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No single path guarantees success as a musician, but trying out different strategies could increase your chances significantly and open up doors to success. If you’re lucky, you might go viral overnight with a catchy single, a well-placed feature could get you noticed, or years of grinding might pay off in a lucrative record deal. You never know what might happen to your career if you play your cards correctly or apply a solid strategy. What paths are out there, and how exactly do you find them? Don’t worry; we’ve researched and highlighted multiple paths to achieving your goals as a musician below.
Social Media
Establishing a presence on social media is necessary for finding success as a musician and should be used as often as possible. Multiple social media platforms such as Tiktok, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and more have been used to great success for many music artists looking to get noticed. Sit down and come up with a strategic posting schedule for your music. This should include photos, videos, song snippets, live performances, music video clips, and more. Posting consistently across multiple social media channels will boost awareness of your brand, spread your music, and possibly take you to the next level.
Develop an Image
With so much competition in the music industry, developing a consistent image that stands out is essential. Everyone knows what Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson, or even the Beatles look like thanks to their timeless music, fashion style, and respective personas. Music should be your core focus, but having a distinctive look and style could get you noticed by industry tastemakers if done well. Think of colors, textures, and fashion brands that align with your music style. This will help you stand out among the crowd, and people might click on your music just because your persona seems intriguing.
Music Distribution
Music distribution is probably one of the most important things you should pay attention to on this list if you want to be successful. Music must be made available to the public through music distribution. In the past, music distribution was done by record labels paying distributors to place physical media in stores. Things have changed, and music distribution has largely gone digital. Digital music distribution platforms such as Distrokid give musicians the power to put their music on streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, and more.
Performing
Performing is a key part of being a musician, whether playing an instrument, singing, or rap. Playing a medley of your songs live will help your name ring bells in specific regions and could help you connect with your fans on much deeper levels. This will also show labels and bigger venues that you have the talent to do this on a much bigger stage. Plus, performing your songs creates timeless memories for fans to look back on and cherish for years to come. Performing makes you more attractive to record labels and builds your fanbase over time. You can sell merchandise at shows, which will only expand your brand. If done regularly, performing live music could lead to a record deal and a major tour in the future.
Be Open to Criticism
Criticism can be hard to deal with, but it’s essential to be open to learning from it. Of course, there will be trolls and naysayers, but constructive criticism can help you grow. If people in the music industry give you feedback, it would be wise to listen and see how you can apply it to your career. This could help you enhance your musical output and quality and help you positively shift directions. Also, be open to criticism from your fanbase. If you notice they’re having more negative reactions across the board, perhaps you need to go back to the drawing board and see where you can tweak some things.
Conclusion
Becoming a musician in an industry saturated with competition can be challenging, but it’s doable with the right path. Carving out your space on multiple social media channels is essential, while developing an image could help you stand out from your peers. Releasing music to the public is probably one of the most important things you should do, and this is accomplished through the magic of music distribution. Performing live music can help expand your fanbase, and being open to constructive criticism could help you sharpen your musical prowess. If you explore these five different paths to achieving your goals, you might be pleasantly surprised where your music career takes you.
