“Oh here’s something I’d love to succeed in one day.” I said, along with quite many people I’m sure. As I was on one of my drool fests, I happened to find a few interesting facts and tips.
PBE (Play By Ear) Music recently published a book (available on kindle) that gives out some helpful information on how to become a singer or rapper.
Let’s start with something that might break a few dreams: in order to be spotted by a big label, you already need to have some success (in other words, fans).
Did I hear glasses break or is it just me? No matter how much we sigh about it, it is a fact: if you don’t know how to swim in that sea, no one is going to invite you to join them. But once you learned to swim on your own, wouldn’t you be frowning on a waste of your independence? All I wish for at this moment is that we be successful enough to be confronted to that choice.
Get the Word Out
How do I make my work known and appreciated? That question first crossed my mind and I had to shake my head at the times I was annoyed about people posting “please like my channel/music/videos” on social networks. As it seems, those posts are the first step in the advertising of your work. Of course some virtual tomatoes will be thrown at you in the process, but there always is a chance of people listening to your music and liking your songs.
For bigger advertisement campaigns, it goes without saying that you will have to put your hand in your wallet (for better results though, so it is worth a shot). You can also buy ads on social networks (for a limited amount of time, here again totally depending on your pockets’ size), make your work available as much as possible on the Internet, share it on the music sites, put it on streaming…
You can also come up with a music video, which should be like a profile picture: if you don’t have one, there are less chances of people contacting you, replying to you or accepting your “friend requests”.
“You’re moving too fast Adriana, why are you jumping to advertisement without speaking of the song and music itself?” I hear. Well, it’s because you need to understand how that advertising works before you decide which one is best for your music.
Let’s be frank: if your songs do not snatch a “wow” from your audience, advertisement is not going to make them any better.
You will have to work, and work hard, to get the right music, lyrics and voice. Now, priorities are to be set: an amazing voice can cover up empty and poor lyrics’ damage, while a terrible voice can destroy a masterpiece. The ideal, as you all now concluded, lies in good music, good lyrics AND a good voice, which implies having a band or music producers, a team that works together towards better, fulfilling results.
The team organizes everything and will continue doing so even if you work for a big label. So make your choice wisely, you will have to stick to it.
Advertise Yourself
Finally, here comes the most exciting (or frightening, it depends on your abilities) part: showing yourself to an audience, make contact with the public. As hard as it may be for some, don’t panic, there are many tricks you can find online to overcome that type of stress (starting from the obvious strong will).
The contact with your fans, or fans to be, is crucial since the fans are your backbone, they push you forward, help you progress and motivate you. You will have to invest some time in entertaining them, keeping them on the hook with new projects, new gatherings… In return, you will start to be more popular and some financial donations are not to be excluded. It’s all up you now!
I recommend that want more information on how to become a professional singer, you need to invest some time and money into it, buy some resources that will help and guide you to market yourself the best. Becoming a professional singer will be a career (not just a hobby) so you need to get all the information possible.
Although I haven’t quite got to it yet (it is on my ‘to buy list’), Aaron who is my vocal coach, has developed a online singing course will assists both beginner singers and advanced singers who want to learn how to become a better singer and performer. If you are stuck and not sure what help you need, start with Aaron’s programs (website) as I know you will have great success or at least you will be one step closer.
Good luck!