One of the things that often comes up when I begin working
with a new music artist is the concept of making their music and their name a
commercialized product. Most of the artists with whom I work are just starting
out in the music industry and have never really thought about the fact that
they are a brand, and that brand should be marketed in every way possible.
Making the jump from music being a hobby to music being a way of life that
earns an artist an income involves many things. One just doesn’t go to a
studio, record one’s music, and suddenly become a professional music artist.
There are many aspects to becoming a professional in the music industry that
must be put into place before an artist will be taken seriously. For the next few blog posts, I will being
reviewing a list of basic points that I go over with each artist with whom I
work in order to help them understand the commercial aspects of making money
with their music. After all, if they weren’t planning on making money, then
their music endeavors should just stay on the level of being a hobby. I’ll
begin with the basics:
1. Do you have a logo? As an artist, your logo is likely
something that involves your artist name. Or maybe it’s a symbol or some
initials in a creative font. Whatever it is, make sure you have one. Take some
time in developing your logo. Don’t just slap something together and call it
good. It will be the visual identification to your brand for the foreseeable
future, so make sure it’s done well.
2. Have you trademarked your name and logo through the United States Patent and Trademark Office
(USPTO)? If you intend to earn money using your artist name, then you need
to protect the name of the business earning that money. Here is a great video on some basics when
it comes to trademarks and using them in businesses:
3. Do you have a website? Now, I’m not talking about an
artist account on Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud,
ReverbNation, or elsewhere (although
those are important as well). I’m talking about actually purchasing a domain
name through GoDaddy.com or some other
domain name service, and building a functional website. If you have basic
computer skills, you can easily build a site through free html editors such as wix.com or kompozer.net
and then connect your newly purchased domain name to that site. But to really
look professional, it’s worth it to invest some money into having your site
done by someone whose business is web design. At a minimum, however, invest in
the domain name. Once you have the name, you will want to put your music on the
site. And whatever you do, DON’T put anything on autoplay. Nothing is more
annoying than going to someone’s website and having music play without being
prepared for it. Another reason for having a professional create your web
design is so that you can actually SELL your music from your website. A link to
iTunes or some other digital music vendor is nice, but often that one extra
step will be too much trouble for some people. You will sell more if fans can
actually just purchase the download directly from your site (in addition to
distribution on other digital music channels).
There are hundreds of thousands of unsigned, undiscovered
music artists out there. Many of them are extremely talented, but don’t know
how to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. If you are willing to put
in the work and demand excellence in every aspect of your career, then you may
just have a chance at making a living doing this thing we call music. Tune in
next time for more tips on marketing your brand, distributing your music, and
other topics that will create that separation from the masses that you will
need in order to stand out as a music artist and a true professional in the industry.
