Is your music career like a table with three legs? To thrive in the live music business, you must nurture all three of these essential components. Let's break them down:
1. Sales: This leg involves reaching out to prospects, daily sales efforts, and building connections with fans, bookers, or agents.
2. Marketing: The second leg requires consistent daily engagement, sharing content, videos, reels, newsletters, and blogs to boost your presence.
3. Operations: The third leg entails rehearsals, gigs, video production, and promotional activities.
Here's the catch: many musicians excel at one of these areas, typically not the first two. It's tempting to focus on the fun part - playing music. Sales and marketing can feel mundane in comparison.
However, neglecting the first two legs can lead to your music career table collapsing. This is where many musicians seek help. They may have talent, played incredible shows, and received excellent press, but they lack the systems to sustainably scale or face burnout after creating exceptional albums or tours with no tangible rewards.
The secret? Balancing all three pillars daily. A blend of sales, marketing, and operations can propel your career to new heights.
Before you consider outsourcing everything, remember that most managers, agents, and label heads prefer artists who already have these foundations in place. The era of large marketing budgets from AnR teams is fading.
To succeed, treat your music like a business. Invest in all three legs, and you'll reap the rewards.
What can you do today in your music to add extra to your legs?
Hello! I'm Kerri Layton.
Singer, booking agent, and music industry mentor with 16+ years of experience, I help professional musicians achieve work-life balance and thrive spiritually, financially, and creatively. Through personalized coaching, group programs, and masterminds, I heal various aspects of musicians' lives and businesses, enabling financial sustainability and unlocking their full potential. My mission is to empower musicians to release their creative visions to the world and share their talents while achieving productivity and balance. With a freebie that has helped over 100 musicians get structure in their day and make money, I understand the challenges of being a freelance musician and offer support and structure to help them succeed. Let's bring more music into the world and help musicians thrive doing what they love.