolutely no idea what the engineer is truly doing. They don’t know what the plugins do, what the different buttons and knobs on the board do, all they know if what they want the song and their vocals to sound like. (and in most cases their way of explaining it to the engineer is similar to a five year old trying to explain to their parents a situation that happen at school earlier that day without having the proper language skills to do so, still to this day my favorite story is when an engineer told me he was working with an artist who told him to make the song he was working on to sound more, “Orange,” while yes some people hear colors, if you are not one of those people how are you ever supposed to know or understand what that means, but as an engineer it is still your job to give the artist what they want regardless of the ask)
I have spoken about the importance of the team you assemble around you. What each team member is there for and the role they should play. Having the right team, and especially manager, can make the difference in getting signed and making music in your parents basement as a hobby. Your team is there to enhance your career not hinder it. Each team member needs to serve a purpose and do their job correctly, so that they can take as much off the artists plate as possible, thus allowing the artist to focus solely on their music and artistry and less about the daily happenings.
I have spoken about releasing and distributing your music through the variety of independent distribution channels and how each of them can help you as an artist. Followed by how to prepare for label meetings and how to send and submit your music to A&Rs in the industry. After that I covered how to negotiate your contracts with said labels, and the different aspects of what your contract will entail, and how you can have a better understanding of how your contract is laid out, and what is actually in your contract. I have given you examples of different artists, their experiences and some of my own to help give real life examples to the topics being covered, in hopes of giving you a better understanding of what can and has happened in a lot of these cases. Finishing with how to work with your label and sustain your career, this series has attempted to give you the basic tools to begin and move through your career as a music artist.
I hope you have enjoyed this series and have found the information educational and helpful. As someone that has gone through years of working in the music industry in a variety of different positions, I have seen a ton of different aspects of the industry and wanted to shed light on things that I have seen artists need but don’t normally have access too. It is my goal to continue to help new, up and coming artists navigate their way through their careers and help them in regard to artist development, as I have noticed a lot of artists need this but don’t have access to the knowledge base or know where to find the information. I have also noticed that most of the information is generally the same, offering boiler plate tips on how to do different things each artists needs to do without showing you how or where to go to do so. The information is good, but if the explanations and resources aren’t there, the artist is still left to figure things out on their own. A lot of what is in these steps is trial and error, but having the basic knowledge and a greater understanding of how certain things work and why they operate as they do, can give you a leg up in the game.
Going forward, in regard to further and future articles, I will be constructing articles based around the topics of artist development and different aspects of the music industry that are not talked about as much. (as I started to do with this blog around a month ago before beginning this series) Starting next week (in July) I will begin doing weekly music reviews, (some of which have already been posed last week and this week for established artists, Teyana Taylor, Wale, and the Friday Music Round Up that will be released later today) that will be released on Fridays and Saturdays, that correspond with the new music released every week. (both from established artists, and new up and coming artists that submit their music to be reviewed and featured that week)
If anyone that has been following this series is or knows any artist that would like to get an album, EP, LP, mixtape or project review, contact me through my email thebloganr@gmail.com and I will be more than happy to speak with the artist or their representation about the process of getting a music review. I also have a podcast (TheBlogAnR Podcast) that is available on Spotify that interviews top music industry executives and personnel, to get their insights on how to better develop as an artist and be prepared for the music industry. Due to the pandemic I have been on hold with the podcast but will be ramping it back up in a few weeks, opening the platform up to interviews with independent artists to gain their insights on the music industry and artist development. Again, if anyone reading this series is or knows an artist that would like to be featured, you can contact me at the same email above, and we can speak about setting up a podcast interview. (artist write ups and written interviews are an option as well) Through the publishing company I work with, we will soon be beginning Zoom conference seminars with some top music industry personnel that correspond with the articles in this series, to give artists a further industry perspective from people that are currently at the top of their field for each one of the steps provided in this series. I will be posting how you can be apart of these seminars and where they can be found once everything is set up. I will be opening up a platform to do artist consultations as a way to further help new, up and coming artists in regard to artist development, for further information on this contact me either through the email above or through LinkedIn and we can speak further on setting up artist consultations. (audits are available as well, these will be similar to social media audits but will cover your full artistry) Lastly, I will be releasing a book that dives further into the topics covered during this series, and gives a more in-depth overview of each step and how you can follow each step over a certain period of time to become an artist and starting the road to becoming established. Once I am further along in the process of writing the book, I will begin releasing where and how you can get the book.
If any one that is reading this or has been following this series has any topics they would like me to cover in the future, or would like me to cover some of the topics in this series further, or would like any question they may have answered in future articles, contact me through LinkedIn or through the email above and I will answer your questions and write an article covering your topics. I will be taking questions regarding any topic pertaining to the music industry and artist development, and each week writing an article answering all of your questions.
Thank you for reading this series, and I hope you gained some useful knowledge that can be beneficial in starting and continuing your music career.
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