I recently attended a music conference as part of the Fat Tuesday music festival in Hastings. The panel included heads of record labels, Julie Weir (Sony), Simon Williams (Fierce Panda), Kelly Munro (End Of The Trail Creative), as well as various prominent Journalists, Artists Managers, Musicians & Writers.

Topics discussed included:

  • How does New Music reach Audiences?
  • The Modern Role of Record Labels
  • How to build a sustainable career in the music industryIt was a fascinating & enlightening day! Below, I’ve distilled the wisdom from the panel and converted it into an easily digestible series of Tips for Succeeding in The Modern Music Industry.

  1. Getting Signed

    The improvement in affordable music recording technology, as well as the ability of the internet to connect people to niche audiences, has changed the music industry for ever. More people are making music, whilst simultaneously people are spending less on listening to it, primarily due to the proliferation of streaming sites, such as Spotify, Youtube etc. The consequence of this is that record labels are less willing to take risks in new talent. The traditional model whereby artists would be discovered by A&R managers, and invested in by record labels (to develop their sound, image etc) still exists, but is more rare. Basically, if you’re just starting out, and waiting or expecting to be discovered, then you may be waiting a long time!
    Instead, take advantage of the modern landscape and technology to empower and develop yourself. Julie Weir (Label Head at Music For Nations, Sony), explained that for a label to sign an artist these days, they expect them to have done a lot of the early groundwork themselves. If we consider, for example, Ed Sheeran as a “10/10” artist (ie he’s headlining festivals, touring the world, millions of listeners, extensive radio play etc), and then somebody just starting out as a “1/10” artist, then labels really are looking for the kind of Artist who is already around a “3/10” A band, singer or artist should already have developed a strong sense of self, have at least a fledgling fan base, a good written bio, website, online presence, as well as great songs, performances etc. If you’ve proved/ presented yourself as an act/artist that has already potential, then you’re more likely to find a label that will partner up with you.

  2. Lay Down Roots

    Build things from the ground up, and you’re likely to build a sustainable career in the music industry. Take the time and care to develop a relationship with your fans, the venues that you gig at, musicians you know, artists, the local record shops, contacts, radio DJs etc. Enjoy the process of carefully building your band/ brand/ business. Major success may or may not come, but if it does, then you’ll be able to embrace it from a strong foundation. One day, if the world changes and your popularity falls back slightly (or a lot!), then you’ll have something to fall back on- your genuine fans, your audience and tribe that has been with you since the beginning.

    In contrast to this approach, if you are discovered, or taken on by some record exec, bumped up a few levels- then if things don’t quite work out, you won’t have anything to fall back to. (This routinely happens with pop artists, heavily invested in by record companies, then simply discarded as people stop listening).

    The other advantage to laying down roots, is that you build and empower yourself as a manager of your own business affairs. Simon Williams (CEO Fierce Panda), said that if one day you do get signed to a label, that label will really be working for you. Your relationship will be one of being partners, in a mutually beneficial relationship. (Conversely, the less you do yourself, and the more you expect or desire someone else to do for you, the more the dynamic of the relationship changes, so that you are more owned by the label- they are your boss, and the less empowered you are. You may not be able to make the music you want, wear what you want, tour where you want to.)

    So it’s important to work out what you really want from all this- is it just to be famous, or to do something more meaningful, more worthwhile to your life and sense of Self? The encouragement is to lay down roots, and embrace the DIY approach when starting out on your music career.

  3. Develop a Business Mindset/ “Do Your Admin”

    Artists typically don’t want to embrace the business side of things, and that’s perfectly understandable! The relationship between money and art is a complex one, that has either plagued or empowered artists for centuries. But if you want to succeed, it’s best you develop the ability to wear different “hats”. Be a business man/ woman when you need to be, and be an artist when it’s time for that. Sharon Dean (Respect Music) came to speak about music copyrighting, and explained how Royalty collection services work (PRS & PPL). Yes they take a little time to get your head around, but it just needs to be done! So many artists are performing, recording etc, and not even bothering to do their admin, and collect the money that is available to them! I remember one of my old meditation teachers who said that a good way to live your life is with “Your head in the clouds, but your feet on the ground”. Applied here it means “write, sing, perform fantastic imaginative and creative music, but know when it’s time to come back down to earth, plant your feet on the ground and take care of the business that will ultimately feed, water, & sustain you and your further musical endeavours!”

  4.  Getting Signed

    Artists typically don’t want to embrace the business side of things, and that’s perfectly understandable! The relationship between money and art is a complex one, that has either plagued or empowered artists for centuries. But if you want to succeed, it’s best you develop the ability to wear different “hats”. Be a business man/ woman when you need to be, and be an artist when it’s time for that. Sharon Dean (Respect Music) came to speak about music copyrighting, and explained how Royalty collection services work (PRS & PPL). Yes they take a little time to get your head around, but it just needs to be done! So many artists are performing, recording etc, and not even bothering to do their admin, and collect the money that is available to them! I remember one of my old meditation teachers who said that a good way to live your life is with “Your head in the clouds, but your feet on the ground”. Applied here it means “write, sing, perform fantastic imaginative and creative music, but know when it’s time to come back down to earth, plant your feet on the ground and take care of the business that will ultimately feed, water, & sustain you and your further musical endeavours!”

  5.  Take Advantage Of Funding

    There are a lot of funding opportunities out there for beginner/ fledgling artists. It could really pay off for you if you land some investment for example in your recording or touring plans. Check out https://www.helpmusicians.org.uk/creative-programme/funding-wizard for something that might be worth applying to. It can be a really useful process, even if you aren’t awarded funding for something you applied for. Just the act of getting your application together forces to you to take an birds-eye view of your current situation, and can even give you ideas for how to move forward with an area of your career that perhaps you’d previously overlooked.

  6.  Be Nice!

    It almost seems to go without saying, but many people on the panel seemed to make a point of saying this, I thought it worth re-iterating. To have a successful music career you will need the help, assistance and partnership of a number of people- managers, journalists, lawyers, label owners, photographers, and many more. It pays off for you considerably if you deal with people in a respectful, polite and considerate manner. If you go around with a prima-donna mindset, you’re only going to turn people off. They won’t want to help you, (or even have anything to do with you!). Nobody’s saying you need to grease up to people either, or be a pushover- just treat as you would wish to be treated, and you’ll more likely go far.

  7. If You Want To Succeed In The Music Industry, Stay In The Music Industry.

    I enjoyed this last point. Never give up! Stick around- stay true to your passion, and keep doing what you do. Longevity is the name of the game. Keep building up your ‘dominoes’, your songs, videos, recorded material, merchandise, radio contacts, relationships with bloggers, gig venues, festival organisers etc. You never know what’s going to work, but just keep laying your foundations. One day, if you’re successful it will be as if all the dominoes suddenly come tumbling down- one triggers the other, and you’ve suddenly “made it”, as it were. A lot of people get disheartened when results aren’t immediately as expected. But stick around, keep going, try something new. Odds are, if you want it badly enough, and are prepared to keep going, you’ll get your rewards eventually.

Music Industry