Article 1: Mental Preparation, Stress Expectation and Brainstorming

These days everyone wants to be a rockstar. Whether it’s rappers, singers or producers, most people have access to the technology that will allow them to accomplish their desires without paying an arm and a leg. The cost of recording equipment has significantly changed therefore opening the music industry to a whole new generation of aspiring artists. However the equipment or access to your own studio is only one of many parts in music creation and marketing. You cannot depend on simple confidence of your own talents to carry you to the top of your craft or profession. With that in mind, we will briefly discuss several variables that can effect your stress and success in the music industry.

Our first topic is called mental preparation which encompasses stress expectation and brainstorming. You can’t just jump into the deep end of the pool and expect to swim if you have not trained or prepared a plan of action to survive. You must have goals that are short and long-term and you must type them out. Trying such a major detailed accomplishment will be very difficult if you’re trying to keep your to do list inside your head. You may become lost in your sauce and drown under your own ambition. Make a realistic list of your goals. Do you want to sell 1000 copies of your first album? Do you need to recruit instrumentals to organize the production of your album? Do you want to have a professionally shot video? These are small goals that you can write on your list to begin the process of branding your identity. Be realistic in the beginning. You are not going to sell 10,000 copies the day after you record your first single. Keep your goals in perspective of your personal reality.

Make goals to get your first dot com website. Make goals to collaborate with individuals specifically that are close or reasonable opportunities. Don’t waste time playing with your goals. Time is very valuable and music is an art that lives and never sleeps. You must stay current because while you sleep, the majors are spending millions to promote their brand and create new material for the public. The disadvantages can destroy careers in the independent arena. You must stay current. You must turn on the TV and listen to the radio and find out what is going on around you in music right now. What are the popular trends? Who’s number one on the Billboard charts? Why do you think they arrived there? Is it their style? Maybe it’s the sound. Either way, their relevancy can help to direct you in a path that will lead you to your success. Music has a voice of the current times and imitates current events. Studying the current relevancy of other artists can help you determine what market is lacking and which angle you should attempt in order to gain attention and attract fans.

Another vital idea when pursuing a career in music is to think about the effects of chasing your dream. Is it just a dream or are you really good? Can you handle the stress of rejection, personal preferences from fans and the demand of the business in general. Some people cannot handle success at large levels. What will you do if you succeed in gaining [the] audience that is depending on you for artistic satisfaction? Are you ready for interviews from disrespectful or controversial hosts that may twist and belittle your efforts? There are many circumstances that may affect your stability. Consider the symptoms that arise from pursuing music as a career. Are you ready to sacrifice your time and money with no reward date in sight?

It is like survival of the fittest or should I say, survival of the hottest. You don’t have to be the hottest to succeed but usually the hottest has a lot of confidence, experience, determination and support that will carry him for longer distances in this marathon. When you meet someone on stage with extreme musical ability, how do you react? Would you fold under pressure and doubt yourself? Or will you find a way like MacGyver to win? The choice is yours of course, but if you are not tough, if you cannot take constructive criticism, if you are afraid to get booed off stage then get ready for some severe disappointment and maybe even rookie heartbreak and embarrassment, then watch out for the Music Beast with extreme caution.

It happens to most musicians who dream and try. But can you recover and will you recover? One of the most surprising things is the element of people who do not want to see you succeed as well as uninterested fans and the lack of family support. Most expect that family will follow your every move no matter what because they believe in your dream. But is that fair to those who have nothing to do with your dream? Do your parents have to pay for your album production? Must they spend thousands on mixing and mastering and hundreds for gas to reach your shows? Unfair expectations again are not realistic. People everywhere do not care that you have a new album out and when they see it, it may offend them because of their own preferences. And don’t forget to factor in your area and location as potential factors to your fan, family and hater response.

Some areas are more responsive to musicians whether local or national. Some areas have no musical life or ambition that is allowed by society in that area. It’s just the way of the world. Regardless you need to realize that fans, family and haters are the only people you have to choose from as an audience. So even if they hate your music you must still try to reach them as a human being by developing your sound and marketing technique. Try different angles rather than shoving your music in their face or trying to freestyle which is something that most are annoyed by because most guys just want to be heard so bad that they do not care about the desire of the one listening. Your listeners comfort is very important. Brainstorming about your career goals, competency as a musician, producer or engineer is very important. Without preparation and planning, you may find yourself running in circles disenchanted by the waves and currents in the music industry.

In our next topic we will discuss ways to map out your game plan for success. We will discuss researching tips and tactics for overcoming disadvantages in marketing as well as creating a vision and template that can help you accomplish tasks on your to do list. We will talk about tips on what not to do as an independent upcoming artists and we will touch on things you can expect while interacting with different people from different media genres such as PR, radio, magazines and even TV or video outlets. If you set a crafty game plan and avoid unnecessary business deals, ventures and of course wasting money that can be saved for the future promotion and marketing of your product, then you will be okay to withstand a few years in this cutthroat industry. My opinion is definitely from a long list of personal experiences that I have encountered in creating a consolidated media company in this digital audio revolution. Stay tuned.