Networking

[ntdawg]

Hey Guys,

 

I'm hoping to get some ideas on how to improve my networking skills. There seems to be plenty of people with a wealth of experience on these boards so any insight which you could provide will be appreciated.

 

I've come to realise latley that it isn't my ability or equipment which is holding me back - it's the people I know or more accuratley,the people who know of me and my talents.

 

With the music business being so insular how does one break into that clique? Does any one have any suggestions on how to expose your talents to the already professional musicians, producers and other industry professionals? I'm ready ability and equipment wise to take the next step in my career but finding the opportunities is difficult.

 

To my frustration advertising in street press publications for musicians often results in meeting hobbists with no intention of putting in the energy and work to launch a successful career in this business. I've had the same experieince in responding to auditions in this medium.

 

Has anyone here climbed the ranks from amateur to professional? And if so could you kindly give some tips on how you did this? (besides playing really well that is)

 

Cheers.

[primeelite]

Best thing to do is go to music conferences and network with people face to face. In your local music scene make sure everyone at least knows who you are. Myspace is also a great place to network with people that you like there music etc. To get to larger more influential people you are going to just have to slowly work your way up. If you are real serious about the music industry you should try to get an internship somewhere so you can work on your stuff and meet a lot of people in the industry at the same time.

[jaxn slim]

My advice is to pursue every feasible avenue that comes your way. I wouldn't shun the hobbyists just because they don't want to go full time. They probably know other people that can help you. Additionally, open mike nights and jam sessions can be great placed to meet people.

 

The most successful ventures I have had were usually offshoots of what I had initially set out to do. For example, I started playing with a band when I first moved to Nashville. I met lots of people through those guys because we were trying to make things happen. When that band fell through, I leveraged the connections that I made through those guys to form another band. Now I am meeting even more people through this band. And I would expect that if this one fell through, it wouldn't take long to get something else moving.

[Booya Tribe]

 

Hey Guys, I'm hoping to get some ideas on how to improve my networking skills. There seems to be plenty of people with a wealth of experience on these boards so any insight which you could provide will be appreciated. I've come to realise latley that it isn't my ability or equipment which is holding me back - it's the people I know or more accuratley,the people who know of me and my talents. With the music business being so insular how does one break into that clique? Does any one have any suggestions on how to expose your talents to the already professional musicians, producers and other industry professionals? I'm ready ability and equipment wise to take the next step in my career but finding the opportunities is difficult. To my frustration advertising in street press publications for musicians often results in meeting hobbists with no intention of putting in the energy and work to launch a successful career in this business. I've had the same experieince in responding to auditions in this medium. Has anyone here climbed the ranks from amateur to professional? And if so could you kindly give some tips on how you did this? (besides playing really well that is) Cheers.

 

 

It's been my experience that people who try to make it work have a hard time making it work because they have too many expectations and approaching what is a creative field with a business mind. Do what you like to do because you genuinely like to do it, and if you are good at it and make some basic efforts to keep working on it (which you will do naturally if you like doing it), then things will open up.

 

It takes patience, but if you are doing what you like, it doesn't seem like you are waiting, it just seems like you are doing what you want. Music does have a business side, but it comes from creativity. Creativity and music should always be put first.

 

If you don't put creativity first, you will get frustrated and give up because you will be expecting too much and not doing enough of what it actually takes to "make it" (and what makes being involved with music tolerable)- developing your creativity.

 

Networking happens slowly. If you can at least get a show, and you are doing something that people like, you will naturally meet people who will in one way or another lend to the success of what you are doing. You can't just try to meet people to meet people - there has to be something common which bonds people organically.

 

Honestly, most of the successful bands I know were friends who were all into the same music and began playing because it was fun. This leads to shows with other friends, meeting new friends, playing more shows, playing shows out of town, being seen by new people, getting talked about, and gaining the interest of people who put out music.