Your how to guide for being a music practitioner
THE ARTIST GUIDE Brought to you by Charlotte Dale
2020 | MARCH
2020 | MARCH
THE ARTIST GUIDE
OVERVIEW So you have musical talent? The question every musician wants to know is how do I convert this talent into a valuable asset. Compiling research from a range of sources, as well adding my own commentary from the last three years of studies, I aim to provide you with a variety of tools that will aid your musical journey. The booklet will cover topics spanning from creating your own music, to live performance, to marketing and promotions and the wider industry. I will also point you in the direction of helpful resources that will expand from outside of this booklet.
CONTENTS Finding Yourself as an Artist Creating Your Music Live Performance Marketing and Promotions The Wider Music Industry
FINDING YOURSELF AS AN ARTIST
THE ARTIST GUIDE
FINDING YOURSELF AS AN ARTIST It is important for artists to be able to describe themselves concisely and effectively. You should be able to define your genre, your audience, your experience and your unique selling point. This should be step 1 in your musical journey as your description will aid you in building your brand.
01
Pop Hip Hop Folk Blues Classical Soul
Metal Rock Swing EDM Indie Dance Reggae Indie Jazz Grime Country Ska
AUDIENCE
03 Distinct sound? Fan interaction? Fashion/Dress? Personality?
GENRE
02
Age? Mass or Niche? Location? Subculture? Personality? Fandom?
USP
CREATING A BRAND Some music artists shy away from creating a brand, its all about the music after all. But creating a brand is key to conveying who you are as an artist and building an audience who understand you. Your brand should be consistent across your career, you shouldn't have a dark grunge theme to your assets (album cover, marketing etc) if you are wearing bright colours in your performances. Establish a brand by looking at others within your genre, looking at your audience habits, and most importantly find something that suits YOU.
KEY RESOURCES ForTunes is a downloadable software offering music data analytics for any music artist. All you do is link your music channels and analyse the audience data to aid building your brand.
AWAL is a distribution company with an on-site blog offering a range of top-tips and music industry insight. AWAL.com/blog/ musician-branding
This blog post in paritular has some great tips for starting to look at yourself as an artist and create your brand.
CREATING YOUR MUSIC
THE ARTIST GUIDE
2020 | MARCH
RECORDING FROM HOME
Recording from home is often a great way to begin creating music and can be a more viable option for amateur musicians than using recording studios. Don't underestimate the power of using a mobile phone for a microphone as good quality recordings can still be achieved. Be inventive and try different options to improve your recordings; use a sock as a pop-shield, try recording in different locations from a cupboard to an open-plan room and use free softwares such as garageband to layer and improve your tracks.
However for some purchasing professional equipment to create their own home studio is a worth-while investment, especially if you want to record demo, release music and advance your music career. Below is a basic set up for an at-home studio.
AÂ high-speed computer or laptop with a digital audio workshop (DAW) software is crucial for an at-home studio. Logic and Protools are two options to invest in
Your audio interface connects all of rhe equipment to your computer and DAW. They can often be bought in a bundle with the DAW.
Studio monitors will enable you to objectively listen to your music as they have a higher quality sound and flatter frequency than regular speakers or headphones.
A condenser mic is a great first microphone to record vocals and acoustic instruments. Combine with a pop shield to filter pop noises.
XLR' s are the studio standard cable used to connect your monitors and your microphones to your audio interface. In some cases check your AI doesnt use TSR cables.
2020 | MARCH
THE ARTIST GUIDE
Recording in a studio can be the best option for some musicians such as bands who require more space, or if you want to utilise better equipment or an external engineer.
RECORDING IN A STUDIO
Recording studios are often charged by the hour and can become costly very quickly depending on the complexity of your project. Therefore it is important to be prepared before entering the studio to get the most out of your time and recording. Below are some top tips for working in a recording studio.
Top Tip No.1
Top Tip No.2
Top Tip No.3
Shop around! There are lots of different studios offering different services, equipment and priced differently. Find one that suits your recording and within your budget.
Visit the studio in advance to check out their in-house equipment and establish if you need to bring your own instruments/equipment. Recordings can be affected by using equipment you are not comfortable with.
Prepare, prepare, prepare! Make sure to rehearse everything before entering the studio and have a clear vision of what you want your track to sound like. This will make your session more efficient.
