Let’s be frank from the get-go, mastering the art of being a successful indie artist is going to be a rollercoaster. Along the way, you’ll find yourself dealing with potholes, riddles, and letdowns. At Disctopia, we’ll love to see you succeed as an independent artist.
Honestly, we are in the best of times in the music industry, and like we’ve been echoing at Disctopia, Independents artists are strategically positioned to succeed. Before now, the music industry is carved out solely for record label artist. Today, that story has changed to the point where established record label artists want to go indie.
What’s the point?
There has never been a time like this where the music industry is this open to artists who are ready to work hard and have something unique to offer.
Not saying it’s going to come cheap; you’ll have to pay your dues and grind really hard to succeed as an independent artist.
The independent music industry is a bit crazy, but if you’ve got any of these signs, your chance of success is on a high;
1. You are a Dreamer
Everyone you know that have succeeded as an independent artist is a dreamer. A dream is all you need to power up your career.
To get to the big stage, you have to be able to imagine it. You can only get there if you see yourself there. Right from the point where no one knows you, nurse the belief that you can get there.
If you know you can, you probably will.
2. Powered By Hard Work Ethic
Do you know that hard work beats talents when talents don’t work hard? To get anywhere and succeed as an indie artist, you’ll need a lot of hard work, perseverance, and rock-solid dedication.
Look at Curren$y in 2016; the dude dropped 8 projects. Look at Gucci; even when he’s behind bars, he still continues to flood the street with his works.
You have to invest long hours and prioritize it above anything else.
Don’t just put in the hours on perfecting your craft. Invest the same in the distribution and promotion of your work. Be that artist fans look forward to seeing on stage. Remember that it’s beyond just music, but a lot of hard work.
3. The Journey and Not the Destination
Now to what drives you to work really hard, and it should not be fame. You have to start treating music more as a calling and career rather than a hobby. There should be an obsession that lives in your heart.
You’ll always pick music over anything else. That obsession and drive will keep you awake all night to wrap up a song. When you’ll rather stay put in your room and finish a piece than go to a party.
All of these are done not because you want to, but because you have to.
4. You Set Goals, Achievable Ones
You are likely to achieve a lot in music if you are in the habit of setting goals. We are talking about goals you set by yourself and for yourself.
It’s about aiming for the moon, and you find yourself landing in the stars. You just became a star.
When you set these goals, you allow yourself to be driven. We are talking about realistic goals, achievable ones. It’s not enough to want to be the biggest rapper. You have to carve out a means of achieving it. You may need to read up on J.Cole, how he went from posting songs online to who he is today.
5. Regular Contents For Your Fans
You have a strong chance of success as an indie artist if you derive pleasure in churning out top-quality contents regularly. We live in a world where consumers of music require instant gratification.
The cliché, out of mind, is out of sight, applies more to the music industry than any other. To stay in the minds and hearts of your fans, you need to cultivate the habit of sending out contents.
You need to regularly create and distribute content. We are just talking about music but contents that leaves you in the mind of your audience.
6. Noticeable Social Media Presence
Are you active on Facebook, Twitter, or TikTok? We are not talking about spamming your followers with links to your music but having a genuine engagement with real interaction.
Being active on numerous social media will do your music a lot of good as an indie artist. That’s if you are not leaving your followers and fans hanging on any of these platforms. You are not spreading yourself too thin in trying to be active on these social media platforms.
You are going to succeed as an independent artist if you have embraced social media music promotion fully.
