Most freelance and established music creators aspire to have prosperous music careers. A successful music career should generally translate to having financial stability and experiencing the surreal satisfaction of making a long-term livelihood from your passion. Regrettably, many people don’t seek the help of a music career coach to grow their music careers, so they lack guidance and insights to navigate the industry. Such people will likely struggle before grasping the broader business dynamics required to succeed. They are prone to work with uncertainty, questioning their aptitude to pursue their musical aspirations while not knowing if their actions are enough.
A career in music is hardly a DIY affair. Guidance and help are at the heart of growth, as is networking with your fellow musicians. Here are some music career coach tips to help you move closer to achieving your goals.
1. Be Well-Rested
According to Sleep Health, roughly 50 to 70 million people in the United States struggle with sleep disorders. Approximately 84 million adults don’t consistently attain the recommended amount of uninterrupted sleep to safeguard their well-being. A music career coach recommends that being well-rested directly correlates to how optimally you perform in your personal life and music career. Prioritize rest, relaxation, and quality sleep.
Research done by International Musicians indicates that sleep profoundly influences every facet of a musician’s performance. The demanding lifestyle of professional musicians frequently renders them susceptible to acute and chronic insomnia. This becomes a problem when it’s reflected in the quality of their musical performance.
Due to sleep deprivation, you’ll have limited ability to be attentive, you won’t retain new information, and your mood will deteriorate. A well-rested musician is better focused during practice and performances. Start by fixing the environment where you sleep. Ensure the bed is sturdy, clean bedding, and comfortable. Buy a good quality mattress at the nearby mattress store. Schedule rest times and intentionally shut everything off.
2. Stay In Shape
Music instruments require specific muscle strength to handle them successfully. Performing in a concert needs you to be fit enough not to lose your breath mid-performance. Your music career coach can advise on targeted strength-training exercises for your body.
Your shape also applies to your voice. What you eat, including medications the doctor prescribes, will affect your voice and overall performance. Pay attention to your voice training sessions, and obey dietary instructions to keep your voice in shape. Singing For a Living notes that exercise enhances singing abilities by improving cardiovascular strength and breath endurance. Intentional physical activity like swimming, walking, or jogging triggers the release of endorphins and contributes to improved muscle tone.
Incorporate sports into your routine for more precise vocal performances with reduced strain, heightened energy, and amplified emotional expression. Jump into one of the in ground pools around you and swim a few laps. Do you want something from the convenience store? Walk those two blocks to the store and back. Are you attending a meeting on the fifth floor of a building? Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
3. Use Proper Technique
According to the San Antonio Music Academy, technique forms an indispensable cornerstone of musical education. It serves as the basis for musicians to advance in their instrument-playing endeavors safely, effectively, and healthily. Your music career coach will emphasize discipline, practice, and commitment to proper technique. Depending on the musical instrument you play, proper technique varies. Learning and mastering your proper technique is like taking your ‘musical self’ to a physical therapy rehab.
Start with warm-up activities that involve instrument exercises and physical stretches. Next, work on the specific technical aspect you are trying to improve. For instance, if you’re a percussionist, focus on a particular drum rudiment, and apply the five-time rule. You can only proceed to the next concept once you’ve accurately played the previous one five times. Your perseverance will help you develop muscle memory, polish your musical prowess and enhance your confidence. With muscle memory, you can easily replicate a specific movement or sound without conscious deliberation, rendering you swifter and more adept.
4. Have a Comfortable Space
Inspiration is typically triggered by something, someone, or somewhere. The converse is also true; internal and external factors can lull down your inspiration. A music career coach often points out that the space a musician spends most of their time matters.
As a creative, always immerse yourself in art. Listen to the genres of music that you’d like to emulate. At times, it pays to listen to every kind of music because you are building yourself anyway.
Look for what inspires you; what gets your creative juices running. Perhaps it’s a leisurely walk in the park or a walk along the beach. You may also enjoy getting inspiration from nature. Find out what works for you and stick with it. Your living and working spaces should be tailor-made to fit your inspiration and music needs. Even mundane tasks like appliance installation, furniture arrangement, and decor choice can be done in an environment promoting musical inspiration.
5. Learn Basic Maintenance
Music instruments are part of a musician’s career. You need to take care of them. A music career coach will tell you that the instruments you’ve invested in should give you a return by serving you for a long time and in good shape. Regular cleaning, tuning, and storing of your instruments in a small electronic enclosure will ensure their safety from natural and human intruders. Allowing dirt, moisture, and debris to accumulate within your instrument can result in costly damages. With basic skills in servicing and maintenance, your instruments will last long.
6. Promote Yourself
According to TOP Agency, social media marketing services is the most popular strategy for musicians to expand their fan base and attract followers from around the globe. A website is essential because it’s on these digital platforms that you can showcase your music, increase your visibility, share your performance schedules for concerts and tours, handle booking arrangements, and sell merchandise.
