I have composed a list of things rap/hip-hop/R&B artists should look into making a priority in their 2014 campaign. A few of them are what you may think are common sense, but I see people going about it wrong all the time. A few others are some of my inside opinions and tips that you may not have thought about being important. Some of this may apply to you or you may already know it all. so take what you can from it and make up your mind on the way you prioritize the aspects of your career. These are in no particular order.
1) Master your craft
2) Know your goals with your art
3) Invest in quality
4) Be humble
5) Don’t rush things
6) Promotion is just as important
7) Travel to other similar cities
8) Network and then network some more
9) Know the business side of music
10) Don’t get discouraged
2) Know your goals with your art
3) Invest in quality
4) Be humble
5) Don’t rush things
6) Promotion is just as important
7) Travel to other similar cities
8) Network and then network some more
9) Know the business side of music
10) Don’t get discouraged
Master your craft
Mastering your craft should be one of those common sense items on here. I think that every artist needs to take a step back and look at what they can improve on. Whether it be your stage presence for shows, having your stuff together before you go into a session, making sure that your studio performances are exactly what you want the to be before ending a session, or many other little things that go into your package that you provide as a recording artist and or performer.
Know your goals with your art
Make sure that you know what you are providing to fans as an artist. Don't just emulate other artists. Be yourself and have material that you believe in strongly. People don't want to hear everything the exact same. Dare to be different while still sticking to some conventional guidelines of successful artists before you. What I’m trying to say is fans don’t always want to hear the exact same things over and over. Sometimes they want different music to listen to, but not too different. Also, try to have substance with your music. Anyone can microwave up a club song to a hot beat, but not everyone can touch peoples souls with their music. Try to find a blend of commercial success with some meaningful material.
Invest in quality
This one is one of the more common mistakes I see. I see it often because it involves what I do directly as a studio engineer. Make sure that you find someone that does good work on your beats, mixes, videos, artwork, photos , marketing , and basically every aspect of things. It may cost you a good bit to do all of these things, but it’s well worth it. Plus make a priority list on what is the most important things and invest a larger portion towards those items.
Remember that the music is the most important part in a music career. It doesn’t make sense to pay $2500 for a beat from a well known industry producer and then get your homie to mix it for free even though he doesn’t make a career out of mixing. It also doesn’t make sense to drop $5,000 on a video from a well known director if the song you are shooting the video for isn’t your hottest single. Also don’t spend the money on a video if you got a mediocre or bad beat and a bad mix on the song either.
Be humble
This one is not as common sense as all of the other ones, but I have found out that it takes you further if you implement this philosophy into your music career. Sometimes I still want to tell people what is really on my mind at that point, but it always works better to think about it for a little bit and give them a rational response instead. That being said still don’t be so nice that people push you around. Also, kind of know where you stand in the food chain. For example, if you haven’t dropped an album that has sold more than 10,000 copies or so then don’t expect someone that doesn’t know you, to pay you for a feature or a show. On the other side of thing, know your worth. Don’t be obnoxious about it, but if someone is offering way less than what you feel that you are worth then respectfully deny the offer.
Don’t rush things
Art is art,and that takes time to come up with. Don’t feel rushed to put out a mixtape or an EP just because. Now also don’t keep fans waiting too long either. Find a good balance of putting out music and still making artistic that works for you and your fans. One to two albums a year is really good fast pace to work at. If you are releasing on the lower end like one album a year or one album every other year then maybe look into releasing teasers like mixtapes and EP’s. There are many other things that you can do to keep fans involved and up to date. Look into doing interviews for blogs, magazines, radio, and internet video interviews. You could also drop behind the scenes footage of you recording your first single. Maybe you want to release a photo shoot or something else that can let fans know that you are still working and that something is coming soon.
