| By far the most important skill to have if you | | | | special. That goes for your email address too. |
| wish to become successful with anything, is | | | | Genuine business people don't use their Hotmail, |
| ATTITUDE. An old Chinese proverb once said, | | | | AOL, or Yahoo addresses for formal |
| "90% of the journey towards success is over | | | | communications.Make sure all your paperwork is in |
| once you have stepped outside your front door." | | | | order.If you are planning on making an eventual |
| The reason many people fail, is because they'd | | | | living from your art, you will need to be registered |
| rather stay in and watch the TV.Of course, that | | | | as a business or as a self-employed sole trader. |
| first step outside is a philosophical one. As a | | | | You need to make sure your tax and income are |
| musician or songwriter, you spend the vast | | | | all accounted for, so you may have to buy |
| majority of your time being creative. If you think | | | | yourself an accounting package, or learn to use |
| that writing a great song, or playing an instrument | | | | Excel Spreadsheets, or employ an accountant. |
| well, is the hardest part of being a successful | | | | There is also a lot to learn about how copyright |
| artist, you are wrong.Despite all the skills you | | | | systems work and whether you feel you need to |
| need to know and perfect in order to make your | | | | form your own publishing company, record |
| music shine, these pale into insignificance | | | | company, or register your copyrights with an |
| compared with the hard work and other skills you | | | | agency. Much of this will depend on the laws of |
| will need to learn in order to record, market and | | | | your home country. Alternatively, you can sign a |
| sell your art successfully.Fortunately, most | | | | non-exclusive deal with a small independent label |
| creative people also seem to excel at other | | | | or publisher to handle all the music-related |
| things. The term "Jack of all trades" could quite | | | | paperwork for you.You need to either take the |
| easily apply to most musicians or artists. After all, | | | | time to develop some basic web design skills, buy |
| the first thing most artists have to learn, is how | | | | ready-made templates, or employ someone to |
| to find time for their art whilst running a home | | | | design a site for you.Make sure your logo and |
| AND holding down a Day Job in order to pay the | | | | colour scheme is fluent throughout your site, your |
| bills! It is therefore not unusual to find musicians | | | | stationery, your CD artwork, and any other |
| who are also Physicists, Engineers, IT | | | | communications device, such as email. Make sure |
| Professionals or Teachers, to name but a | | | | your site includes some way of gathering a mailing |
| few.Most of these people are quite content to | | | | list, such as a response form or a "double opt-in" |
| keep music as a hobby, at least whilst bringing up | | | | form of registration.Plan a marketing |
| a family. However, we all get to a stage in our | | | | strategy.Marketing is all about finding the right |
| lives (usually once the kids have grown up and left | | | | market for your product. This may involve a |
| home), where we want to cease working for a | | | | certain amount of consumer research. This can |
| "Living", and instead, work for our own | | | | be expensive, so use the Internet as much as |
| "Satisfaction".There are few things in life more | | | | possible to find groups of people who like similar |
| satisfying than being admired for something we | | | | music to yours. Try to find out other things about |
| created. If our creations also manage to influence | | | | these people so that you can get a clearer picture |
| others, then it is even more rewarding.This "first | | | | of who would be interested in your music.Plan a |
| step outside your front door" is taken when you | | | | promotional strategy.Gather contact lists of |
| decide to pause from the creative aspect (the | | | | magazines, local newspapers, TV and radio |
| ideas), and take a positive step towards learning | | | | stations. Plan an 8-week promotional strategy |
| new skills, or employing others who can do those | | | | leading up to the release of your CD. Use any |
| things for you.There has never been a better | | | | press, or airplay you get as a news item on your |
| time in the history of mankind, to take those | | | | website. If you have some money to invest, plan |
| steps, either by yourself, or with others who | | | | a set of concert dates in local venues for dates |
| would help you.--Where you used to have to pay | | | | close to any publication dates. Plan a poster or |
| for tutoring, or buy books, in order to learn the | | | | postcard campaign. Contact local charities, |
| techniques of songwriting, or playing an | | | | hospitals, schools and shops, in fact anyone who |
| instrument, you can now find scores of articles on | | | | might be prepared to play your CD in a public |
| the Internet (like this one!) that will help you for | | | | place. If you want local record stores to stock |
| free.--Where you used to have to save up a | | | | your CD, you will also need barcodes and counter |
| considerable amount of money to pay studio | | | | display boxes. Use the mailing list you have been |
| costs and hire session musicians to make a | | | | gathering from your site to promote any news to |
| decent demo recording, you can now find all the | | | | your fans with a regular newsletter. Offer free |
| necessary tools, and even the musicians, on the | | | | tickets to gigs, or run competitions for free CDs. |
| Internet who would help you for little or no cost | | | | Use your fans as extra leverage to increase the |
| at all.--Where you needed to sign a record deal in | | | | momentum of your promotional campaigns.Don't |
| order to be able to afford a producer and a | | | | under-sell yourself.Make sure that any music you |
| master quality studio, you can now buy your own | | | | decide to give away as a promotional MP3 is |
| PC and some music software, and collaborate | | | | different in some way to the music you are |
| with a producer online, who will give you the | | | | selling. E.G. It will either be an early un-mastered |
| capability to make radio-ready recordings.--Where | | | | mix (demo), or a different mix, or a song you are |
| you needed a record company with a huge | | | | never going to release for sale. Otherwise, make |
| advertising budget to market and sell your | | | | sure all samples you make of your records, are |
| recordings, you can now (with some hard work), | | | | either short clips, or low-fi mono samples. The |
