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How To Start Your Music Career

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Your passion for music has finally encouraged you to make the decision to pursue what you love. Whether you are keen to progress your music career from home or start up your music career, here are some pointers to get your music out there.

Make Sure You Continue To Have A Continual Income
You do not need to become a starving musician, as is shown on TV and film in popular culture today, to make it the music business. It is not wise to give up all of your financial stability as it can take a while to get to earn consistently within this industry. The only time this rule may not apply is if you have considerable savings or a large fan following already.

So with that in mind, you can still continue to work your standard 9-5 and use your evenings and weekends to start building your music career on the side. Everyone’s journey will be different but very few manage to jump into stardom without having other income streams in place.

Have A Plan And Goals
Everyone’s journey is different and everyone has different targets of success they want to reach. By having a goal to aim for it will make it easier to set realistic targets to help you achieve this. Also, it is important to be realistic with timescales. Having goals is more about having the steps in place to reach your target as opposed to set timescales to meet.

The music industry can be tough to break into and therefore it can bring a lot of challenges and result in set timescales not always being viable.

Think Of This Career As A Business
There are a lot of similarities between a new business set up and a new music career. Regarding your music career in a similar way to a business is a good idea as it will get you to consider the brand you want to create for you and your music, use social media to market your music, identify your audience, create and understand your budget etc.

Even if your end goal will be to have hired or outsourced some of these tasks to others, it is still important to have a basic understanding of business and how they can influence your music. Even with basic knowledge it will help you make sure that when you do hire others, they are meeting your expectations.

Keep Making Music
Although you’ll now be sharing your focus with other tasks, it is still important to continue to make music and hone your craft. This business avenue can change so quickly so it is always worth while keeping your skill and improving it.

It is also beneficial that as you perfect your craft that you use a recording studio and capture your music. This can help you in numerous ways, not only by giving you a digital copy but also allowing you to hear back your music and reflect on it and if needed tweak accordingly.

Network Within Your Community
Like within other aspects of life, it isn’t always about what you know but who you know, and music is no different.

You can’t build a career without clients and a support system in place to help you along your journey. The best place to start this is within your local community. Reach out to local schools, colleges, bars, clubs and music venues. This can offer you an avenue into meeting other like-minded people within the industry who may be able to help you whilst allowing you to start to build a following and fanbase. If you can manage to build a fanbase it will help your career massively. Consider your fans as free advertising for you. Plus you never know, by getting out there you may get spotted by an agent.

Social Media And Online Presence
Along with networking it is worth building up an online presence. Again think of this from a business perspective. You need to use online tools such as social media to enhance and engage with your following. Whilst doing this it is important to consider how this is being portrayed. If you want to be taken seriously and seen as a professional within the industry, you need to portray yourself this way.

So consider the quality of the photos and videos you share. Also, consider your audience and branding within this. This is the same with any visual aspects, such as graphics you may choose to use for logos and album art.

How to Progress Your Music Career From Home

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One of the best parts of being a singer and musician is performing on stage and seeing the audience’s response. Unfortunately, during the COVID-19 pandemic, live music performances have not been possible. As the situation is ongoing, it is not clear when life will return to normal, and gigs can take place once again. While not being able to perform to a live audience is incredibly disappointing and you probably miss the buzz of being on stage, there is no reason to put your music career on hold. With a bit of creative thinking, you can take this situation and look for ways that you can work through it and continue to drive your career towards success. If you need some inspiration to get you started, then these tips should give you some ideas to take forward:

Think Outside the Box

While live music is on hold, there are still opportunities that can be used to increase your chances of success. The first things to think about are all of those tasks that you meant to get around to doing previously but never managed to find the time. It is likely that you have loads of ideas that could help you to gain exposure, but have always been too busy to put them into action, so the free time you have now is the perfect opportunity to get started.

Keep Performing

If you like the idea of your music going viral, then why not start uploading some performances and see what happens. Acoustic performances from home are an excellent way to attract attention, and you will be able to reach a much wider audience than you could at a live gig in your local area. Shredding on your electric guitar is always going to attract some attention.
Posting content online is an excellent way of getting noticed by the right people and generating interest in your music and you as a performer. Using social media in the right way and connecting with the online community could potentially open up genuine opportunities for your music, just be sure that people are who they say they are.

Continue Making Contacts

If you have some useful contacts, don’t be afraid to stay in touch. Arranging meetings to discuss opportunities is something proactive that you can still do from home via conference call, just make sure that you have a good quality microphone speaker so if you need to put on an impromptu performance to impress you can do so and showcase your sound clearly.

Start Streaming

If you haven’t done so already, now could also be an excellent time to upload your music to subscription streaming services. As most people use music streaming services nowadays, you stand a good chance of reaching a large number of subscribers. With so many different subscription streaming services available, you will need to weigh up which ones you want to add your music too. Seeing your music available on a streaming service is a great feeling, so if you think you are ready, why not give it a go?

Who Are The Biggest Active Music Stars?

History is littered with musical giants who transformed our understanding of what music could be. They recorded tracks that we still listen to today, and went on stage to create lifelong memories for legions of fans. But musical titans aren’t just a thing of the past. They’re living and working among us, right now. Some of history’s biggest selling musical artists are still releasing new music and performing on stage. In this blog, we’re going to run through some of these stars — make sure you get to see them live while you still can!

