1. Be Confident, Don’t Be Arrogant – exuding confidence relaxes the audience but don’t translate this in to arrogance. Arrogance is not an attractive trait!
2. Be Unique – make sure your unique sound or performance is capitalised on and recognised. It is important to stand out.
3. Presence On Stage – all eyes must be on you no matter what the emotion of the song. This ties in with part 1.
4. Be Persistent – some of the greatest artists of all time have heard the words “NO THANKS” – don’t be disheartened. To be an artist takes guts, backbone and perseverance.
5. Develop Over Time – we can all improve and it is important you become a master of your craft. Practice, practice, practice. It is also a good idea to receive critiques. Sycophants rarely help!
6. Get Social – the Internet has transformed the way music is consumed so it is important that you have your material online and contact details easily obtainable. How else are the labels going to be interested?
7. No Sloppy Content – don’t post out anything sub standard as it makes an impression on newcomers and potential routes to success. This goes for music and imagery. It is important to be professional also in your opinions and writing style.
8. Big Hits, Proven Producers – a big hit is so, so important and a strong team of writers and producers is how to achieve a big hit. People with proven track records are invaluable to you. You wouldn’t hire a trades-person to fix your house up if they didn’t come recommended or with prior experience now would you?!
9. Invest – invest in yourself by injecting finance where it matters. The amount of times people are almost boastful that they have spent ‘x’ amount of thousands on an album and for what? It to never see daylight. Top producers and studios do cost money, nothing in life is free. What you get with top music industry people is routes and fast tracks to people that can make executive decisions. It really is priceless!
10. Get Lucky – luck really does come in to play with the music industry. You need to be in the right place, at the right time, with the right song! Don’t forget about the hard work and graft mind!
I look forward to hearing from you.