We know keeping regular hours as a musician sounds like a contradiction of terms, but hear us out when we say you need to keep “office hours.” Maybe your hours aren’t 9-5; or maybe you have a 9-5 in addition to being a musician. The point is, if your goal is to make music a full time gig, you need to exercise some discipline in regularity. Now if your goal is to be a hobby musician and play when you feel like it, then by all means go with the flow; but if you dream about quitting your day job, you can’t just wait to be discovered. You need to show some commitment. Here are our suggestions for staying on course while you’re building your music career.
Book Shows Consistently
We know being your own booking manager feels like a full time job in and of itself. The key isn’t to be out five nights a week. In fact, we recommend taking a less is more, quality over quantity approach. You don’t have to play every bar gig out there, but playing quality shows at least once or twice a month and actively promoting those shows will keep you on the radar of fans and booking agents alike.
Posting On Social Media
Speaking of promoting shows, we cannot stress enough how important it is to post on socials regularly and consistently. Whether you are playing a new song from your living room or reposting some old pics from a favorite gig, keep your feeds full so followers know you are still at it.
Get a Recording Plan
We know this one is a bit pricier, but find a producer you work well with and create a plan with them for getting your music out and onto streaming platforms. You may be putting new music out annually or every few months, regardless be sure to prioritize recording. We recommend intentionally setting aside money from each gig to go toward recording fees. And don’t forget to let us at Born & Bred know when your new song is dropping so we can promote it!
You’re Never Too Good to Get Better
Constantly practice and perfect your craft. Never underestimate the important of regularly just sitting and playing for the sake of practicing. The same goes for song writing. The more you write, the better your songwriting will be.
Just Keep Writing
And on that note, just keep writing! You know it; we know it. Not every song you write will make it to a studio. But it’s all part of the process. Write and write and write even if you get one gem out for every ten songs you write. It takes a lot of passion and grit, but Just. Keep. Writing.
