Category: Music Business Page 10 of 11

Until the contract is signed, nothing is real.

Glenn Danzig

As intimidating as a contract sounds, it can be quite relieving and lead to healthier personal and business relationships. A simple way to lighten the mood is to use the word “agreement” instead of “contract.” This implies both parties are equal in negotiations and “agree” to the terms at hand.

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Music is spiritual. The music business is not.

So you made it through music school and you’re ready to start your career. Ambition and hope is at an all time high and then you remember in 6 months your student loan payments begin. Panic, frustration and fear set in… Wait. Let’s not go down that rabbit hole because it doesn’t do anyone any good and a positive mindset will carry you through the hard times.

This post will cover 5 ways to kickstart your music career. But first, you have to make a very important decision.

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Freelance does NOT mean free…

So you’re a musician who’s ready to start working and live your lifelong dream. Let’s skip the finding work part for now and cut to the phone call from your friend or stranger: “Hey, my restaurant manager thought it would be snazzy to have a saxophone and accordion serenade our guests for 5 hours next week and I immediately thought of you.” (No mention of compensation.)

Now what?

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Thriving artists don’t make art to make money, they make money to make more art.

Jeff Goins

You might hear the words “music business” and shudder. I can certainly relate, but I prefer to make music my business in order to fund personal creative projects on my terms.

The music industry is moving away from gatekeepers (booking agents, public relations, radio, blogs, record labels, etc.) and more towards the DIY (do-it-yourself) approach. This means no one will swoop you up and take care of the business anymore. If you approach a gatekeeper they will most likely want proof you’re self-sustaining before they consider lending their resources.

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