| Q. Why Am I Not Being Supported? |
This is a simple question to answer, well based off of what I have picked up regarding support shown to my music and to those whom I am close with who walk the same path as I do. Your music is supported through a following, without a community behind you, you will not move forward. Now, this is a given on social media platforms, and this actually applies to not only music but to everything that one may want to expose the world to, over social media. This is where a lot of people get stuck, I know this because I was stuck in the same position for about 2 years now. Only recently have I begun to network myself and market myself properly to expose my music to people who take interest in the music industry, whether that be, asking someone to share a post on Facebook regarding a new song that I am going to be releasing, or sending a casual email to another producer/music enthusiast who I can learn something from. You need to get yourself out there, even if you grow your fan base by one or two people at a time, that is fine, because those numbers add up. This is not even taking into consideration that their friends might be exposed to your music and start following you.
Quite a big issue I have come across, is that the youth of nowadays are very narrow minded, I am not sure if this is just in South Africa or if it is global. Here they only listen to genres that are playing in clubs or what is playing on TV or the radio. This might be a problem for you because your music might not fall into one of those categories, but do not get me wrong, there is a market for everything and it is important to know how to use that to your advantage. Regarding this paragraph, I can say that you have to become a trend setter and not a trend follower.
Another point I would like to make is that you need to be original. I can not say this enough ! We have a "Flume", why would we need another one? Another good question you should ask yourself is, how do you think he got to where he is? He did it by being original with his sound and using that to his advantage, and this is going back to knowing how to market and network yourself. People who are not narrow minded are looking for new things, not copies of someone else.
| Summary of First Point |
Your time will come, be patient, grow your community who seek interest in what you are giving out and work with that. Work with what you have and be grateful for it ! Learn to market yourself and be original ! Remember, there is only one you, use that to your advantage!
| Q. Why do I work so hard and get so little in return? |
I ask myself this on a regular basis, I put in so many hours only to see that I have not progressed any further that before, as I said only recently I have started taking things head on and not wasting time and waiting for a silver platter to land on my lap. I push to expose my music as much as I can, even if its unsuccessful, which it sometimes is, I find the silver lining. It is up to you to find that silver lining or not, and it is OKAY to fail, do not beat yourself up for it , it is important to make mistakes and fail, because it strengthens your character, it helps you grow and lets you learn. Knowledge is power as they say. I understand that you put countless hours into your pieces of musical art, but put even more hours into learning how to showcase and spread it. Instead of lying in bed at night, wondering why you are not getting anywhere, stand up, go to your computer and get a head start to networking yourself. You need to continue moving forward, it is blood, sweat and tears that build your character and makes you that much more acclaimed to the following you have now built yourself. I will be adding a little "To Do List" at the end of this post, to give you an outline of some things you can do to help you grow.
| Q. How do I find my sound? |
This is a difficult question to answer as there is no real answer, you need to understand that "your sound" comes in due time, you have to experiment, create music of all sorts until you find something you really have your heart set on. Every musician has "their sound" and it is what makes them distinguishable from other musicians similar to them. This is where you take that and use it as an advantage, show people something new and never heard of. Create a new trend, like I said before. Not only do you have to spend time making and experimenting with music, you also have to look for inspiration by listening to different music. There is nothing wrong about going to another musicians songs, and taking inspiration from it. The problem lies with when you are trying to copy that person, because then you are destined to fail. This is again where originality comes in, it is important to note that all of these points are connected in some way or another. If you watch tutorials on YouTube regarding how to make a song, stay away from the videos titled - "How to make a song like producer x, y and z". Look for people who show you how to use your software and give you tips on how to find "your sound" if you are struggling.
| Small things to do when you are stuck |
- Look for new music, see what is new, get inspiration, I have made countless songs that I got inspiration from, from something completely different to what it is, an example of this is using classical chord progressions which are very complex in a progressive house song, it gives it a new, fresh edge which people are not used to hearing.
- If you find yourself thinking about how you are not getting anywhere, go onto social media and market and network yourself! Make sure you show the world that music is your life and you are doing it for the love of music and not for the money and fame. (This topic I will cover in my next post).
- Think of the silver lining in every situation, positivity is key ! You get a lot more out of your day and you get energized because you see the good in what is happening with your music ! This also helps to stop with being bored.
- Another important thing that you need to do is read about some of the artists you take inspiration from and find out what they went through , you will very quickly realise that how you are progressing is not much different to how, let's say, Tiesto or KSHMR was progressing when they were at your stage!
- Take every opportunity with both hands, you never know which opportunity will be your "big break" as they call it.
I would actually just like to use this last bit to thank everyone for their support on my last post ! I really have felt very welcomed to Steemit! That is also another crucial point about marketing and networking yourself, be selfless and be humble!
This has been Sebastian, and I am signing out !