Building Your Team as an Independent Artist
I get asked all of the time how you can find a Manager, Booking Agent, Publisher, Label, and even PR.
My first question is always "What Australian artists are you currently listening to?"
And I'm often VERY surprised by the fact that the artist I'm talking to doesn't listen to Australian music. They will rattle off a heap of US artists, but no Australian artists.
If you're wanting to develop a career in music, here in Australia, it's super handy to know who's who in the music zoo! And by friendly stalking a few of your fav Aussie artists, can help you do this.
My second question is then;
"Where do you want to hear your music? What radio station/ streaming playlists do you want to hear your music on?"
The general response is " Oh, I don't really know"
So my first piece of advice is to figure this out. Do some research and then some more friendly stalking!
Things to look for during your friendly stalking.....
1. Who is on their team? Manager, Booking Agent, Publisher, Label etc.
2. What are they doing on their socials that is getting great engagement?
3. Like the look of their graphics/artwork? Who does their graphic design/photography?
4. Who is their producer?
5. What media coverage are they getting? Who's doing their PR?
6. What festivals are they playing?
This will give you a great list of people working in the music industry that you should check out and get to know who they are. You can follow them on socials, check out their website and see what other artists they are working with or have on their roster.
I believe this exercise gives you a great overview of the music industry ecosystem, can potentially help you build your team, and also gives you an idea of who you should try and connect with at industry networking events so you can develop your industry relationships.
This is something I still do now. I see something I like on socials or read a media article that intrigues me and I head to their socials or website and check out who's on their team.
You gotta know the lay of the land, right?
I get that not all genres are big here in oz, so there will be some exceptions to the above. You can still do this with international artists if that's where your music tastes lay and you just don't connect with any Aussie artists (but we have bloody incredible Aussie artists of all genres!)
If building a team is a business goal of yours, and you have a heap of other plans that you need some support with a Music Action Plan will help you brainstorm a clear path on how to accomplish whatever goals you set for yourself. It’s also a great way to track and follow your own progress.
The music action plan guide template that I will share with you will provide the outline and prompts you need to develop your own plan for the next 12 months.
Download your free Music Action Plan Guide here > https://kadencegroup.kartra.com/page/GYMBWorkbook
Check out my Music Action Planning Mentoring session where I can guide you in developing your plan by discussing your goals, brainstorming your action items, developing your budget and timeline, connecting you to the industry and holding you accountable.
Here's a helpful list of my resources and services...
Looking for free resources on all things music biz?
Join the Kadence Musology Facebook community
Feeling overwhelmed by the whole music industry and not sure what your next step should be?
My Music Action Planning Mentoring session is just what you need.
You know there's funding out there for your next music project, but it seems impossible to find; where do you even start with writing that application?
A Grant Writing Mentoring session is perfect for you if you'd like some in-person support, but if you're keen to get started on your application and want to work through it yourself but still have practical advice and tools to get started asap, my Grant Writing for Music Projects online workshop is the go!