Building a network of music is key to creative development and essential to having a career in music. Meeting people in the industry can assist with finding a publicist, manager, booking agent or even, when they’re not spending their time on Tik Tok finding the next big hit, record label executives.
A key part of this is targeting people who work in your area and genre. There are several ways you can target these people, from events to seminars, to building an online presence. Here are five examples:
Attend local events: Start by local artists concerts, open mic nights, music workshops, and industry networking events in your area. This is a low cost (sometimes just a price of admission) way to meet artists in your suburb, city or state who are working in the industry and build connections.
Join music communities: Participate in online forums, social media groups, and communities dedicated to music and who and/or what people or information you trying to explore. Here are a few examples of forums for different purposes:
- Reddit (Yes, it’s not always toxic) could be a helpful way to meet other producers, and example for aspiring House Producers would be “r/HouseMusicProduction/”.
- Targeted forums such as Gearslutz (keep it clean) are great pages for Engineers and Producers to chat to like-minded individuals about new gear and production techniques.
- Facebook groups, this one is kind of obvious, are a way to connect with either broad pages dedicated to live music in your area, and a way to connect with people in specific genres.
Collaborate on projects: Collaborating with other musicians, producers, or artists on projects can help you forge strong relationships within the industry. You can use some of the forums above to find people with similar taste, or find people in your area.
Utilise social media: Build a presence on social media platforms like Instagram, Soundcloud, and as mentioned above, Tik Tok. Share your music, engage with followers, and connect with industry professionals. Use hashtags relevant to your music genre or industry niche to reach a broader audience.
Attend workshops and seminars: Enrol in workshops, seminars, and music conferences both locally and nationally. These events not only provide valuable knowledge but also facilitate networking with industry insiders.
Ensure that you focus your time on people who actually understand the music industry or have an ear for music. Just hanging out with nightclub owners with no music experience because they can help you skip a line may look cool, but it’s not going to progress your career. So remember, pick one of the methods listed above, hone your search to connect with the right people and keep networking.
