Why mastery isn’t the be-all, end-all in music
by Alec Plowman
How do you make it in the music business?
If there was an easy answer to this question, then I’d be more famous than Bono right now. The truth is, there’s no tried-and-true formula to musical success. But, from my experience of watching people who have – and - haven’t made it, I’ve noticed one commonality.
Those who devote all their time to mastery of their music – and mastery of their music alone – tend not to get very far.
This might seem counterintuitive to you. Surely those people who “master” music are “the best”, and ergo, the most likely to succeed?
So here’s the thing. When it comes to perfecting your music, mastery is important. But, mastery of music alone does not a successful musician make.
Increasingly, those who make it in the music industry tend to have their fingers in many pies. Your musicianship or songwriting being on point is no longer enough and, especially in the early days of your career, you’re going to have to moonlight doing the jobs that have nothing to do with composing songs or performing in front of audiences.
If you’re serious about going the distance with your songs, then you might want to brush up in some of the following areas:
Marketing:
Until you’ve got labels and PR companies at your disposal, it’s your job to get the word out there about your music. I’ve known plenty of super talented acts who didn’t make it any further than their hometown because they refused to engage with this principle.
In this day and age, marketing savvy means getting to grips with social media and maximizing the potential of these platforms to connect with a potentially global audience for your songs. Depending on who you are and the sort of music that you play, it might also mean grassroots leafleting and making in-person in roads in your local scene.
If you’re struggling to get your head around this, then do some research. To help you get started, check out this resource.
Money management:
To be fair, this one is a life skill that everyone should have. Unfortunately, in my experience at least, balancing the books isn’t something that comes naturally to creative types.
If you’re serious about furthering your musical career, then you need the capital to do it. That means making savvy decisions about tour costing, your profit margins on merchandise and when it is-and-isn’t wise to spend money on things like new equipment or digital marketing campaigns.
Once again, there are good starting points for this topic here and here.
Networking:
If you’re reading this, you’re an aspiring musician/songwriter. That means How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie’s classic 1936 self-help manual - probably isn’t on your reading list. It should be though. When it comes to making it in music, building your network is key. You want to surround yourself with a team of people who can help you level up. Carnegie’s book is a bible for doing just that and harnessing the power of his advice on building networks will pay off in dividends when it comes to building a career in music.
If you want a taster of what it’s all about, this ten point summary from Forbes is a great place to start.
You can’t be a master of everything, but sometimes, being a jack of all trades and a master of some is what it takes to make it in music.
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