Top Tip No.4 Communicate your ideas effectively with your engineer. Show them  references, your inspiration, play them demos and listen to their thoughts.
Top Tip No.5 Stay positive! The recording process may not be as smooth as you expected and things might not work first time. Be positive, keep focused and be open to changing your plan.
LIVE PERFORMANCE
REHEARSAL Rehearsal is arguably the most important part of performing as without rehearsal your performance will crumble. Here are some top rehearsal tips! Learn your lyrics! You should know them back to front. Try singing it accapella, or listening to yourself back. Practice so much that it second nature, you want to be performing not thinking about what comes next. Practice your breathing! Performing can be nerveracking and affect your breathing. Learn how to slow it down and practise where you will breathe in the song. Record yourself practising! This means you can watch it back to find flaws, don't be afraid of criticising yourself or asking other people for their feedback.
GETTING GIGS Once you are ready to start performing, you need to get yourself gigs. Getting slots, especially paid ones can be competitive so don't be afraid of rejection. Here are some tips for building your live career: Start small! Attend open mics, busk, sign up to battle of the bands and promote yourself online. All of these will put you in front of an audience to spread word of mouth. Look locally! Bars, coffee shops, pubs/clubs are often looking for live music for events. Create a press pack and send it around. Set up your own gig! Book a venue, hire equipment and put on your own music night. Invite other musicians to begin building an audience.
THE ARTIST GUIDE
PERFORMING ON STAGE You've rehearsed, you have booked a gig and now you're on stage performing. Musical talent will only get you so far and making your performance a memorable one is a difficult skill. Here are some top tips to improve your performances. Personality is everything! Some of the best performers are not necessarily the best singers/musicians. Make sure to add personality by interacting with the audience in between songs and act comfortable and natural on stage. Dont be afraid to move! Use the stage to create a more dynamic performance. Whether it is a full dance routine, moving from one side to the other, or just back and forth with your instrument, it is crucial not to stand stiff and still. Energy is contagious and will give your audience a buzz.
Know your audience! It is important to craft your set to suit the audience/gig you are performing to. You don't want ballads at a party but you also don't want a dance-track at a formal event. Research and craft your set appropriately. Connect! You need to be able to connect with the song you are performing. You should portray the emotion of the song (whether it be happy or sad). If you aren't connected with the song, neither will your audience. Keep your eyes open! A big flaw of some performers is avoiding the audience, either by closing their eyes or looking elsewhere. Keep your eyes open and maintain a connection.
THE ARTIST GUIDE
MARKETING AND PROMOTIONS
ONLINE MARKETING As a musician social media should be your best friend in promoting yourself and your music. Begin with your close network, encourage people to share, and update regularly to start growing your following.
Create a dedicated music page Make a music facebook page and invite all your friends to like it. This is an easy way to start a following and a great way to solidify yourself an artist. Make sure the branding consistent with the rest of your assets.
Upload your music to Spotify Whether it be a perfectly recorded track or a demo/instrumental, it is important to get your music available to stream. Spotify has great discovery networks where you can find yourself reaching new audiences. Or it is also easy to embed into your social media profiles.
Make a Website Making a website is often something that is overlooked but it a great step and making your music career become more professional. Brand it, add photos, add your music, add information about yourself and any live updates. You don't know who will see it.
Use your instagram as a promotional tool Instagram is a great way to engage with your audience and to convey the brag you have developed. Make a visually appealing feed and keep your story updated to help build your following.
Create a YouTube Channel YouTube is a great way to create audience engagement and document yourself as a musician. Upload music videos, live acoustic sessions, live performances or vlog yourself in the studio. Think about what you would like to see from a music artist you like and replicate that.
Test out Tiktok TikTok is a relatively new social media channel that could be a great way to increase your following. With different algorithms and over 1 billion users, people are already finding themselves going viral more easily than other channels. Try it out and upload exciting music content.
2020 | MARCH
THE ARTIST GUIDE
CREATING AN EPK An EPK is an electronic press kit and is essentially a CV for your music career, used to sell yourself to record labels, venues, promoters, and journalists. Your EPK should reflect the brand and be cohesive throughout all the different assets. The EPK is often sent out via email and therefore is should be concise but catch the eye to entice the recipient to take note. The internet is full of great examples so don't be afraid to do some research.
