Why You Should Study Music Business for Artists

In today’s music business, artists are often required to focus on much more than just honing their musical skills…  

Although there are specific music business jobs, for many artists learning all you need to know about the music business can be the best way to set you up for an independent career where you forge your own unique route through the industry.  

Studying music business as an artist can provide you with a wide variety of skills, expertise and knowledge not only for the music business as it is today but what it could look like in the future too.  

Here’s what studying our Music Business for Artists course will help you learn and discover: 

Your artist project is a music business

For many contemporary artists looking to go it alone in today’s industry, it is important to realise that you need to develop you and your personal brand as a music business. 

This means understanding that there is more to your career than music. Although this is an essential aspect of your artistry, you need to work out your own USP and where you sit in today’s musical landscape. From building a website to social media strategy, you need to find your sonic identity and the best ways to share this with the wider world.

Your online presence will propel your music business journey forward

In today’s music business, your offline and online personas are equally important. This means you need to know how to present yourself professionally and use the full range of social media channels to promote your personal brand and music to grow your audience.  

From Instagram and Spotify to TikTok and YouTube, knowing the best ways to develop your social media profiles and build an online audience can really help emerging artists sustain successful careers.

Choose the right songs to record with the best team around you

Get organised well before you arrive in the studio and make sure you’ve got the best team for the job, whether that’s helping record or capture content from the music-making experience. You need to focus on choosing the right song to record and creating the best environment for you to get the most out of your music. Doing some preparation and considering how you want to release your music can be key.

Create a strategy around releasing your music

Cutting through the digital noise of the online marketplace can be difficult in today’s music industry.  

To do so involves understanding the digital streaming services, such as spotify, apple music, tidal and many others and how music distribution works. You need to do some research into the online world and invest time in creating an effective strategy around releasing music. Drawing up a content plan will help ensure you get maximum engagement and stand out.  

Book gigs and broaden your live audience

As an independent musician, booking gigs can make up an essential part of how you build your profile. And with any aspect of your career, there are some do’s and don’ts around securing live performances. Discover the best ways to source a venue, how to work with booking agents and how to make a positive impression when performing a gig, whether it be in person or online.

Expand your network with the right people

Making connections is a huge part of a successful music industry journey. As many say, “your network is your net worth”. But why is networking so important? You need to learn how to establish effective working relationships that can help elevate your career as well as exploring how to get the most from a co-writing collaboration.

Get paid properly for your music

Receiving money from your music is important if you want to build a lengthy career in the music business. To do so, you need to learn more about the world of copyright, royalties and the various income streams available to you. Learning about royalty collection societies and how to work with them is important.  

From here, you need to consider your next steps into the music industry. If you’re pursuing a career as an artist you may want to begin building a team around you. If music sync is an avenue you want to investigate, then you will need to learn the best ways to pitch to music supervisors. Do your homework, ask questions and stay positive. Good luck!

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