Musicians- No One Cares That You Do Can Do It All Yourself

Since the pandemic, more and more creatives have begun or reignited their musical journey. Being able to write and produce your own music just doesn't cut it nowadays. We live in a world where auto tune, drag and drop loops and AI production means that anyone can 'write and produce' on a suface level. When asking my clients what makes then stand out, I get this answer 90% of the time: "I write, perform and produce all my music". So does everyone else. Back when Prince was on the scene, this meant something. The man played every instrument, he wrote the lyrics, he had business sense. But he also had the charisma (or riz as we should say, right'?) and the sense of branding himself. It was the difference between behind-the-scenes songwriters and 'stars'. Sure, it's a talent to be able to do everything yourself, but you need to stand out in an oversaturated market, but if it wasn't enough back then, it sure isn't enough now. We are in a world where anyone, realistically can be a musician and upload their songs to streaming through the likes of Distro Kid and CD Baby. The evolution of music software and streaming platforms has changed the landscape of music forever.

Impact of Music Software Accessibility

From AI tools to write, correct voice and create a vibe to the full replacement of real instruments, the competition has gotten that much harder. This, combined with your casual music listener not even caring who they're listening to and how it was made has made standing out in an oversaturated market a different game, and therefore, a different strategy must be implemented. If an AI can write a song that can sound like Green Day in 10 minutes, and you can lay down a vocal that can be auto tuned in a day, what does it matter that you can do everything yourself when anyone with even a passing interest can do it?

Evolving Industry Standards

Being a musician is more than just creativity - it is a brand and that involves being good at business and marketing. We are no longer in a world where raw talent will see you picked up at a gig (if you even leave your bedroom to play one) and an A&R mogul will see how cool you are and sign you, thus giving you a team of experts to help shape and strategise your career.

You need a strong social media presence, with a story and a brand. You need to be open, themed and active constantly. Any musical artist should constantly thinking about what their goals are; do you want your music purely for synching? Is your goal to be signed to a major label? Do you just want some gigs because you enjoy the experience in the space between your day job?

Navigating the New Landscape

Any musician should be constantly up-skilling musically and in the landscape of music business. If you have the talent and the drive, there is a chance you will succeed, but you need to be seen over a busy market. Having a strong team of people around you is paramount to your career, and connecting with your community both on and offline is not up for negotiation.

Think about who your are and what your music is trying to say. What is unique about you? What makes you special? I remember when I was signed up to a casting agency years ago and I said I could speak French - my agent said that was nothing special but my basic Japanese was more interesting. Humans do not do well with too many choices - try thinking about what would catch your eyes and ears with a musician and reverse engineer that. Getting radio play, entering competitions, playing certain gigs.... it all adds up to something more impressive

In Conclusion....

That's great that you write, play and produce your own music, but what else can you do?

And if you can't figure it out yourself, get in contact and we can arrange a consultation 😉