| market and sell your CDs to the Whole World for | | | | price you set for your releases should never be |
| next to | | | | too far below that of major record company |
| ---------The Music Industry doesn't like the changes | | | | releases. Your price tells your customer what |
| that the Internet has brought to the business. | | | | "stage" you are at in the business. Price yourself |
| Digital media can be freely copied by anyone with | | | | too cheap and you are more likely to lose |
| a PC, anywhere in the World. No longer do the | | | | customers because they will automatically assume |
| record companies just have to worry about the | | | | you are an "amateur".Make yourself and your CD |
| CD pirates who manufacture illegal copies to sell | | | | easily accessible to your fans.Always answer any |
| on the black market; they also have to now | | | | emails promptly. Check your emails at least once |
| worry about every PC-literate man, woman and | | | | a day and reply to any new enquiries immediately. |
| child, making their own copies too! This has led the | | | | The average time expected by most people for |
| music industry into a perpetual fight against | | | | a response by email is 12-24 hours. Do not SPAM. |
| filesharers (making enemies of many consumers | | | | Make sure you only send bulk emails to people |
| in the process), instead of embracing the business | | | | who have opted into your mailing list, and if |
| advantages that the Internet brings to us.The | | | | anyone wants to opt out, make sure you delete |
| Music Industry still believes that 8-16 year-olds | | | | them straight away (not several weeks and 10 |
| buy most of the records, so they are still catering | | | | disgruntled emails later!). To contact businesses, |
| primarily for that market. Recent industry figures | | | | you will need to write individually and personally to |
| are telling a different story, and the secret is the | | | | each of them. Always use a business "signature" |
| "Baby Boomers".Yes ... The same people who | | | | with your artistic or business name, slogan, web |
| created the above market perception in the 70's | | | | site address, and possibly your telephone number, |
| by buying the largest proportion of records ever, | | | | on every email you send. If you have released a |
| whilst they were teenagers, have now grown up! | | | | CD, make sure you add the link to that too! If |
| The largest age group to buy CDs TODAY, at | | | | you have had your CDs duplicated professionally |
| 26% of the population, are over 45. Not only | | | | and are barcoded, you can also expand from |
| that, but they still like the same kinds of music as | | | | selling them in internet stores such as iTunes, |
| they did then. So there is no need to change your | | | | Amazon, and CDbaby, to high street stores. You |
| art to fit today's teenybopper market if you | | | | must also sell them from your own site or at |
| aren't that way inclined.Now that we know the | | | | least provide links to the stores where they are |
| secret, we also know that the next big thing in | | | | available.Never stop "Networking"Carry your |
| music, isn't going to be another form of Hip-hop, | | | | business cards with you at all times. At every |
| Techno, or R'n'B; but a return to real music, such | | | | conversational opportunity, if someone happens to |
| as was made during the 60's and 70's. However, | | | | mention music, or gigs, make sure you advertise |
| we'll be creating it with modern tools on a Home | | | | yourself as an independent artist. If you have a |
| computer DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) | | | | modern mobile phone or MP3 player, make sure |
| system, instead of in a multimillion pound studio | | | | your latest CD is on it! You never know who you'll |
| complex!So, whilst the Music Industry is still | | | | bump into in the supermarket. The first thing |
| hesitating by trying to shun the new digital era in | | | | someone will ask when you mention you are a |
| favour of antiquated business models, hardware in | | | | recording artist is "What kind of music do you |
| the form of CDs, and markets that still only | | | | play?" If you have your MP3 player with you, you |
| cover limited territories; we can now jump ahead | | | | won't even have to answer! (This is always a |
| of them onto a more level playing field, find our | | | | difficult question for an artist). You can just play it |
| own markets, and sell to the Whole World with | | | | to them! Also make sure you frequent all the |
| only a simple website!Sounds easy, doesn't it? ... | | | | music-related newsgroups, forums, bulletin boards, |
| Well, that is the first hurdle you will face. So many | | | | MP3 sites, chat rooms etc. at every |
| musicians think it is easy, that there are millions | | | | opportunity.Finally, my "Promotional Tip of the |
| already doing it! So to be successful you will need, | | | | Week"Familiarise yourself with all the P2P |
| like any other business, a proper business | | | | filesharing systems that the music business hates |
| plan.CONCLUSIONThe road to being a successful | | | | so much. You can use them to your advantage. |
| independent musician, begins with ATTITUDE.You | | | | Make ads or lo-fi samples of your music or CD |
| need to find enough time in your schedule to drop | | | | and label them like this... |
| the guitar & scoresheet and use your creative | | | | |
| energies towards developing a proper BUSINESS | | | | unkel.mp3 |
| PLAN. This means taking a step back and listening | | | | Make copies labelled with every well-known artist |
| to your music through Joe Public's ears. You need | | | | you think you sound like, and keep all the files in |
| to think up a business name, logo, and short | | | | your shared folder. Then, whenever you are |
| slogan that encompasses what you are, and what | | | | logged onto the service and someone searches |
| your music is trying to say to people.Register | | | | for music by these well-known artists, your music |
| your business "name" by buying a domain name | | | | will be on their list of |
| that suits you as soon as possible.Pages on free | | | | ---------Lynn Monk has experienced over 30 years |
| MP3 sites and Free domains do not give you a | | | | in the music business as a musician, concert sound |
| professional image. You MUST have your own | | | | & lighting engineer, DJ and record producer; and is |
| site, or at least something that offers you a | | | | now the proprietor of Wobbly Music. An indie |
| unique look and features of your own. If you | | | | record company dedicated to supporting the |
| want people to find your music unique & special, | | | | "Mature Independent Artist". |
| then you also need an image that is unique and | | | | |