The music industry is a wild, wild place, and it can be difficult to navigate, even for those who have been working as musicians for many years.
But if you're a talented musician and you have your sights set on ultimate stardom, then we'd like to give you some tips for how to be famous in music, either as a musician or as a songwriter who writes material for other artists.
Don't be surprised if we start to talk about creating an online presence, because whether you like this or not, the internet has become a huge breeding ground for new musicians who want to get a bigger audience than they already have.
Before you even get started with this, you should try to already have a bit of music that is already completed. Then you can start pr0moting this music right away so that people online can get familiar with some of your work and understand the style that you use most often.
It's now possible to record music from your home, and this can be another really helpful way for a smaller artist like you to create great music that you can share around with other people, which will help you become more famous over time.
They say you need at least 10 years of experience to become really good at something.
Good for you if you don't have a decade of life experience, but even the youngest, brightest starlet should have a decade or two on her to help her find the balance between being a kid and being an adult, between being funny and serious, between being silly and wise.
The more time spent doing things, the more skills you'll acquire and the better your chances are at finding your true voice.
This is the number one advice I've gotten over and over again from anyone with any amount of success in the music industry, including Vince Clarke of Depeche Mode, and it's the absolute right way to go about making your bones.
Everyone has been told by parents, teachers, and some random guy who thinks he's an authority that you need to first get your name out there, which often means sending your music to a few websites, or whatever it is kids do nowadays.
But if your goal is to reach stardom, do yourself a favor and start getting your music out on the Internet now. It'll take more time than you think, but it'll do you wonders.
This, of course, means you need to set up your own music website, probably the most powerful tool the Internet has to offer. You can put an MP3 of your songs on there, tell people who you are, and give people a place to learn about you.
You can set up a forum for fans to have a dialogue about your music, you can interview other musicians about what they think of your music, you can have fan accounts, and you can hold concerts.
All you need is the ability to post, and for anyone who's gotten this far into this article to give you a chance. An obvious way to make money with music is to have an email newsletter that tells people when new songs are out, but it's not that easy to make a living writing letters, so pick another way.
How about selling merch? Some fans really love that sort of thing, and it can really help a musician's finances. T-shirts, mousepads, mugs, and other such paraphernalia can go a long way towards making people want to buy your music.
Another good way to get into money-making is to produce music for other artists.
Anybody with a decent recording device and knowledge of basic computer programs can produce music for other people, and they can sometimes earn money by doing so.
Some people also find it helpful to get their music published, as there are all kinds of gatekeepers that try to protect the names of performers who they believe are not quite ready for the world, but if you want to be famous, you'll have to get your music out there.
The most important thing to remember about getting started in the music industry is that you should be your own biggest fan.
When people are out telling you what they think of your music, whether or not it's good, or saying you're not doing what you're supposed to, or whatever it is, always give them your undivided attention and do what they're saying is best.
Obviously, you want to write something that pleases as many people as possible, but sometimes, it's important to follow your heart. And the biggest way you can follow your heart is to be the best musician you can be.
