Starting Out In Music? Advice For Emerging Artists
Being in a band in 2025 can be an enormous responsibility, with the modern musician having to be a talk show host, a comedian and a marketing expert before they worry about picking up their guitar.
Keeping Up Appearances
With the locomotive that is social media taking a considerable step up in importance for emerging artists, musicians have found themselves in front of their phone screens more than their amplifiers. The pressure of keeping up appearances on social media can be creatively draining for some, whereas for others it is another extension of their musical world. But when we consider that social media is one of many tasks at hand for the modern music practitioner, even the most stoic of people may find themselves stranded in a sea of confusion and overstimulation.
The power of being an independent artist in 2025 is that the creative control can be 100% in the hands of the artists, yet it may benefit some newcomers to collaborate with other industry practitioners whilst developing their craft. Now this isn’t to say that if you’re starting out you shouldn’t broaden your horizons and take on the extra work, learning production or music business will benefit you significantly. However, you can soon find yourself burnt out if you spread your focus too thin.
No Zero Days
Now, the main point is writing the songs, right? Musicians will be able to do this in their sleep (and quite often do) but it is often the boring stuff that should take priority after that. PRS subscriptions, writing press releases, EPK’s and sending out an army of emails should come second. After all, you could hire a producer or a photographer, but only you can get your admin and legal ad-hoc in order. You’d hate to have your intellectual property stolen after all that hard graft in rehearsal!
No zero days is a term I have come across online a lot lately, and while at first, it may seem like an unnecessary stance to take, it is a proven method of success, however. This means as long as you do something every day that works towards your band goals, you will succeed. This can be writing a song, a chord progression or even a short melody for a quick turnaround in your next hit. Just do something!
And finally, do not fall for shady promoters! Now this can be the hardest part because some promoters are experts in selling snake oil. They tell you they know this guy from Sony and that their cousin’s dog was rescued by Gary Numan. And be wary of the pay-to-play scams plaguing the ever-more-hungry grassroots scene, just keep your wits about you out there! You want to play as often as you can at first, but you’re far better off promoting your own D.I.Y show than paying to play or showing up for your local scam artists.
Just Write Good Music, Damn It!
Don’t worry if you’re not the greatest social media influencer, you very well may be in the future. Or maybe not. It doesn’t really matter, as long as you work on your craft as authentically as you can. Just make sure to tap into something else, be it music business, another instrument, music production or graphic design. In today’s world, every little helps. It sure beats making your own record sleeves by hand like they did in the 1980s, as much as we have nostalgia for those simpler times. If we don’t somewhat embrace the new, we will be lost in the past.
