"I want to be in the music industry" is a phrase that has probably between said about a million times, yet only a few select individuals actually "make it" in the industry.
Why is that? It could be a number of different things, however most of the time it comes down to these five reasons:
1. Your Beats Suck
I know it sounds harsh, but sometimes it's best to come right out and say it. Your beats suck. It's not your fault; maybe you just weren't shown how to do it the right way and are trying to figure things out on your own. It could also be that you just don't put enough time into making beats. Whatever the reason may be, it still remains that your beats might not be any good.
Some people seem to be really good or even great at most things they do, while others struggle to put together a basic beat. I always believed that anyone can make beats and produce music because if you put enough time and effort into it and work really hard, you WILL succeed no matter what.
One of the most important things that you must remember about beat making is that it's more than just buying gear and software then banging out dope beats. There is a whole process to making your beats sound great, and the first thing is you need to study others. Think about it like this: if you wanted to learn Karate, you could check out some books and videos and then practice at home. You will be good at it, but far from great. So what's the next step? You take a course and learn from someone better than you.
The same thing when it comes to making beats. Study others and learn from them, it's that simple.
With the numerous ways you can learn through the Showcase and Attack of the Beats, you will always be able to learn a thing or two as you strive to make your beats better.
2. You Are Not Marketing Properly
Marketing is a tricky business, and for beats, it is an essential part of being successful.
I hate having to market anything, but it's one of those things that you just have to do. You could hire someone, or even an entire firm to do the marketing for you, but since we're talking about beats and the music industry, your best bet is to work on it yourself.
Most people think that social media means marketing, and they're half-right, because it's more than that. You could gather up a bunch of friends and hit the streets to pass out flyers and business cards, or even free beat CD's (or flash drives), or you could make a funny video and post it on YouTube.
But maybe you don't need to do all of that. Maybe marketing is more than just numbers. Maybe it's about the quality of your marketing.
What you need to remember is that even though you could market yourself dozens of different ways, all it takes is that one way that will put you in the spotlight. If you have an instrumental album that you want to get out to the masses, maybe all you need is to market it a certain way: funny, catchy, or cool.
Think of all the people on YouTube that get hundreds of thousands of views on each of their videos, and all they do is act stupid. Why do they get so many views? Because their videos are stupid, that's why. But here's the thing - they're marketing towards a targeted audience. Even with this article, my goal is to get beat makers and producers to read it and hopefully it will spark a good conversation.
3. Guess What? Nobody Knows Who You Are
Just as I've mentioned, you need to market yourself and be visible. By doing that, people will begin to know you and what you do. They could know you as "the guy that makes those funny videos with his music", or "that's the guy that hands out flyers".
But if you don't do those things, nobody will know who you are. I know it can be difficult to be recognized and get your name out there, but it takes time. Once people do know who you are, you can finally network and promote yourself the way you want to.
I have seen it many times before - producers, DJs, and rappers that are so amazing but no one knows who they are. All that talent pretty much gone to waste, whereas instead they could be working on being known and gaining fans.
You could stay in your house forever and be the best Hip Hop producer, but no one will know you. With the fact that you have the internet at your fingertips, there is no reason why you can't get your name to mean something.
4. Social Media Is Not Just About You
The first thing I have to mention is that if you want to do marketing and networking on social media, you have to have a separate account for your music. So if you're on Facebook, you have your personal account, but there should also be a fan page for your music. For Twitter, you just have to get a separate account since they don't offer pages at this time.
Once you have a separate page or account set up, you need to work your magic with social media. The trick is to not constantly talk about yourself. That is one of the biggest turn offs about social media - people posting everything about themselves. Yes, you want people to know about you and your music, but there's a certain way to do it.
For example, don't just post links to your music all day long. You can post some of course, but the main objective is to WORK your page by connecting with people. So if you're on Twitter, you could mention your music by involving other people that follow you (or that you want to follow you):
"Just finished this beat and I hope everyone likes it. I got inspired by @peterock".
As you can see, I accomplished a few things here:
- I did not directly post about my music, such as "Yo check out my beat".
- "I hope everyone likes it" shows that I'm being humble and looking for feedback.
- I mentioned Pete Rock's account at the end. Hopefully he will retweet it or even follow me.
5. You Need To Give It Time
Regardless of all the points I have just mentioned, you need to give it time. In today's world, everyone wants everything now, so it's understandable that you don't want to wait to get feedback on your beats, and you definitely don't want to wait to get 1,000 people to like your Facebook page.
But you just need to give it time.
IllMuzik started off with only a handful of members and no activity whatsoever. I could have closed everything up right away, but instead I kept everything moving along, and now it has grown into something I never imagined.
It took years to reach this point, and that is what will happen with your music.
Sure, there are some producers that seem to pop up overnight and have "made it" in the music industry, but what you don't know is that it took them a very long time to reach that point.
Whether it's social media or getting good enough feedback on your beats, it will take time for you to finally reach the level you want to be at. And even then, it might still not be enough for you, depending on your goals.
Conclusion
Some people make it, and some don't. Everyone has a different story when it comes to their music, but if you dedicate yourself enough, you will eventually reach the level you want to be at in the music industry. The main advice that I can offer you is to practice daily and work hard. If you do that, you will finally succeed in the music industry.
Further Reading Related to the Music Industry
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