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Making music might be the thing you live and breathe to do, but it doesn’t mean you’ll feel motivated to write and record songs all the time. In fact, you might encounter months-long stretches of time where you’d rather do pretty much anything else more than writing songs if you’re a serious or professional songwriter with years of experience under your belt. This is normal, but you’ll need tools and strategies to get back to work eventually. Motivation is crucial for music-makers, but it’s not always easy to access. If you feel bored, aimless, or unsure how to make your next musical step, here are some motivation tips to help get you moving:
4 Motivation Tips For Songwriters
5 Ways To Fail In Music
Because success means something different to each one of us as songwriters, we should also take time to think about what failure looks like to us. You might feel like you’ve failed in some way if the single you just released isn’t getting any attention or your band just split up, but there are almost always broader things going on behind the scenes that cause problems in music. Here are five common ways that failure happens in music:
4 Reasons Songwriters Quit
Songwriters don’t have it easy. We’re writing songs during the most competitive time in music industry history. If you’re a professional songwriter, income sources that used to be reliable, like licensing, have become much less so in recent years. And with today’s playlist-centric listening culture, it’s a feast or famine situation for many professional songwriters. But even if you’re not writing songs for your main source of income, there are plenty of challenges you will likely face as a songwriter. If you love making music and want to do it seriously for the rest of your life, it’s helpful to know why so many songwriters call it quits.
3 Ways To Network Like A Boss
Clammy hands. Racing heart. Nerves completely haywire. All of these are commonplace among a packed room of networkers. Believe it or not, if you’re one of the many who break out in a sweat at the idea of walking into a room full of strangers and making yourself known, you’re not alone. In fact, I’d say you’re in the majority.
But if this introvert (that’s me!) can not only conquer but dare I say, get pretty good at networking, then so can you. Because believe me, I used to be the person who got so close to the wall that I practically was blending in (that was the idea) and now I walk up to strangers, strike up a conversation, and don’t think twice. The butterflies, the nervous nellies, all of that, poof! Gone.
How Mistakes Bring Character To Your Music
What exactly is a mistake in music? Some mess-ups are big and undeniably embarrassing, like putting the capo on the wrong fret of the guitar during a live show. Others are more subtle, like a singer mumbling through a line of lyrics during a vocal recording take, or an overeager drummer consistently falling ahead of the beat during an exciting section of a song. While every mistake is different and some don’t bring any value to us as musicians, there are some mistakes in music that end up adding a lot of character and value to our music.
5 Live Performance Hacks To Help You Stand Out Every Time
You can already picture it. Stepping onto the stage and looking out into the audience, you dream of seeing hundreds—no—thousands of faces staring back at you, screaming with excitement as you take the stage, singing every word back to you. An audience that feels the same way about your music as you feel about your favorite band’s music.
It’s the dream.
And honestly, it’s well within your reach.
5 Signs You’re Overthinking Your Songs
It’s easy to overthink the songwriting process whether you’re a seasoned pro or are writing your first batch of songs. But regardless of where you’re at in your music-making journey, you and your music will end up suffering if you nitpick your songs to death. Spontaneity and curiosity are two crucial character traits you’ll need to make interesting music, but prioritizing perfection and your own intellect leaves you more likely to make boring music and less likely to finish your songs. Here are five red flags that you’re overthinking your music:
Why Less Is More When It Comes To Touring For Developing Artists
For young, ambitious artists, there’s nothing more romantic and hopeful than the idea of jumping in a van and touring around the country for months at a time. Tours are crucial for grabbing attention, building audiences, carving out performance experience, and building industry connections. And when labels and managers look for new artists to sign, artists who regularly tour are almost always the first to get noticed. But while touring gives artists a lot, it comes with serious risks, drawbacks, and costs to consider as well. A “let’s tour until we make it” mentality could end up breaking up your band instead of bringing you closer to your goals.