Used strategically, social media platforms link musicians and their fans easily. A Facebook or Instagram account will help you engage with fans. Your music career coach will tell you that fostering meaningful connections with your fan base is the key to a solid presence and a wider music reach. You can develop ideas to engage with your fans on social media. You can announce that you’ll be live on Instagram, Facebook, or your favorite channel and invite them to ask you anything. Answer your fans as honestly as you can. This way, your fans engage with you as with a normal human being and build trust in you.
Following other established musicians on their authentic social media handles is a good idea. Once there, cheer them on. This way, they notice your positive energy, and you could get to collaborate with them on a project someday. Don’t overlook music-sharing platforms like SoundCloud and Spotify. They provide opportunities to get your music to further audiences. With social platforms, go all in, play by the promotional rules, and be consistent.
7. Raise Money for Gear
Your job might not pay you enough to enable purchasing all the gear you need to keep growing your music career, but you need high-quality gear for your performances. Any music costumes or high-quality gear needs you to invest more money. Your music career coach might suggest crowdfunding to help you raise money. You can also go wholly unconventional and begin collecting antique coins for sale. The American Society of Appraisers vouches for rare coin collection as a profitable investment.
Explore options like taking part-time jobs and performing gigs, street performances, and music competitions. Look for opportunities to perform your music, especially in small meetings. Every small donation should propel you. This way, you raise money to buy essential equipment. Later in your career, invest in high-end gear when you can comfortably afford it.
8. Secure Your Gear
Securing your music gear must include recording your instruments’ serial numbers. These unique identifiers help determine your gear’s identity and its purchase history. This increases the likelihood of recovering your instruments if they’re lost or stolen.
Back the serial numbers up separately, preferably on a digital platform whose access is protected. Whenever you need to find a particular instrument’s serial number, a quick online search will lead you to the folder where you saved them. Marking your instrument cases is another smart tactic. Add distinctive features to your cases, like artwork, stickers, laser engraving, or painting, which makes tracing them easier in case of theft. Store your instruments securely and use commercial locks for the room or enclosure to safeguard them whenever you are on tour.
If you asked a music career coach how else to keep your gear safe, they’d remind you never to leave your vehicle unattended when loading or unloading gear.Sometimes you’re prone to leaving the car door or the trunk open. Such a scene can let a thief attack and make away with your prized possessions. It would be wise to consider getting your gear insured. Most standard home insurance policies don’t protect musicians’ instruments adequately. Insurance cover specific to music instruments may be more expensive, but it assures you of total recovery or replacement in case of loss or damages.
9. Stay Out of Trouble
According to Music Industry How To, over 90% of musicians fail to thrive in their careers because they get into trouble. Musicians are regarded as public figures, and everything they do, whatever they say, how they present themselves is all under scrutiny. It is unfortunate for musicians who evade taxes because they cannot hide for long. Other musicians indulge in drug and alcohol addiction, bad press, and scandals, with disastrous outcomes. As a budding musician, you must be on the lookout for and intentionally avoid situations that would leave you exposed.
Start building your good name from early when you’re still unknown. Your name will either open doors or get the same doors slammed before your face someday. File your taxes as required by law. Obey the law, and do not run the traffic lights even if you’re the only driver on the road at night. Avoid unnecessary parties because they’re grounds for mischief, which could get you in an embarrassing corner. Wrong habits, such as drugs and indulging in inappropriate behavior, are easily picked when in the wrong groups.
If you anticipate these controversial issues, talk to your music career coach for survival tips. Your coach is better placed to see the blind corners you’re oblivious to. They have seen talented musicians who have succeeded and those who have failed. You can learn from their wisdom. Stay grounded, and do not live for the next high. Fans that go wild with glee at your performance today will troll you the next. This is an industry where your image is crucial to surviving and thriving. A negative image can make your fans become your worst haters, who could bully you to an early death. Be responsible, keep a strategic company around you, and deal with issues privately.
10. Find a Comfortable Practice Space
Your music career coach will guide you on how to avoid pitfalls like drug abuse. You need a comfortable practice space with no noise or interruptions. House siding can help soundproof your practice room or studio.
Stock your studio with the appropriate furniture, such as stools, piano stands, and microphones. Ensure the room is spacious enough for your comfort. Ideally, it should be a room dedicated to your practice only, hence should always be locked when not in use.
Everyone who wants to build a thriving career needs help from others. It’s the same for the entertainment sector. In a specialized field like the music industry, getting yourself a music career coach is one of the best decisions you can make. Above all, your personal resolve to succeed will push you to achieve beyond your dreams. If you put in the work and follow the advice of your music career coach, you can achieve phenomenal success.
