How to start your music career

Look, I get it, getting up and running in any career is hard, but a creative one - that's really hard! There 50k songs uploaded to Spotify daily, how would a small artist compete with that? Add the money question into the mix, and it becomes impossible.

At Nexro, we work with artists at different stages of their career, and if you are starting up, please keep reading and we will share with you what are some actions and strategies you can take to maximize your growth in the beginning of your music journey.

Talent is #1

To have a chance to make it in the maze that is music industry, your talent can and will be your number 1 differentiating factor, or x-factor if you will. You need to understand what your talent is exactly, and really focus on it - plot twist: it doesn't have to be musical. For example, let's say you can play a guitar on an average level (you aren't Jimmy Hendrix yet) and you could sing, but you know you're not fantastic at it. However, you are really really good at coming up with creative ways to make your TikToks go viral - you understand what the people want, what get's the people goin'. Then, you can come up with really fun and engaging ways to promote your music! Unfortunately in today's world, musical talent only accounts for 30-40% of the success - the rest is who you know, promotion and marketing, touring and being at the right place at the right time.

Being out there

I meet so many artists who only want to make music - they do not want to post online, they do not wish to speak to their fans, they do not want to tour - they only want to create. The reality is, these artists will not achieve high levels of success. Unfortunate, I know. But, do not be scared. The great part about today’s social media is that people actually appreciate you being you. From the data we see, artists who post only hi-fi, or professional-looking content, do not as much exposure or listens as those who are just being themselves on their socials. Post about your journey, your day as an artist, your thoughts about music, your creative process, your life. This is what people want to see - so don’t be scared to be yourself - just be. Besides, if you definitely do not want to post on Insta for example, you don’t have to - find another way to interact with your audience. It can newsletter, blog, YouTube vlogs, X, Twitch streams etc. There are so many possibilities - find one that works best for you.

Release music

Creating your own music can be an overwhelming process, but it is an important part of your career. Let’s say you have a great voice, and you’ve done some great covers in your YouTube channel or SoundCloud - people already know how you sound and they like it. Now it is time to try creating your own track. You can collaborate with others who write great lyrics, produce great sound, or you do everything yourself. Just try - and see how it goes. Don’t get discouraged if your first release gets 10 streams though. Remember, it is a marathon, not a sprint. And, everything plays a role in the future of your career - when you release, where you are, how often and what you post on socials, when similar artists release and post etc.

Network with others in your area or abroad

You need to know other artists in your city or country. To do this, you can attend music industry events, gigs of other artists, follow relevant forums or communities online and let others know you can help. This way you can meet other artists you can potentially collaborate with, managers or record labels who might be interested to work with you. Remember to always be friendly, mindful of others and open to new opportunities.

Experiment

Let’s say you already have a couple of thousand listeners on Spotify. You might feel now that your audience listens to a specific type of music already and it might be scary to try something new. I hear this a lot from artists, but this notion is completely false. Sure, you might lose some listeners, but you will gain others. Plus, you would eventually find the sound which you love - and being yourself is incredibly vital in the journey. People would know on a subconscious level that this is not the music you wanted to make.

Understand how the industry operates

Do you know how anything about royalties, their different types and who would get which? Do you know what a CMO is? What about sync? If you are serious about music, we recommend to read ‘All you need to know about the music business’ by Donald S. Passman. This is a great read, mostly centred around the American industry, but generally works for the global industry as well.