Not investing enough time into building your music career<\/strong><\/em>.<\/strong> Most musicians spend most of their time on music, but put very little effort into the many other critical elements needed to make it in the music business. If you are already a talented musician, you should invest at least 50% of your time into starting or advancing your music career. If you are still developing your musical skills, you should still invest around 25% of your \u2018music\u2019 time into building a future music career.<\/p>\n \u2014Tom Hess<\/a><\/p>\n I regret not being more innovative and substituting repetition for genuine imagination.<\/strong> I think I\u2019m a creative at heart, but often I let good enough be good enough and though that\u2019s common currently, it wasn\u2019t back in the day.<\/p>\n Doug Lawrence<\/p>\n Jumping at every opportunity.<\/strong>You don\u2019t have to say yes to everything.\u00a0 This is one of the most common mistakes indie musicians make at the beginning of their career. You don’t have to be a YES man\/woman. In fact, sometimes, saying no to something can be more beneficial to your career than saying yes.Why do you say yes to things? Take a look at your standards and make them higher. As an example, just because a club has a PA system doesn\u2019t mean that it\u2019s worth playing there.There are some gigs that just aren\u2019t worth playing.\u00a0 There are some connections that just aren\u2019t worth developing.<\/p>\n David Hooper via Music Think Tank<\/a><\/p>\n LIVE SHOW<\/span><\/strong> \u201cWinging it\u201d is mistaken for spontaneity.<\/strong>I constantly run across the attitude of \u201cDude, I\u2019ve got to be spontaneous \u2013 I can\u2019t rehearse my show!\u201d Sometimes my reply is \u201cAwesome \u2013 but if you really want to be spontaneous, make up the song right in front of the audience\u2026 that\u2019d be real<\/em> awesome!\u201dOf course they practice the music, dynamics, tempo, tones, melodies, and harmonies. And, if they\u2019re a group, they work on making the music really tight. But instead of learning the right way to be spontaneous onstage, they mistake \u201cwinging it\u201d for spontaneity!\u00a0They jump around onstage and try different things, hoping something will work.<\/p>\n \u2014Tom Jackson via CDBaby<\/a><\/p>\n Having merely mediocre live performing skills<\/strong><\/em>.<\/strong> Many musicians, who are not yet in a good band, put off developing their live performing and stage presence skills. This is a big reason why talented musicians don\u2019t get into really good bands that they audition for. Your music may be good, but a live ‘show’ requires more than great music.<\/p>\n \u2014Tom Jackson via CDBaby<\/a><\/p>\n Talking too much between songs.<\/strong> In between songs \/ tracks that you perform, don\u2019t spend a long time talking to the audience, just get on with the music.\u00a0 If the audience wanted to hear stories or jokes they would pay to go to a comedy club, but they have come to hear your music so keep time in between songs short.<\/p>\n \u2014Nick Dunn of Help for Bands<\/p>\n Talking \u201cnormally.\u201d<\/strong> When you speak to the audience, speak clearly and more slowly than you would in a normal conversation amongst friends.\u00a0 Many people often forget this simple rule and talk normally but for those at the back of the room, it becomes hard to hear what was said.<\/p>\n \u2014Nick Dunn of Help for Bands<\/p>\n MAKING AN ALBUM<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Pressing a record before you\u2019re ready.<\/strong> \u201cProbably one of my biggest missteps was pressing a record before I was ready. Of course, I didn\u2019t realize it at the time \u2013 but I soon became embarrassed of that record, almost found myself apologizing for it. After that I kind of took a step back \u2013 improved songwriting, leaked songs, etc. The following record sold more in a week than the entire previous records existence.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014Dave Huffman via Independent Rock Star<\/p>\n This is indeed one of the most common mistakes indie musicians make. They come to us for CD replication too early but are not able to dispose of their CDs.<\/p>\n [But many believe this is not how it works nowadays. So here\u2019s the other side of the coin.]<\/p>\n Waiting for the material to get \u201cperfect\u201dbefore getting it out there.