Artists: Don't do these 5 things!

  On this podcast we talk about many tactics and mindsets to have as an indie artist. We believe that encouragement is key to keeping momentum on the journey. But, equally as important to knowing what to do is knowing what not to do.

  On this episode I wanted to talk through 5 things that you should NOT do as an indie artist. I believe by avoiding these things it will help you go further, faster on your journey. And within each point I will also say what you CAN do in place of these common mistakes artists make along the way. 

DON'T spam your music

  One of the worst things you can do as an indie artist is spam people with your music. If someone does not know you, then why would they listen to your music? This is damaging in many ways but one of the most important ways is that you are destroying any trust you may have built. Everything in life is built on trust and if you are just sending your song to someone there is no foundation or relationship. 

  First try building relationships and engaging with others and then let the music be secondary, if someone chooses to connect with you. This will result in long-lasting connection.

DON'T expect your first release to make you rich & famous

  So many artists build unrealistic expectations when it comes to their music. They put so much time and energy into their first project and when it flops they become discouraged and give up.

 Know that music is a marathon, not a sprint. Understanding that you are building a catalog that people can dig into is much more important to gaining true fans, than just one song. Consistently releasing great music as you build a real following is the only way to have a sustainable career. True, it is so important to make every song your best, but understand that all of your songs work together and don't let all your hopes and dreams hinge on just one song.

DON'T build relationships just to get what you want 

  The music industry is relationship-based, but relationships should go both ways. It is great to find people to connect and collaborate with, but don't make it all about you. Serve first and if/when your music comes up then the people you work with will have so much more vested interest in what you do. Trying to manipulate things to benefit you may work in certain situations, but will fail in the longterm. Find ways to add value to others and the law of reciprocity will take full effect on your journey.

DON'T pay for followers/streams

  Of all of these points, I see this one the most and is definitely a "DON"T DO." It can be so tempting to purchase streams/followers so your can have big numbers. But at its core this comes from insecurity and falling victim to the comparison game. It is so much better to have fewer actual, engaged fans than large numbers of fake followers and empty streams. Building real, engaging relationships with people will completely remove the need to purchase streams/followers. Be true to yourself, celebrate the actual numbers you have and watch how you will grow with your authentic and engaged audience.

DON'T let "NO" stop you

  On this journey you will hear many more "no's" than "yes's". Every time you hear a no it is simply narrowing the path and helping you get in your lane sooner. As you are dialing in your strategy, every "no" helps determine which decision is best for you. It is so sad when artists give up on sharing their music because they heard a "no" and could not recover from it. I am not making light of disappointment because it is tough, BUT letting our failures fuel us will allow us to continue on and find success.

  My hope in this is to show you that you are not alone in wondering what choices you should make. There is a lot of conflicting information out there so finding clarity is key to knowing what is best for you. And if you have done 1 or more of these things don't worry, we learn as we go so you can take this and run with it.