Has music always been your passion? Do you find no greater joy than performing for a live audience? Are you looking to make your passion become a reality? If you can answer yes to all of these questions, then you should seriously think about working toward your passion at all costs. There are ways you can do this. Even ways you can go about getting your big break in music. But first, you have to be smart. Plan for the big time by knowing the essentials. Know the absolute musts before you get started, and you're halfway to reaching your dream. And these essentials are:
Hone your skills locally: Music distribution and single song distribution will only take you so far. You must play off an audience to see what works and what doesn't. This can be a scary step in the beginning, but it gets easier the longer that you play. And the adrenaline makes any case of stage fright completely worth it.
Work every day on the creative side: You have to show the right amount of business acumen to make a career in the music industry. You cannot simply create and leave it up to your music distribution service or manager to turn you into a superstar. You have to put yourself out there. No getting around it. Still, it can become a chore really fast if you are not constantly revisiting the creative side. Keep your skills sharp by returning to what you love every day. Even though it may count as work, it will certainly not feel like it. And if it does, that can be a good gauge for whether or not you belong in the industry.
Be confident and realistic: Marketing your music to major record labels cannot come, realistically, until you have taken the steps needed to start your career. Once you are ready, be confident and realistic about where your efforts will take you. If you've built your music into something, you will have the platform necessary to break in. When this occurs, network with people inside the industry. It doesn't matter how small. Everyone is connected. Everyone is always looking for the next big thing. Be friendly and open to anyone you can within the industry. Let them know who you are and what you do. Taking it one step further, give them examples by pointing them to your audience. Turn them on to demos and quality archived performances. Achieve this, and your dreams will fall into place.
Network online: Try to work with other musicians with similar aspirations. As your network grows, more people will start to know your work and there will be more opportunities to promote your music.
Perform for others often: Whether you are creating music videos or performing live, it's always good to be able to improve your performing skills. Sometimes, it takes more than just music talent in order to succeed in this competitive industry.
Music distribution or single song distribution is essential to future success, but you're not going to get in with the big boys until you've become as comfortable with performing and publicity as you are with your music.