<\/strong><\/p>\n New artists should fail early and often. We’re in an environment now that really rewards face-first learning curves. Get your material out there ASAP, and integrate the feedback into your creative process. The sooner artists can get “out there” and start fucking up, the better prepared they will be when it really<\/em> matters and their material is polished.<\/p>\n \u2014Justin Boland<\/a> via Music Think Tank<\/a><\/p>\n Coming in with very tight timelines<\/strong>. Some bands come to our office with very tight timelines. They submit their artwork today and expect that everything will be done in 2-3 days. They want their CDs fast because they still have to promote their album and their CD release party afterward. But what most bands don\u2019t know is that CD Manufacturing actually takes much longer than 2 days if the requirements are not complete or if it needs technical adjustments. Two to three days is the time allotted for the actual manufacturing of the CDs, but we still have to meticulously check the master, the artwork, and the codes and make sure everything is perfect before making thousands of copies.<\/p>\n James Hill, CEO, Unified Manufacturing<\/p>\n Not promoting the album while the CDs are being manufactured.<\/strong>Instead of using this time to promote the CD release party, some new bands just do nothing. They just rest and wait for the CDs to get done before they start promotion. I ask them if they\u2019ve promoted their CD release party already and the usual response is \u201cNo. How can we promote the CDs if we still don\u2019t have them?\u201d<\/em>. Well, I\u2019m pretty sure they have copies of their album artwork and copies of their songs, so they have enough material for promotion.<\/p>\n James Hill, CEO, Unified Manufacturing MARKETING<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Not putting much effort in building a really solid fanbase.<\/strong> As a label owner, the biggest mistake I see is that the bands focus only in the music with the idea that someone magically will pour millions on them and that will take you to stardom. #1 RULE OF THE MUSIC BUSINESS: PEOPLE DON’T REALLY CARE ABOUT YOUR MUSIC. They are after your fans, as soon as you’re making some money they want a part of it. BUILD A FANBASE and you will be signed, played on the radio, etc.<\/p>\n Eternal Sunday<\/a><\/p>\n Not having a compelling image that is congruent with your music<\/strong><\/em>.<\/strong> Most musicians (and bands) severely underestimate the importance of their image. Yes, music is about ‘music’, but music business success is about a total package that includes music, image and visual stage show among other things that need to be fully developed in a congruent way.<\/p>\n \u2014Tom Hess<\/a><\/p>\n Focusing on increasing the \u2018quantity\u2019 of fans instead of the \u2018intensity\u2019 of your fans<\/strong><\/em>.<\/strong> The \u2018number\u2019 of fans you have should always be your secondary focus (not your primary one) if you want to become successful in the music industry. The fact is, it is not the number of ‘fans’ that matters most, it’s the number of FANATICS which will contribute more directly to your success (or lack of it).<\/p>\n \u2014Tom Hess<\/a><\/p>\n Believing that social media websites are the keys to online music promotion for musicians and bands<\/strong><\/em>.<\/strong> Social media websites are a tool. They are ONE piece of the online music marketing puzzle. Music industry companies (record labels, artist managers, booking agents, etc.) are far more interested in the popularity of YOUR website, not how many friends you have at MySpace, YouTube, Facebook or any other website that you do not own and control. Want to impress the industry with your band\u2019s promotion? Build your website traffic.<\/p>\n Being just a \u2018salesman\u2019.<\/strong> I see all the time, in my social media news feeds, musicians who once per hour ask people to buy their albums, books, etc. Internet marketers agree on the fact that social media are not the best tools for selling what you have. Newsletters are definitely better in that field. Social media will make you nurture your relationships with fans and turn them in proud ambassadors of your music, but their impact on sales remains low.<\/p>\n Inviting the whole world.<\/strong> \u201cI live in New York. Please do not send me a Facebook invite for your show in Chicago, Cincinnati or Chattanooga, and please do not send me an invite for any raves in Goa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 Ariel Hyatt<\/a>, head of Cyber PR<\/p>\n Becoming a tag tease.<\/strong> \u201cI can\u2019t stand it when musicians get on Twitter and send me stupid or irrelevant @mentions to gain my attention. They want me to notice them, but they go about it all wrong. It does more damage than good!