Managing Your Singing Career
Your singing career is probably one of the most important “jobs” that you have. You’re passionately trying to launch it, but realize that the game has changed dramatically in this new world of the Internet. It’s simply not enough these days to record a song and hope that an agent picks you or a label takes you on. These days, you’re on your own, baby.
What if you’re lucky enough to find an agent or to get a label interested in you and your music? The best thing you can do is to ask them how they will market you. If their plans do not include Internet marketing, think YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook and Twitter; run like the wind. Of course, these buzzwords are easy to throw out. But, you’ve heard this phrase before; I’m sure, “the devils in the details.”
But alas, music careers these days have changed forever. The Internet, with over 300 million websites and growing, is just one big web of noise. Just multiply the number of websites by the number of webpages on each site and you can imagine how much competition you have for “fan” eyeballs. Even worse, very few people in the technology industry, let alone the music industry, know how to get your music marketed.
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And, your music career also needs to be boosted by the ongoing press, play time, and live events. These are not easy tasks to accomplish on a limited budget and without any knowledge of how to do them. For example, did you know that for as little as $50 you can send out your own online press release which will hit many of the major press contacts? Or, that your website is less important than how many links you have back to your website?
A long lasting singing career is a factor of ensuring visibility to a certain demographic of fans. It’s also imperative to consistently communicate with your fan base because that’s what drives loyalty, a sense of community and also sales.
Ok, if the labels can’t help your singing career and you find this Internet marketing stuff too intimidating, you can try a new self-help membership site, called Musician’s Association for Independence. Yes, independence in the form of depending on yourself to succeed. You’re likely to learn and execute on your own strategy faster than getting a label to pick you up. You can find it through 2008 Grammy award winner Patti Austin’s How To Sing website.
One Response to “Managing Your Singing Career”
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It’s a whole new world out there for artists.
When I look at how everything is happening online now, I think of that old saying: “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em”!
All the best to you songbirds out there.