Many Fail and Fail To See Why They've Failed

Let's be honest. As the 2020's are fast approaching, we are still akin to the habits of the old school formula. You know which one I mean. You record a demo, someone who knows someone who knows someone magically discovers it. All of a sudden, you're in the studio with your idol.

Those days are gone (if they even ever really existed to begin with).

It is an independent man's game because, frankly, record labels got too greedy. They got greedy and they got lazy.

In 2018, it's pretty much a MUST to be doing 90% - if not, all - of the work yourself. 


In fact, you damn near have to be famous to get famous these days!

Here are our tips for unsigned artists in 2018:

Network.

This is often said, but very often not understood. What you have to realise is, nobody can do this for you. If you are an artist that constantly wonders why people aren't reaching out to you, stop. Ask yourself why you aren't reaching out to them. I do not mean you should spam people with links to videos or spotify singles telling them to "check out this dope mixtape." That won't get you anywhere.

Instead, adopt a professional approach to connecting with other artists, producers, influencers and potential fans. 

To network effectively with people, you will need to actually give a crap about what that person is doing. Maybe they're a really dope producer who you'd like to work with. Or perhaps the person you're reaching out to isn't even someone you'd collaborate with, just someone you admire. Whoever it is, create a genuine relationship with them by showing them support. Listen to their music, read their blog, watch their videos. Make yourself known and try to establish some common ground.

If you do this with enough people, they are bound to support what you are doing. Not everyone will but you don't need everyone. As long as the connection is genuine, you're set. Who knows, you may even impress someone who is willing to share their connections with you.

Create.

Goes without saying really but you'd be surprised how much creating takes a backseat when you get into the business side of things. From arranging gigs with promoters to scheduling posts all week, don't forget what you're promoting! If there is no fresh new content to market, the promotion is essentially all for nothing. So it is a good idea to constantly be creating. Whether that is writing, recording, or mixing. Even if it's an impromptu photoshoot or a live video of you singing acapella. Trust me, something is better than nothing.

Consistency.

Consistency is key to success. Somebody, actually, almost everybody has said this at some point. Now, don't get me wrong. Being consistently bad isn't going to lead you to success. But you do have to be consistently great! This kind of goes hand in hand with creating as much as possible.  You can't have one dope music video on your YouTube channel and the rest below standard. Fans want to be able to rely on someone for a specific type of content. You go to the bakers for bread. You go to Domino's for pizza. People need to rely on you for the quality of music to be the same each time they come back.

Be consistent in your album quality, your artwork, lyrical content etc. I'd even go as far as mentioning your social media presence. Don't pretend to be something you're not. Be you and be consistent.

Final Tips

Of course, these 3 tips aren't the only things you can do. Consider learning new strategies and researching the industry weekly to stay on top. You need to be one step ahead to be a successful artist. You don't have to follow trends but definitely observe how other artists are winning. It could be the way they roll out their albums or the way they use live videos for instance.

Whatever it is, you can count on this blog if you require tips for unsigned artists in 2018.