<\/p>\n \u2014Madalyn Sklar, head of GoGirls Music<\/a><\/p>\n Posting too many automated posts \/ tweets<\/strong>This is another of those features provided by tools like HootSuite, but also by some email maketing softwares that once per day automatically post on your profiles asking to join your mailing list. The only automated tweet service I use is Paper.li<\/a>, a webapp that create an online newspaper with contents from sources and keywords of your choice. Every morning it makes your Twitter account tweet the new version of the newspaper along with three sources, that often retweet, reply or favorite that tweet.<\/p>\n Franz Vitulli\u00a0via Music Clout<\/p>\n Of all the mistakes indie musicians make, this is one of those that are not so obvious because after all, it’s not something totally detrimental to your career. It’s just PR and sure you can be annoying sometimes but if you are in this for the long haul<\/p>\n Wasting too much time online.<\/strong>But, as with so many things, the web’s greatest strength is its greatest weakness: By allowing one person to do everything himself, the web creates a massive time suck, not only in keeping up with social interactions but also in keeping up with the knowledge using it effectively requires. In the end, despite the web’s massive promise, if you want to leverage it, you should hire an expert.<\/p>\n Jeff Shattuck<\/a><\/p>\n No clear online marketing strategy. <\/strong>You can’t just jump on the internet with one of the digital distributors, get a myspace page and a facebook account and then consider that aspect of your marketing plan accomplished. You have to think it through and figure how you are going to connect it to your shows, your merch, your mailing list and so on. All of it has to make sense.<\/p>\n Tom Siegel of Indie Leap<\/p>\n _______________________________________ Not enough cash flow to support your music career.<\/strong> Like it or not, it takes money to build a music career. Even if other people\/companies are paying for your record, tour support, merchandise, etc. you still need to have the freedom to pursue opportunities as they come. Sadly, many musicians miss opportunities because they can\u2019t afford to take advantage of them. In addition to a decent income, you also need the flexibility of being able to take time away from that income source to go into the studio, go on tour, etc. Not developing your social skills because talent is everything.<\/strong> Some musicians focus mainly on their music because they believe that talent is everything. They somehow look down on those musicians who are social butterflies and who have excellent social skills because they somehow associate it with the lack of pure, raw talent. But let\u2019s face it- when it comes to music, personality and social relations do matter\u2026a lot. This is one of the top mistakes indie musicians make– not giving importance to relationships.<\/p>\n James Hill, CEO, Unified Manufacturing<\/p>\n Not enough depth in your music relationships<\/strong>.<\/strong> There\u2019s an old expression, \u201cIt\u2019s not what you know, it\u2019s who you know.\u201d In music this is often modified to, \u201cIt\u2019s not who you know, it\u2019s who knows you.\u201d The truth is, it\u2019s not about either. The most important aspect of connections within the music industry is how deep are the current relationships you have now and will develop in the future. You don\u2019t want to simply know people or be known, you want people who know you to have a real deep connection with you so that you are always on the top of their mind when opportunities present themselves. Ask yourself, \u201cWhat can I do right now to deepen my existing relationships further on an ongoing basis?\u201d\u2014Tom Hess<\/a><\/p>\n
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\nFINANCES<\/strong>
\nBeing impatient to leave the day job.<\/strong> Of course, you should not quit your job just like that. Don\u2019t rush things and study the pros and cons carefully. Once you\u2019ve saved up enough money that you won’t have to work for a year, be ready to take baby steps towards achieving your dreams.You should talk to your wife and family about this and ask them for help. Tell them that you really want to pursue your passions and that you have a plan to leave your job eventually-without sacrificing the finances.<\/p>\n
\n\u2014Tom Hess<\/a>
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\nNETWORKING<\/strong><\/p>\n