How new artists ought to invest in their music career
Investing in your career is important for any band or artist looking to grow, but where exactly to allocate what precious resources you have can be a difficult quetion. Here, we offer a little guidance.
Guest post by James Shotwell of Haulix
People always say that you need to invest in your career, but nobody tells you how to spend your money. We can help.
The vast majority of young musicians are building a career with limited resources. Not only do they have to balance their pursuit of music with jobs and other commitments, but they often have minimal financial resources. Every dollar matters. Musicians want to grow, but they also want to produce a good product, and sometimes, it’s unclear how to do both with a small budget.
Every career is unique, but there are many similarities. The most important of these being that songs matter above all. Without good songs that are produced well, there isn’t much you can do to build a career. You can throw money around all day, but those efforts will ultimately be in vain without quality material. Today’s listeners have zero tolerance for artists pushing poorly produced music, which is why we always recommend focusing any budget towards making the best possible product first—quality matters.
If you make the best possible recording you can afford and still have a budget, the second area we recommend artists invest in is digital advertising. Many services will do this for you, but we have found that most won’t do it well without a massive investment. The best course of action is to first participate in the multiple online training sessions for digital ads offered by companies such as Facebook, Instagram, Google, and others. These free courses will teach you everything you need to know about setting up targeted ads that deliver actual results, and from there, you can begin building a digital following.
We can go on and on about ways to invest your money, but it’s also important to note that there are many things artists waste money on that should be avoided at all costs. Those items and much more are outlined in the latest Music Biz video. Host James Shotwell will walk you through the best and worst ways to spend your money if you want to grow your career. He will also discuss the pros and cons of each investment and how your priorities may shift over time. Dig in now:
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James Shotwell is the Director of Customer Engagement at Haulix and host of the company’s podcast, Inside Music. He is also a public speaker known for promoting careers in the entertainment industry, as well as an entertainment journalist with over a decade of experience. His bylines include Rolling Stone, Alternative Press, Substream Magazine, Nu Sound, and Under The Gun Review, among other popular outlets.
