As an artist, you’re to strive to be the main attraction but it isn’t something you should do on your own. As you gain momentum, think about bringing together a group of individuals that align with your wants and needs to further your career. Building a central team around you will help you maximize your career, make informed business choices, and build on your net worth. In the early stages, a lot of the tasks associated with building your career will be taken on by you. Including your management, reviewing of any small legal agreements, your business affairs, your marketing/social media presence. But the more you grow and garner more widespread attention, your time will become thinner as you spend more time focusing on your music and less time focusing on the day-to-day of your career. Here’s somethings for you to consider:
You are a business
Most artists avoid business
What you do with your success can make you or break you
Your career run will not last forever
You Are A Business
One of the most memorable lines in music comes from Ye’s ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ remix with Jay - Z in which Jay says "I'm not a businessman, I'm a business, man,”. Most people in and outside of the music industry understand what this line means but applying it to your careers is what can set you apart. Often times, when an underground artists hears the calling, there is no doubt that a big appeal for most is the ability to be yourself creatively and build an empire for you and your family. Another appeal for many is the fact that as an artist you are essentially your boss and can choose when and how you want to work, but that ability comes with a huge responsibility; having a clear understanding that with enough time you’re creativity is capable of generating millions of dollars for you. This requires you to be disciplined in your creativity, maximize your time and the business side of your career also has to be maintained just as well. As an underground artist, you’re entering the music industry and the music industry like every other industry is a business. And in the world of business, those that are not organized and consistent are quickly going nowhere very fast.
Most artists don’t like business.
Now, this doesn’t apply to all (some artists are extremely talented when it comes to business) but for some, avoiding the business side of their careers seems to be why the get stuck. Using this knowledge is key because where some artists lack organization you can use that to further your career ahead.
What you do with your success can make you or break you.
After gaining some success and a stable/consistent income, most artists make the mistake of building up sloppy operations and looking for short-term pleasure rather than figuring out what’s the best way to continue building on that success. These choices can include things like: purchasing non-income-producing assets (cars, homes, boats, clothes) or losing focus on the initial reasons why they had succeeded, to begin with.
Your career run will not last forever
Most artists don’t like to hear this but the reality is that whatever success you have will be limited. While most other careers have a professional runway of 30-40 years. The music industry is a constantly changing and evolving industry and one thing you’ll quickly realize is that the concentrated earnings of today may not be there tomorrow. So figuring out how to effectively use that income in the short term and set yourself for long-term success once your career is over is imperative.