Success in Music: 7 things to avoid in order to succeed in music

The Internet has changed the traditional model of the music industry. In today’s digital age, it is quite possible to distribute your music and reach many potential fans without the help of a record company, but that doesn’t mean music marketing has gotten any easier. Many independent artists fall into traps that can be detrimental to their careers and prevent them from succeeding in music. Yet these pitfalls are almost always avoidable in most cases. So, we are here to help you reach success in the music industry. I am Fabienne, founder of the Dream It Yourself Musician blog and in this article I have decided to share 7 mistakes avoid if you want to be successful in the music industry.

1. To succeed in music, you have to upload your songs to platforms and just wait

If you want to be successful in music, you will have to do a lot more than “just” put your single on platforms and wait … Did you know that more than 40,000 songs are released on Spotify every day? If you don’t do anything more than just upload you songs, your music, even if it’s excellent, will be drowned in the masses. To avoid this, the musical promotion stage is a crucial phase. Just because your songs are mastered and finally ready to be released, doesn’t mean your work is done! Unfortunately, most independent artists’ budgets are spent solely on the production and not at all on marketing their music. However, to be successful in music, a good part of this budget must be dedicated to marketing. Contact curators of independent playlists on Groover, advertise on social media to gain visibility. Do not worry ! Even if you make mistakes, you will learn  how to promote your music project on the job and be better able to find the right partner by the time you are ready to sign.

2. Trying to be successful in music by doing it all yourself

Studying all aspects of your job is of course, very important; however, launching your project in self-production does not mean doing everything alone! It is sometimes difficult to take a step back from your own music but, don’t be afraid to ask for help and advice! Beyond your personal entourage and fans, seek advice from people who work in the music industry. On Groover, each professional to whom you send your music to gives you written feedback of what they think of your song within 7 days. If they enjoy it, it could even lead to some interesting opportunities, thus increasing your chances of succeeding in music. On the platform, you can send your music to mentors (business managers, coaches, sound engineers or other professionals in the field) who have been carefully selected for their ability to give advice to artists, whether it be on the production of the project or the project as a whole.

Finally, if you don’t know how to do something or if you don’t have enough time to learn how to do it, don’t hesitate to pay someone to do it for you. Don’t let the knowledge and skills you lack, prevent you from succeeding in music!

3. To not be consistent

A post on social media the day your title is released is not enough to promote it. Social media plays an important role in the career of a musician, if they are hoping for success. It allows you to grow your fan base by having access to millions of people looking for new artists. But in order to gain real fans who will support you for the many years to come, it is essential to regularly post truly engaging content. Otherwise, your subscribers will end up getting bored and unsubscribing. Post several times a week to grow your number of subscribers over time and keep followers engaged. It can be useful to anticipate your posts by establishing a schedule around your next release. Used well, social media is a great tool for connecting bands and artists to their fans, and thus increasing the chances of success in the music industry.

4. Thinking that you have to be famous to appear in the media

Do you have to be famous or signed to a record label to appear in the media? Well no, except of course if you only want to target the biggest media! Might as well warn you, you will probably not be on MTV if you do not already have a certain notoriety! You will also have to wait a bit to get interviews in iconic magazines. On the other hand, many blogs are constantly on the lookout for new artists to discover. The regional press also likes to talk about emerging local talents! And when the hour of success has struck for you, they will be happy to say that they were the first to have detected your talent! Likewise, if Spotify’s editorial playlists are hard to reach, contact independent curators. With only a few euros, launch a Groover campaign and approach magazines, radios, blogs, and playlisters in search of emerging musicians. Little by little, you will develop a fanbase and you will get noticed by the bigger media outlets. Pave your own way to success by creating these opportunities for yourself.

5. Buy fake streams, followers or likes

Many sites now offer you to buy Spotify plays, Instagram followers or likes. Even if this offer seems tempting at first glance, it could, on the contrary, prevent you from succeeding in music! The different platforms track down those who use this technique. You risk being spotted and getting your account suspended! Instead of spending money buying lots of fake followers, take the time to grow your audience. Instead, invest that money in advertising to introduce your music to real new people. After all, it’s better to have a community of a few hundred engaged fans than thousands of fake followers; with real fans, you will feel more legitimate in your success.

6. Do not have a mailing list

Do you think mailing lists are over? Think again, having many followers on social media is not enough! What will you do if you find yourself hacked and you no longer have access to your Instagram account? Or if the platform disappears? You don’t own Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, however you own your mailing list, which means that you. and you alone, control it. It is not subject to the vagaries of algorithm changes and other platform decisions. Internet users rarely change their email address, so a mailing list is the best way to stay in touch with your fans over the long term. So make sure you make mailing list creation a priority.

7. Failing to analyze the results of one’s efforts

Spending a lot of time promoting your latest release is no good if you do it the wrong way. Many musicians repeat the same strategies over and over again without trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t. Claim your profiles on Spotify for Artists or Deezer Backstage. Take a little time to analyze your statistics on streaming platforms as well as those of your various social media accounts. How old are those who listen to your music? Where do they live ? You will get the answer to these questions, and many more, in your statistics. And why not just ask your new fans how they heard about you? Then, adjust your marketing strategies based on the information you have gathered.

– Written by Fabienne Kervella in its original version, translated by Betty Gonzalez Gray –