Should You “Shoot Your Shot” To Get Ahead In The Music Biz?

A recent tweet by the GRAMMY award-winning producer behind Billie Eillish has thrown new fuel on the fiery debate over whether or not people (and more specifically musicians) should take the risk of “shooting their shot.”

Guest post by James Shotwell of Haulix

A post from recent GRAMMY award-winning producer and songwriter Finneas has sparked a discussion over whether or not people should take a chance on themselves.

What is your dream? When you imagine your career in music, who do you work with and where? If you had the chance to show those people or companies your talent, would you?

“Shooting your shot” is a popular phrase for people who risk embarrassment and being turned away to share their ideas. Recently, GRAMMY award-winning producer and songwriter Finneas tweeted that he feels creative people should avoid shooting their shot and focus solely on developing something themselves. We agree with him, to an extent, but there are times when taking a chance on yourself is the only way to get ahead.

For starters, the competition for attention in music today is fierce. There are countless artists sending messages to labels, publicists, managers, booking agents, and anyone else they believe can help their careers daily. You can choose to sit out that battle, but doing so lowers the likelihood that someone in a position of influence will find you and give you a leg up your career needs to reach its maximum potential.

There is also the fact that being “good” is no longer good enough. There are many gifted artists with great songs and carefully-crafted brands that will never receive the amount of attention they arguably deserve. To stand out in today’s industry, artists need all the help they can get, and the best way to find the right person to elevate your career is by going after the professionals and companies you want to know about your music.

Billie Eilish is an outlier. Finneas is an outlier. Chance The Rapper is an outlier. There will always be exceptions to the rule, but for every outlier that reaches the mainstream, there are dozens or more artists who get there by shooting their shot and networking with others in the industry. There is nothing weak or wrong with taking a chance on yourself and reaching out for help. We’ll let Music Biz host James Shotwell explain the rest: