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