6 articles on making money making music
Making money making music. It’s a musician’s eternal challenge, and one that has driven many talented people out of the profession. Music programs all over the world offer excellent instruction on how to be accomplished performers but few prepare their graduates for the harsh reality of the music marketplace. Performers exit the university system with degrees but with no working knowledge of how to be the self-employed professionals most are likely to become.
Freelance musicians are small business people. We may be artists, but we still need the grounding of good business practices in order to survive. To thrive, we have to understand taxes and marketing; billing and fundraising. It’s not a coincidence that the most successful musicians I know are the ones who understand that educating themselves about the business side of their business gives them the freedom to stop worrying about money and focus instead on the music they wish to create.
When I first started my music career, I learned from other local musicians, read everything I could on being self-employed, and implemented the suggestions I was given. It allowed me to work for myself, rather than someone else. For years I wrote many articles for publications about business practices for musicians, and it’s a theme I’ve returned to multiple times on No Dead Guys. Money matters matter, especially to freelancers. These 6 articles cover everything from cold calling to the ways musicians damage their careers. Hopefully you will find one or more of them helpful.
9 non-musical ways musicians damage their careers
The music business is fickle and uncertain, yet more musicians would have an easier time succeeding in it if they stopped sabotaging their own careers. This article discusses 9 of the most damaging ways we inflict failure on ourselves.
How to cold call a musical gatekeeper
Whether it be seeking artist representation, asking for publicity, or booking a gig, part of every musician’s job is contacting musical gatekeepers. This article discusses the right way to do so (and outlines some mistakes to avoid).
How to ask people for money
Want backing for a recording? Want to secure funding for a project? Asking for money has to be one of the most uncomfortable things a musician has to do. Here are some tips on how to do this successfully and artfully.
Demystifying grant writing: find funding for your music projects
In the United States, grants are one of the best sources of funding for musicians. This guest post by author Dr. Jill Timmons offers advice on how to land most (if not all) of the grants you apply for.
Publicist Frances Wilson on musicians’ worst self-marketing mistakes (and how to fix them)
Self-marketing is part of the job of being a professional musician. Publicist and author of the famous piano blog, The Cross-Eyed Pianist, Frances Wilson offers advice on what not to do when promoting your music.
A musician’s dilemma: balancing commercial interests with artistic intent
If musicians were solely focused on making money, they would have entered a more remunerative profession. Those of us who chose to embrace a musical career learn that we never stop having to balance our need to make a living and our need to create. This post discusses that tension (and offers ideas on how to ease some of the pressure of it).
Photo by Dmytro Demiko, courtesy of UpSplash