Promotion is just as important
Here is a key to success that most artists don’t understand. You can drop 10 great studio albums in a year and no one listen to them. Trust me I know people that are horrible at promoting their hard work. If you don’t promote your music or promote it properly and well then you aren’t going to see the results that you know your music is capable of. Make sure you take full advantage of all the avenues of promotion and marketing. These avenues include internet, social media, printed magazines, videos, gear and accessories, flyers, cd’s, etc. Don’t just concentrate on one area or another make sure that you have a presence in all areas of promotion and marketing. If there are areas that you don’t understand fully or areas that take to much time to handle then look into hiring a company or someone to do it for you.
Its a very crucial aspect of the music business, and I see a lot of people just put up a new song every now and then on the internet and promote it once or twice. Take it seriously and be persistent and consistent with it. There are a lot of sites that have features to track when your internet promotions do the best. Take advantage of this and find those times and days then make it a priority to promote specifically in those times. You aren’t limited to just promoting at those times or to just internet promotion either. If your fan base doesn’t spend much time on the internet then look into more physical forms of promotion. Maybe try passing out demo cd’s or some fan gear like shirts and hats. People like free things and want to know what you are all about before they go and pay for your cd’s. Either way you go about it try to be well balanced, and put some serious time and effort into your promotional campaigns.
Travel to other similar cities
It’s always good to be a hometown celebrity. At some point though you are going to need to expand your market. Start with cities that have similar demographics and similar fan bases to where your music does best. Don’t just go to Atlanta because that’s where hip-hop is popping at currently. I mean if that fits your demographic then that would be a great option. If you are an artist that is more on the lyrical side then look into making trips to some up north or some midwest cities. Wherever you go try to make an impression and network with dj’s especially. Also try to get a meeting with some producers, promoters, other artists, club managers and owners, and just about everyone you would want to network with in your city. Its not about how good you are sometimes its about who you know.
Network and then network some more
This is so important and it kind of relates back to being humble about things. Make sure that you know what is going on with the industry, the key players, your peers in the music game, and everyone that can possibly give you an edge in your career. Always shake hands at every event, and make sure to try and stay in contact with people. Emails can be so effective to staying in touch with people that you aren’t around all of the time. They may not reply but most people read them and remember that when something comes up. Just as a reminder, don't burn any bridges. If someone burns a bridge with you that is one thing but don’t be the one who lights the match. You never know how it can effect your career especially if they are well known and have some pull in the industry.
Know the business side of music
Half of the music business is business. Actually its probably more than half. Either way know whats going on with the financial end. You may have a manager and that is perfectly fine. Actually I recommend it. Just know that all people are not good people. There are plenty of people in the music industry especially that will take advantage of you if you let them. Do some research on all of the business things that you need to know to be successful as an artist and get familiar with that info. There are some really good books and articles out there that can help you understand this more.
Don’t get discouraged
Its a tough industry. Don't let it get to you when things don't go as envisioned. Things will be very rough at times. You will encounter all of the bad things people say about the music industry, you just have to remain true to what yourself and your music. You will probably come across shady people that take your songs, try to tarnish your name, and many other evils that come with the industry. You just have to keep moving and striving to be the best artist you can be and don't let it get you down. If it does have you feeling discouraged just try to not show it. When people see you get that way they seem to want to attack like a hungry pack of wolves. Kill them with success.
Closing Statements
Overall you have to make your music career about yourself. Find out what works for you,and find out what doesn't. Take the things I have put in this blog and make them work for you. Everyone will go about there career different, just make sure that you know what you want and go for it. If you have questions or need some advice then hit me up. I have made myself very accessible to pretty much everyone that wants to get a hold of me. I may be able to answer your questions and guide you in the right direction or I may have no clue. If I don't have a clue I will be honest about it. I know its hard enough without going in the wrong direction because someone gave you bad info or advice. If you want some exclusive advice or want my company to provide some of these services then just know that its gonna have a price tag. I'm not out to try and break your pockets though. I just make a living doing this, and I cant take on any non paying jobs right now. I wish everyone the best of luck in their music career.
