Even if you learn a lot of musical theories and other know-hows, there are still things that might hinder you in progressing and achieving a reputable stand in the music business – these mistakes will serve as pitfalls in your path to fame and success. Unfortunately, this is very common in the music industry. Aspiring musicians can undergo music and guitar lessons Memorial Houston to hone their musical talents and skills. So, here are some mistakes that you need to avoid to prevent yourself from suffering the same fate other musicians had: failure.
1st Mistake: Neglecting their image as a musician.
A lot of people still underestimate the value of their image, and this is regardless of whether you are an individual or a band. They perceive that their music is all that matters, and this may be true—for amateur musicians, that is. In order to achieve success in the music industry, you need to have the total package which includes music, image and show or stage presence at the least. Musicians who make it to the top are those who take the extra mile to develop, integrate and harmonize other aspects of how they present themselves in ways consistent with the music they create.
2nd Mistake: Relying too much on social networking as a means of promoting music.
Sure, social networks are good, viable tools to promote yourself as a musician or as a band. However, it becomes a liability if you rely on these means too much, since this is but one of the many things you need to do to have a successful online music marketing strategy. A lot of music industry companies, as well as artist managers or booking agents, are likely to have more interest with your own website, especially in its popularity, rather than your Twitter or Facebook page, for example. Why? Because these sites are not really within your total control. If you want to elicit amazement from the industry, you need to build website traffic in order to succeed in promoting yourself online.
3rd Mistake: Focusing on the music alone instead of the musical career.
It is not really bad to invest your time practicing and improving your skills in music, but this alone will not take you far enough. There are a lot of other important things you need to spend some time on, and the common mistake is not putting any effort on these. This is even more so for talented musicians, since they will need to spend at least half of their time, doing things that will help them start off or further their musical career. Otherwise, if you are still trying to improve your musical skills, you still need to take about a fourth of your time and use it to start planning your future career as a professional musician.
4th Mistake: Neglecting to develop your skills in live performance.
This is seen in a lot of musicians, especially those who are not part of a good band yet. Mostly, they will not make an effort to develop their stage presence and their live performance skills. This is the primary reason why most musicians, regardless of their talent, are not able to join the bands they audition for. Performing live will need more than just great music for it to be successful, so if you feel like your music is good enough to sustain your show, you need to know that fans and record labels expect you and your band to put up a real show. If you do not pay attention to this, you will most likely get dismissed and forgotten even if you have the innate talent.
5th Mistake: Not understanding what record companies really look for.
This topic can have its own article because of its broadness but to summarize, it is critical to think about record companies as banks that lend money for small businesses and individuals. Their decisions are mostly based on the people they want to work with in the same way banks choose who will be able to loan money from them. They both need to ascertain three things in order for them to give their support. First, they need to know the value you will bring to them. Second, they need to assess the risk they will have if they ever invest in you. Lastly, they will compute both your potential value and the potential risk you will bring at a later time after they invest on you.
So, in essence, record companies will want to know about the music you make, the talent you have and maybe the band you are currently in. Most of all, though, they will care more about you and your band mates as people. Thus, you will know how record companies perceive you based on your personality, as well as the skills (other than music) you can offer them. What you need to do then, even if you are the most talented musician around, is to invest in marketable skills like the ones mentioned above in order to succeed in this industry as a professional musician.
1st Mistake: Neglecting their image as a musician.
A lot of people still underestimate the value of their image, and this is regardless of whether you are an individual or a band. They perceive that their music is all that matters, and this may be true—for amateur musicians, that is. In order to achieve success in the music industry, you need to have the total package which includes music, image and show or stage presence at the least. Musicians who make it to the top are those who take the extra mile to develop, integrate and harmonize other aspects of how they present themselves in ways consistent with the music they create.
2nd Mistake: Relying too much on social networking as a means of promoting music.
Sure, social networks are good, viable tools to promote yourself as a musician or as a band. However, it becomes a liability if you rely on these means too much, since this is but one of the many things you need to do to have a successful online music marketing strategy. A lot of music industry companies, as well as artist managers or booking agents, are likely to have more interest with your own website, especially in its popularity, rather than your Twitter or Facebook page, for example. Why? Because these sites are not really within your total control. If you want to elicit amazement from the industry, you need to build website traffic in order to succeed in promoting yourself online.
3rd Mistake: Focusing on the music alone instead of the musical career.
It is not really bad to invest your time practicing and improving your skills in music, but this alone will not take you far enough. There are a lot of other important things you need to spend some time on, and the common mistake is not putting any effort on these. This is even more so for talented musicians, since they will need to spend at least half of their time, doing things that will help them start off or further their musical career. Otherwise, if you are still trying to improve your musical skills, you still need to take about a fourth of your time and use it to start planning your future career as a professional musician.
4th Mistake: Neglecting to develop your skills in live performance.
This is seen in a lot of musicians, especially those who are not part of a good band yet. Mostly, they will not make an effort to develop their stage presence and their live performance skills. This is the primary reason why most musicians, regardless of their talent, are not able to join the bands they audition for. Performing live will need more than just great music for it to be successful, so if you feel like your music is good enough to sustain your show, you need to know that fans and record labels expect you and your band to put up a real show. If you do not pay attention to this, you will most likely get dismissed and forgotten even if you have the innate talent.
5th Mistake: Not understanding what record companies really look for.
This topic can have its own article because of its broadness but to summarize, it is critical to think about record companies as banks that lend money for small businesses and individuals. Their decisions are mostly based on the people they want to work with in the same way banks choose who will be able to loan money from them. They both need to ascertain three things in order for them to give their support. First, they need to know the value you will bring to them. Second, they need to assess the risk they will have if they ever invest in you. Lastly, they will compute both your potential value and the potential risk you will bring at a later time after they invest on you.
So, in essence, record companies will want to know about the music you make, the talent you have and maybe the band you are currently in. Most of all, though, they will care more about you and your band mates as people. Thus, you will know how record companies perceive you based on your personality, as well as the skills (other than music) you can offer them. What you need to do then, even if you are the most talented musician around, is to invest in marketable skills like the ones mentioned above in order to succeed in this industry as a professional musician.
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