Here are tips for music networking to increase your connections. Knowing how to network in the music industry is important to build a successful career.
Whether you are a musician, singer, rapper, or music producer, knowing how to network is essential.
Many artists feel lost or lack confidence when it comes to making contacts. “Where do I go to meet people?”, “How do I make a good first impression?” are some of their biggest concerns.
If these questions resonate with you, here are 7 tips on how to network in the music industry so you never miss an opportunity again.
Music Networking Tips
1. Always Be Ready to Network
Who knows, on a casual trip to the supermarket, you may meet a fellow local artist to collaborate with or your next music producer. Or maybe someone comments on your Instagram, and if you’re not clear and concise about your work, you risk missing the opportunity.
That’s why you should always be prepared to network.
Make sure you have a great portfolio to show to people, a Soundcloud page, for instance, try making business cards, and most importantly, be clear about what your goals are in music.
This will give you much more confidence and better chances of finding a great lead.
2. Attend Music Events & Concerts
This one is always easy and fun. Concerts and events related to music are good places to find fellow artists and people related to the industry, especially at music fairs. Always be on the verge of your city’s schedule.
Sure, be ready to network. Ask people for their business cards and bring yours too. See if you have any interests and goals in common. Make sure you give a great first impression.
3. Learn About Marketing
If you have a great social media profile but no one is interacting with you, then you probably need to improve your marketing strategy and music networking efforts.
That’s where marketing comes in. Having a basic understanding of it will help you improve your content and your visibility and, consequently, bring you more potential leads.
Marketing basics are fairly easy and can be learned by anyone. There is tons of great marketing content on the internet.
Plus, its philosophy will help you present yourself better not only on social media but in person, too, since networking and marketing are closely related.
Here is a helpful video with 5 Marketing Tips for Musicians:
4. Be the First to Approach New People
Many of us often don’t approach fellow artists just because we fear being ignored.
But chances are they’re fearing the same thing, so why not be the first to approach?
Everyone likes meeting people and making contacts. Be it a comment on social media or an in-person occasion, never let an opportunity pass.
After that, make sure to keep in touch with the people you meet.
Interacting with your contacts is as important as the first approach when it comes to music networking.
5. Be Professional
Always approach and professionally treat people. Be polite and ready to present your best self.
Avoid doing things such as interrupting important people while they’re in a conversation to hand them your demo, for instance.
While it looks completely unprofessional, chances are that the person in question will not listen to your work if you approach them this way.
So treat the others the way you would want to be treated: professionally. Show them a strong brand you’ve created for yourself and have a professional relationship. That way, you get much bigger chances of getting heard by the big industry.
6. Create a Strong Brand for Yourself
Your brand is unique. It’s what makes people recognize you, so nothing is more important than having a strong and concise footprint in the music industry.
Have a great social media presence, differentiate yourself, be unique, share your work with the world, and be consistent. That way, you’ll have more chances of people remembering you.
Here is a great video about how to create a brand for yourself as an artist:
Related: Music Branding & Marketing Tips for Music Producers
7. Help & Collaborate With Others
Whenever a fellow artist or person in the industry needs a helping hand, offer them. You never know when you’re going to need it yourself.
Art is all about collaboration; Even your honest opinion helps. By doing that, you start creating a great relationship with others, making your brand stronger, and, most importantly, helping to create a healthier music industry community. Everybody wins.
If you already have a strong brand, you can even offer yourself to collaborate on someone else’s work. But make sure you establish a great relationship with the person in question before bringing up the idea.
Conclusion on Music Networking
Always be ready to network so you don’t miss any opportunities.
Make sure you create a strong brand and know how to market yourself, especially on social media.
Search for concerts and music events in your area, and always be professional.
Do you have any music networking tips?
Please share it below!
Helpful discussion. Thanks all for participating.
Make sure, that everyone can get your music simply for free
Take time to actually build genuine relationships. Spamming random people your beats on social networks is NOT a proper way to network.
Don’t sell your music for free. You aren’t a charity, and don’t listen to those idiots telling you to give your art away, drop outs and probably never made a decent record in their life