Ambition is going to take different forms for different people. If your own professional goals align closely with what there’s a lot of demand and opportunity for, you might not find it so difficult to get where you want to go – provided you obtain the necessary qualifications or experience. However, if you want to get into something more artistic, such as music, you might find that the right road toward it is somewhat obscured.
So, it’s worth considering different routes that you have open to you so that you can think about which makes the most sense. There are never any guarantees about becoming a success in this business, but it might not be something you can go without trying.
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Playing When and Where You Can
The most obvious answer to you might just seem to play in areas where you’re going to get noticed. Here, you can aim to attract the attention of enough people to become known or get lucky enough to be heard by someone in a position to take you higher. Playing music in public spaces might be the most accessible way to go about this to start with (provided that it’s legal to do where you are), and while that can be a way for you to make money, you might not find that it raises awareness of your brand as much as playing at dedicated venues. However, getting to the point where you are playing at such venues is going to require good connections, which means you might have to take matters into your own hands for a while, to begin with.
When playing out in the streets, you might also use it as an opportunity to market yourself, perhaps with a simple sign that draws attention to your presence on music platforms (more on that later), but given the proper permissions, you might also think about what else you can add to your performance. Some venues that you play at are going to have proper sound systems in place, and they won’t always be appropriate (or able to connect with any mains) when in public spaces, but it’s worth getting your hands on your own sound systems so that you’re able to play where none are available. Options, such as those at https://galaxyaudio.com/sound-equipment/portable-wireless-pa-sound-systems/, might suit you best here and can also help you to practice in your own space in order to get a better understanding of what your music will sound like to an audience.
Wherever you can play, it helps to have all available tools so that you can adapt to the situation at hand.
The Available Platforms
Speaking of available tools, what aspiring musical artists might find most useful in the modern world is the plethora of music streaming services at their disposal. While not all of these will immediately allow you to upload music onto them outright, such as how Spotify will require you to enlist the help of a distribution service, others might do. Options like SoundCloud are especially popular with people in this position for this very reason. However, you might feel as though restricting yourself to just that platform doesn’t provide you with ample room to market yourself in the way that you would want.
In this case, it might not just be about relying on one of these services to take you to the next level of your career. Instead, you might have to utilize services like SoundCloud, as well as social media platforms, to help your audience grow. These options might be combined again with public performances, which might have small crowds to begin with but can still help to draw attention. Additionally, when you’re thinking about available services, it’s important not to discount YouTube, as adding a visual component to your music can give you room to attract different audiences, and you might find that even if you don’t, it’s a platform that might grant your content more visibility.
On the topic of YouTube, it’s a platform that could also lend itself to collaborations – a move that could further your visibility. While it might be difficult to convince content creators to use your music, you might find that enough attention of your own could lead to other creators asking your permission to use your music or include it in compilations that could lead new audiences back to you.
Related Professions
Or, you might find that the direct approach isn’t one that you want to completely rely on. Instead, you might find that getting a job in a related profession, such as a music teacher or in a role related to the industry somehow, might be the right way to go. This doesn’t mean that you can’t promote your own music on the side, however, and that’s likely something that you should continue to do. However, it’s important to remember that, in any case, you’ll still have to be able to financially support yourself and your music somehow, and you might find that a job that is connected to the music industry might help to further tie your experience together.
Additionally, if you do manage to get a job that is connected to the music industry (perhaps in an assistant-type role at a professional venue), you might find that you are able to make valuable networking connections that can eventually help to boost your own music career. It’s something to think about, and while your options here are going to be limited by the qualifications and experiences that you have, you might also find that this can help to point you in a realistic direction. Having a job might be necessary for the sake of finances, but it can also take up a great deal of your time, which can impact how much you’re able to contribute towards your own music. Therefore, shifting your attention to a job that can help to pick up some of the slack in this regard might make a lot of sense for somebody in your position.
