Talented musicians are everywhere. Some are born with the gift that gives them an advantage when it comes to playing an instrument. Others become skilled musicians through hundreds of hours of practice. However, you might have noticed that many seemingly talented musicians remain unsuccessful.
In this guide we will go over the primary reasons why a talented musician may remain unsuccessful and how they can get on the right path toward success.
1. Not Composing Enough Music
The most talented songwriters may be able to pen innovative songs and moving ballads. However, they are unlikely to keep people’s attention if they aren’t composing music regularly. Thousands of artists around the globe are releasing music everyday. For this reason, people are likely to forget about an artist if they aren’t putting out a steady stream of music.
If you are an aspiring musician, you should aim to compose music and release it on a schedule. Depending on your composition process, this could be one track every few weeks or an EP every three months. The added advantage of putting out a lot of music is that people who look you up will start viewing you as a serious artist if they discover you have a large discography.
2. Not Performing Live Enough
Many musicians thrive in live performance environments. These people feel energized by the reception they get from the crowd and love nothing more than showing off their skills publicly. However, far too many talented musicians focus their efforts on composing music and not performing live. This may hinder their success as performing live is a great way to get your name out there and draw in new listeners.
For this reason, you should perform live whenever you can. There are many easy ways to do this. For example, you can look up bars and event halls in your city that host open mic nights and perform there. This will help people see you as a familiar musician who is working.
3. Failing to Promote Themselves
Performing live is just one way to promote yourself. Plenty of talented musicians are skilled at making music and performing live, but they don’t put in nearly enough effort when it comes to music promotion.
Promoting your music is easier than ever before in the digital era thanks to social media. You can advertise your music on platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. There are many ways to do this. You could create an artist page and post updates regularly to attract followers. Alternatively, you can run paid ads on these social media platforms.
In addition to this, you should also upload your music to as many music streaming platforms as possible. This will help ensure a wide range of people have access to your music.
Finding Success as a Musician
Finding success as a musician might not be easy, but it is possible to boost your odds of succeeding by following the tips described above.
Eric Dalius is The Executive Chairman of MuzicSwipe, a music and content discovery platform designed to maximize artist discovery and optimize fan relationships. Outside of MuzicSwipe, he hosts the weekly podcast “FULLSPEED,” which highlights conversations with accomplished entrepreneurs. Eric is also committed to supporting education through the “Eric Dalius Foundation,” offering four scholarships to US students. Keep up with Eric on Twitter,YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Entrepreneur.com.