Growing Your Audience: 6 Essential Steps for Musicians - by Ashley McLean
Growing Your Audience: 6 Essential Steps for Musicians
As a new musician, you might have ambitious aspirations for your future - but you don’t know how to build your audience, improve your craft, or make a name for yourself. Diving into resources from working musicians like Nick DeMatteo can help you learn the ropes. Plus, here’s how to dedicate a room in your home to practicing, book more shows, and form an LLC to manage your business.
Create a Space for Your Craft
If you want to succeed as a musician, you need to practice consistently. It’s easier to fit daily practice into your routine when you have a multi-purpose room where you can focus on polishing your craft. Should you make any renovations to a particular room, make sure to document these changes - if you put your home on the market in the future, you can report these updates to make a case for a higher appraisal value.
Get in Front of Live Audiences
There’s simply no substitute for booking shows and playing in front of live audiences. To book your first shows and get on stage, Upaya Sound recommends recording a high-quality, four-track EP that you can send to venues and assembling a professional electronic press kit to make a great first impression. Acting professionally will get you far!
Grow Your Network
Networking is essential for artists across every medium, and musicians are certainly no exception. Making connections with the right people can help you get more shows on your schedule and find collaborators for exciting projects. To network effectively, MusicRadar recommends broadening your playing area, getting contact details for other musicians and industry professionals who you meet during shows, and periodically getting in touch with your contacts - you never know who might need you to fill in for their band at the last minute!
Consistent Self-Promotion
When you’re just finding your feet as a musician, you’ll need to prioritize self-promotion. If you don’t have a big audience yet, you’re the only one who can advertise your band! Yes, self-promotion can feel strange at first, but with practice, it will come naturally. You’ll want to design an appealing website for your band and set up social media accounts to keep your followers updated on upcoming shows and events.
Register for LLC Status
Even as an artist, it’s important to select the right business structure. By establishing your business as an LLC, you’ll feel more financially secure thanks to limited liability protections and tax breaks. While you could splurge and hire a lawyer for help, you also have the option of filing on your own or working with an online formation service to save money. As you get your documents together, make sure to go over your state’s specific requirements for LLC formation.
Manage Your Finances Wisely
Sticking to your budget and accurately tracking your income is key for musicians. It’s possible to achieve financial stability in a creative industry. Start by setting up a spreadsheet to view your income and expenses, and focus on booking gigs based on your income needs so that you don’t burn out. By figuring out how much you need to make to pay your bills, cover your business expenses, and hit your savings goals, you can strategically book shows with your finances in mind.
Breaking into the music industry can be challenging. But with the right strategy, you can get your foot in the door and find an audience who appreciates your artistry. By applying these tips, you’ll be able to design a functional practice room in your home, set up an LLC, and promote your music online and offline.
Searching for a producer or audio engineer for your next project? Turn to Nick DeMatteo! Fill out the contact form today to get started.
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