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Elton John

Elton John is arguably underrated as an artist. He’s been in the game for some fifty years, and has remained remarkably consistent. There were some missteps in the 80s, but then again, most musical artists who came to prominence during the early 1970s had difficulties during that decade. And it’s not just his own material that has kept Elton John relevant. He’s also worked with some of pop’s biggest stars, including Eminem, Kanye West, and many, many others. Admired by the public, admired by his peers, Elton John’s popularity is summed up by his mammoth number of record sales. He’s shifted somewhere around 300 million units. He’s on his last ever tour at the moment, so if you’ve ever serenaded your loved one with a version of ‘Your Song,’ then go show your respects.

Taylor Swift

It took Elton John some fifty years to sell 300 million records. Taylor Swift has reached 200 million in just fourteen years, and with significantly fewer albums. There’s little doubt that Taylor Swift took the world, especially the teenage girl world, by storm. Initially beginning as an out and out country star, she’s developed into something else entirely. Her latest album releases are much more pop-oriented, which has helped her to reach even more fans. Armed with world-class production and management, she’ll be a force forever — there’s no way that star burns out anytime soon.

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones have always been a huge band, but it’s not as if they were head and shoulders above their contemporaries when they first got started. They were one of many excellent bands on the circuit. But if you look back at their contemporaries from back in the day, you’ll notice one thing — the vast majority of them are no longer playing. And the ones that are, are usually not playing to packed audiences. One of the greatest strengths of the Rolling Stones is their longevity. They still make (good) music and know how to put on a show, even though they’re pretty old these days. Indeed, many people still say it’s the best show around.

Drake

Canadian star Drake seems to have it all. He makes excellent records, he produces, he’s an entrepreneur, and he acts. That’s a pretty impressive range of skills for one man! He’s sold a boatload of albums, and he’s at that stage of his career where every new release is an event. By the time he retires, he’ll be one of the biggest selling stars of all time, there’s no doubt.

Ed Sheeran

If you took a look at a video of Ed Sheeran from back when he was younger, you probably wouldn’t have said that he’d go on to become one of the biggest stars of his generation. He just didn’t look like a pop star. However, it’s a testament to the age we live in that this fact didn’t seem to matter for much. His peers knew that he was going to be a star, and so, crucially, did the man himself. Today, his simple and sweet songs have catapulted him to superstardom. He’s even managed to create an excellent live show, which he can present to tens of thousands of people, despite being just one person and a guitar.

Beyonce

Finally, there’s Beyonce. It almost seems wrong to call her a music star since she transcends all that. She’s a force of nature. You can’t say that there’s anyone bigger than her, because there’s not. When Beyonce releases an album, the world stops. Her shows are rightly regarded as triumphs of humanity. She’s at a level where people are legitimately having conversations about her being the best ever. Even if you’re not a massive fan of her style of music, you have to give respect for what she’s achieved in the music industry. Whereas many artists aim to appeal to people, Beyonce goes her own way, and takes the industry along with her.

Soul Music: Why Music Helps Fight Pandemics


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To us, a pandemic is a new thing that wasn’t on the radar a year ago. However, in the course of history, there have been plenty, and music has always been there to fight them off. According to The Guardian, singing from balconies is part of a tradition that stretches back to the 7th century BC and the Black Death. It seems that while Covid-19 can decimate global lockdowns and the freedoms we hold dear, it is powerless against music.

Nothing can stand in its way, and here are the reasons why.

The Boredom Factor

Even with Netflix and a plethora of social media networks and videos on YouTube, the pandemic has been boring. As it happens, doing the same thing over and over every day is mind-numbingly tedious, except when you’re playing an instrument. From the guitar to the drums and violin, there’s an actively competitive aspect of trying to be better. Combine this element of learning with the fact that the likes of LVL Music Academy offer remote lessons, and you’ve got the perfect storm. Whether you’re a newbie or an old-hand attempting to level-up, there are multiple ways to relieve boredom when you’re dedicated to music.

Community Spirit

The sense of community we currently have isn’t a feature that most people would say existed pre-March. If anything, the support neighbours have for each other was dwindling rapidly. Yet, once everybody was in the same boat, the need to help the less fortunate, as well as average human beings who needed a boast, came to the fore. From high rises in Italy to London suburbs, people showed their community spirit by singing, dancing, and indulging in musical pastimes. Others are available, of course, yet it’s hard to organise a game of five-a-side during a lockdown! Music, on the other hand, is much more accessible.

Productivity

A pandemic reduces your productivity levels, which is part of the reason mental health is an issue. You’ve spent the last few years crushing life, working hard in the office and playing harder outside of it, only to be stranded at home with nothing to do. The culture shock is draining. To replicate the semblance of a routine, people turn to activities such as home renovation projects and exercise. At the heart of these interests is music as the beat encourages you to go harder for longer. For many, it’s the foundation of daily lockdown routine.

Health

Our wellbeing, both mental and physical, is critical during a time such as this. Therefore, it makes sense that music is used to promote good health and warn us of potential dangers. As far back as January, when the virus emerged in China, residents sang songs such as, “Wuhan jiayou!” – or ‘Stay strong, Wuhan!” Far from being a patriotic war cry, it was a symbol of positive physical and mental health. The same goes for the NHS Clap in the UK. Music is a soundtrack to our lives, especially in the worst periods.

How has music helped you during the Coronavirus health crisis?