In our country there are thousands of young electronic music lovers who aspire to be professional DJs tomorrow. Is it possible or is it a dream only available to a few? Building a career in music is difficult, but not impossible. With the necessary dose of talent, strategy and persistence, the chances of success increase enormously. Ibai Cereijo, director of the music communications agency buy real looking sound cloud plays, has been advising artists, festivals and record labels seeking to gain a foothold in the music scene for years. What advice do you give them to make their ambitions a reality?
1. Draw up a career plan
. Do you know where you want to go? Fantastic! Don’t be afraid to be too ambitious. But you won’t achieve your dream tomorrow, or the next day. Therefore, you have to set an itinerary with the milestones that you must achieve in the short, medium and long term. Identifying and putting these intermediate goals in order will help you know where to start, what the next challenges are and what resources you have (or lack) to face them. Perhaps by drawing this map on paper you will detect that you lack sufficient musical training, that you need a partner in this adventure, or that it would be good for you to have savings to invest in promotion… Your trip will never be as you have planned, but this exercise It will be a compass that will show you where to walk.
2. Design a brand
What is the product you offer like? Your identity as a person is one thing, but as a musician, band, DJ or producer you have to be aware that you are going to enter a market where you buy and sell, in this case, a cultural product. Define in detail your musical positioning, your sound, your style, your image, your way of relating to the public, your creative and emotional story… And your stage name! Design an attractive brand, but one that you can sustain with the virtues and resources you have as a person or group. Make these decisions carefully, because working to build a brand and then abandon it is one of the most frustrating experiences there is.
3. Train yourself thoroughly
. Are you really so good at your job that it’s worth paying to see you? The commercial explosion of electronic music has created the mirage that any young person who is 17 years old, has a good image and grace when raising his arms can conquer the world. Thousands of young people with good intentions fall into this trap, and many end up frustrated when they find themselves unable to emulate Martin Garrix. My advice is: Kill yourself to study! Learn an instrument, take higher education in music, look for the best academies here and abroad… You should also know English perfectly, and perhaps marketing, business or audiovisual communication. With all this baggage, you will be able to find accommodation behind the scenes of the music industry if your Plan A fails.
4. Create good music
Is your head a constant box of sounds? In previous times, managers became desperate because artists only wanted to compose and play, and were never in the mood for interviews or promotions. Today, many managers spend the day begging their kids to turn off Instagram… And make music, please! As ridiculous as it may be, these days it is necessary to reaffirm this principle: to have a career in music, you have to create music! And not only that: it has to be quality, different and disruptive music. Changing your hairstyle every week will get you likes, but it won’t lead to success. If you don’t have at least a dozen unfinished audio projects on your digital workstation, you’re not getting it.
5. Nurture relationships
How far do you think you will go if you go alone? If you want to progress, you must get out of your bubble, fight your complexes and show your best public relations side. The beginning of a career is no time for pride. You need to get out there, meet the people who are already in the market and present your project to them: event promoters, representatives, label managers, industry leaders, journalists, critics, influencers, other artists… Establish relationships based on respect, gratitude, value creation and talent. No one owes you anything, no matter how good you are at what you do. Fit the pumpkins with sportsmanship and move on, according to your race plan.
6. Collaborate with others
Do you want to grow alone or in company? If you look around you, you will see dozens of artists at the same career level as you. They are your allies, not your competitors. Surely your wish is to release a record collaboration with Paco Osuna or Hardwell, but it probably won’t happen; At least in the short term. Ally yourself with people of your same generation, and with whom you share similar sensibilities and dreams. Join forces to form a community, collective or movement that benefits you all. Your cooperation can consist of a record label, joint productions, shared events or a regular party. Have an open attitude: share everything you know, and learn everything others have to teach you
7. Be persistent
How many negatives are you able to digest? Don’t be discouraged by your first fiascos, you will have them. Most artists you admire succeeded after a dozen mistakes or after a lifetime of mediocre results. Although your project must be adaptable, do not change your artistic name, musical style or image at the first opportunity. The equation is not easy: you must be able to change your career plan by learning from the mistakes made, but without falling into the temptation of reinventing everything every year.
8. Tell your story
How are you going to reach your audience? Having a good communication strategy is essential so that your talent translates into visibility, attention and fans. Today, social networks have greatly simplified the formula to reach lovers of your musical style around the world. However, the public is very demanding, the competition is fierce and there is too much ambient noise. You need to count the steps you are taking in your career with excellence, regularity and spark. Design specific plans for each platform (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, SoundCloud, YouTube, Email, Web, WhatsApp, press, etc.), prepare a detailed publication calendar and spend money on good professionals (photographers, graphic designers, video editors , community managers, press agents, etc.).
9. Don’t fake success
. Do you really love music or are you just looking for vanity? Think wisely. Instagram is full of young aspiring DJs faking poses, showing tattoos, sporting brands or falling in love with themselves with bad-ass faces, gansta madafacka vibe. Do you really think this will lead to anything? Wearing an inspiring and current image is essential in the era of social networks, but make no mistake: although it is a necessary complement, the artist’s focus must be music. Those photos you post pretending to be Snoop Dogg in a bathtub full of $100 bills, surrounded by bottles of Moët Chandon, or smoking with the smoke in your face radiate a lack of originality, anxiety about quick success, and a lack of your own cultural narrative.
10. Get attention
If you had to be known and remembered for only one action, what would it be? Social media has put us all into a frenzy of having to post something every day. Thus, the artist’s story has become a daily drip of small stories. Sometimes I miss the dynamic of rock bands in the ’80s. You only heard from them twice a year, but each appearance was memorable: a great album, a gigantic concert or a stellar collaboration. Don’t let yourself be overwhelmed by the requirement of telling something every day and work on something big. Embark on a project whose image will remain forever etched in the public’s retina.
11. Be original
Do you yourself buy the original or the copy? As an artist, it is natural that you are enrolled in trends and that your sound belongs to the time in which you live. In fact, if your music sounded like the 18th century, you’d be out of the market. However, you have to do something different to make it worth listening to yourself instead of the artists you admire. If you have a sound trait or your own artistic identity, you must sharpen it to differentiate yourself from the rest: it is a basic principle of marketing. At first you will seem like a geek. Imagine Timmy Trumpet the first time he pulled out his trumpet in the middle of an electronics session…Many laughed! Today he is one of the most unique DJs on the world circuit.
12. Do it out of passion
Why do you want to embark on this adventure? Even if you believe that only you know your motives, they will permeate everything you do. If you have chosen music for vanity, fame, money or to attract more people, your project will have a very short journey and, furthermore, you will give up at the first difficulties. Follow this advice: the only reason to dedicate yourself to music is the passion for music. I know young aspiring DJs who actually don’t care much about music. They don’t even like to dance. They are only in this because the deejay is the popular icon of the moment and that guarantees them adulation. If you don’t have a real passion for dance music, keep searching until you find yours, and dedicate yourself to it.