Is there a 'right route' to success?

Hi there,

Are you an artist struggling to know which is the right route for you to reach success in the music industry? Is there such a thing as 'the right route' in an industry that is constantly changing? Are you at a crossroads and not sure which road to take in case the route you choose won't get you that recording deal?

This has been a topic for discussion with a client just recently and of course it has also been highlighted over the last year as a number of artists have hit the headlines with their innovative routes in gaining their success.

Sandi Thom for one hit the headlines with her series of webcasts from her basement that attracted an audience of 70,000. There were outcries from some of the media saying that it was just a publicity stunt funded through her record company, which led to her number 1 hit (it had been alluded to that she had been unsigned at the time of the webcasts). I even had Sky News asking me how my clients would be feeling about such a stunt and how unfair it all was to those who were struggling to make it in the music industry. I decided not to comment - we now have another great singer songwriter in our midst, however she got there!

The Arctic Monkeys also hit the headlines last year not just because of their fresh, energising music and lyrics but because their fans were making such a huge noise about them via MySpace. Such a noise couldn't be ignored and of course, the band was signed by a record company, and the rest is history as they say.

James Morrison has recently made it to the number one slot with his debut album - his route to success was a more traditional one - his demo was heard by a Consultant (later to become James Morrison's Manager) to the music industry who very excitedly went to several record companies before accepting a deal with Polydor Records for James.

Of course there is also another route into the music industry - one via such shows as The X Factor. This route being a very public one should you get through the various heats.

All of the artists mentioned above will tell you that their route to success has been a lot of hard work and has not happened over night - however much the media might make you think this. They have all been gigging for years and spent time polishing their act and building their reputations.

The following Tips may just help you find your route to a successful music career - even though all the examples above and below are around performers, you can adapt some of the tips to gain success in the music industry in a non-performing role:

Tip 1 - Research - There are now so many examples of new and innovative ways in which artists have made it into the music industry that it would be worth your while looking in depth at how they achieved it.

Take a good look at bands' and artists' websites and MySpace pages to find out how they have got to where they are now. Make notes of how they marketed themselves - this is key in getting yourself known and to grow your fan base locally and further afield.

If you can, email these bands/artists to ask for any pointers around what worked and what didn't in promoting themselves to get the attention of their fans and ultimately the music industry. Also think about and research your own innovative ideas - you are creative, so think outside the box!

Tip 2 - Create a Marketing Plan - there are many ways in which you can promote yourself. A point to note here particularly is that the product that you are trying to promote is your music and yourself (whether you are a solo artist or a band). A record company is only going to be interested in you if you can sell units (singles and albums) and to test the water they will want to know that you are popular in your local area.

My peers in the music industry are always stating that it is important for an artist to grow their fan base locally and create a real buzz, at this point the industry will come to you to see if they like what you are doing. As a result of this there is often a dilemma for you, the artist: do you go down the more traditional route of sending your demos to the record companies, or do you concentrate on promoting yourselves locally? Either way a promotional plan will help you work out what needs doing.

For instance, you could decide that you want to create a page on MySpace and enable visitors to download samples of your music. Working backwards from that outcome, what do you need to do? First of all you need someone (unless you can do it yourself) to create the page. You will probably want to put some photos on the page as well as create your biography. You will also need to have some kind of recording of your music, to enable the downloads - you can already see a list emerging of things that need to be done before your MySpace page goes live. The same applies to a website that you may wish to design and develop.

So make a list of every kind of promotion that you can undertake to get yourself known and then work backwards to see what you need to do, put in place or create to enable that piece of promotion to work.

Tip 3 - What is Success? - having said all the above you might think that I believe that success only comes with a record deal. I don't and it doesn't! Every one of you reading this newsletter will have your own definition of success and how that relates to your music career. There are plenty of bands and solo artists out there who have great success earning money from their gigs, EP's and Albums who have no intention of ever signing a record deal - they don't want to go that far and are very happy doing their own thing. You also don't need a record company to produce and promote your music - you can do that yourself!

So before you take action on the previous 2 Tips, make sure you know what it is you want out of your music career - you can email me for previous newsletters to help you with this or download the 5 Tips to get your Music Career on Track from my website: www.bravura-group.com

Of course, as ever you can email me to set up a free consultation call to see how I can help you. Also, if you want to go down the traditional route of sending out your demos to record companies you should email me for a copy of 'The Demo Pack' - a must read before you send your music out!

I hope this newsletter has given you food for thought - and maybe you feel that as you and your music are unique, your route to success will also be unique.

So, what's your 'right route' to success?

With very best wishes,

Bravura Group
helping you brave the music industry

http://www.bravura-group.com

t: 01246 231 249 / 0845 456 460
e: lindsey@bravura-group.com

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I work with signed and unsigned artists and personnel working in the Music Industry who want to become more productive, creative and ultimately more successful in their music careers, whilst enjoying a more enriched, fulfilling and balanced personal life.

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