01 IMAGES // ARTIST PHOTOS/ARTWORK Your EPK should include high resolution images to be used by the recipient and therefore there should be landscape and portrait options. You should include professionally shot artist images as well as examples of your album artwork. You could also consider a live on-stage image if it is strong and portrays your brand and artistry.
02 BIO You will need to include a bio with background about yourself and information about your music. Think elevator-pitch style to keep it short and informative but don't forget that you are selling yourself so don't bore the reader and avoid cliche's.
03 LINKS Include links to direct the recipient to your external media. This should include music videos, live videos, your website, social media, and ways to stream/purchase your music.
04 REFERENCES References should only be used if relevant, don't include what your mom thinks of your music career. If you've been included in the press, use one line quotes and remember to link.
05 CONTACT Include all contact info for anyone to reach out for more details, if relevant include different contacts for booking and media inquiries.
HOW TO PROMOTE YOURSELF PLAY YOUR MUSIC LIVE
01
I am a big advocater for promoting yourself through doing gigs. Busk, do free shows, open up for similar artists, and apply for festival slots. You'll quickly notice the same faces in the audience and they are likely to bring along other potential fans. GET YOUR MUSIC OUT THERE
02
Reach out to local radio stations to offer your music or an interview, submit your music to playlists, reach out to DJ's, or even ask local coffee shops, restaurant bars to add your music to their playlist.
GET SOME PRESS
03
Similar to the last tip, you need to get your name out there. A great way is to offer yourself by reaching out to bloggers, radio stations, and journalists offering an interview for their channels. This puts your name on the tongues of a new audience.
BE PATIENT AND STAY ACTIVE
04
Often your effort won't pay off and it is easy to admit defeat, however it only takes one good thing to kickstart your career. So be patient and keep your music career active to maintain fans and reach new ones.
The Wider Music Industry
THE INDUSTRY
The Music Industry is made up of so many different parts and as a musician it is equally as important to understand the business as well as the music.
RECORD LABEL
PUBLISHERS
MANAGEMENT
The role of the record label
The role of the music
The role of management is
is to work closely with their
publisher is to work with
to look after the artists
artists to co-ordinate the
songwriters to promote
career, advising them on
production of recording
their songs or compositions
music and business
music, and being
to musicians for sync
decisions, and helping them
responsible for distribution,
campaigns and organise the
day to day. The role differs
and marketing and
correct licensing.
between indie and major.
promotion of the release.
PUBLICIST
BOOKING AGENT
A&R
The role of the publicist is
The booking agent is
The role of A&R is most
to seek and organise
responsible for booking the
commonly known as
opportunities to aid the
artists shows/tours. They are
spotting and scouting talent
artists exposure. This can be
repsonisble for organising
to pitch to record labels.
in the form of print or digital
payment for the shows/tour
However, they now
stories, sync opportunities,
and if an external show will
commonly are also known
and overall raising
also negotiate your place on
for offering critique in order
awareness and managing
the lineup. They take a
to help with the
the artists public
percentage of your payment
development of the artist
appearance.
for their service.
and his/her repertoire.
2020 | MARCH
THE ARTIST GUIDE
EXTERNAL RESOURCES
MARCH | 2020
THE ARTIST GUIDE
WHAT NEXT The internet is saturated with different resources and it is important to take everything with a pinch of salt. Not everything that works for someone else is going to work for you. Music is a working progress and you should continuously try new things and explore to find techniques that work for you. With that being said, here are some resources in addition to this guide to continue developing your musical career.
12M
THE MUSIC MERMAID.COM The Music Mermaid is an online music magazine, full of music news, artist interviews, lots of music resources and analysis. It is an all rounder and a really easy website to use and navigate.
PRS FOR MUSIC M MAGAZINE The PRS for Music magazine is a professional magazine with a variety of content from artist features, to how to's, guides and tips for making money from the PRS themselves.
MUSICTHINKTANK. COM Music Think Tank is a huge online forum with blog posts spanning across a multitude of different topics. The forum is open for anyone to post and comment however so just be weary of what you are reading. Most of the content I have come across however is usually useful.
ARI'S TAKE Ari's Take is an online blog by professional musician Ari Herstand, The blog provides tips for running a career indpendently and navigating the music business. The blog is US based so be careful of certain advice that may not be relevant to the UK.