Trying to carve out a career in music? Firstly, where do you apply to find a job as a musician? What sorts of activities should you be doing now to prepare yourself for a career in music? It turns out that your skill alone typically will not lead to success. Landing the dream gig, or any paying gig for that matter, requires business savvy - Check out these 6 effective strategies to become a successful professional musician.

1. 8 Effective Strategies to Become a Successful Musician
Trying to carve out a career in music? Firstly, where do you apply to find
a job as a musician? What sorts of activities should you be doing now to
prepare yourself for a career in music? It turns out that your skill alone
typically will not lead to success. Landing the dream gig, or any paying
gig for that matter, requires business savvy - Check out these 6 effective
strategies to become a successful professional musician.
1. Connect
Notice that this specifically says connect, not network. As a musician it is
crucial to develop meaningful relationships with other musicians and industry
professionals. This means more than just saying hey to another guitarist at the
bar. Go out and support other musicians at shows, offer to buy someone lunch,
and be willing to help out when needed. Sometimes your industry contacts

2. may ask you to fill in on a gig you do not necessarily want - it’s important to
have their backs when they call on you. You never know, the next time they
call you, it could be for your dream gig. It is also important not to write anyone
off, especially based off of first impressions. Major music cities like Nashville
really are small towns and pissing off anyone is risky. Just because a young
guitarist may only be a sophomore in college does not mean he or she isn’t
connected. That guitarist may have a music legend as a mentor or a touring
pro as a parent. A positive word travels fast, a negative word travels faster.
Lastly, make meaningful contacts with people from all areas of the industry. If
you are a drummer, make contacts with professionals other than just
drummers. While your drummer friend may recommend you when he leaves
his touring gig, it is also possible that you will get a call from a guitarist, bassist,
or manager who knows an artist looking for a drummer. Think about it… if the
bandleader is looking to replace the current drummer, he most like won’t ask
the current drummer for a recommendation, right?
2. Develop Your Brand
Think about who you are as an artist and a musician. What is your background
and where are you trying to go? Craft this into something that helps others
identify you online and offline. What images come to your mind when you
think of McDonalds? Probably those golden arches. It plays to your advantage
to have a symbol for your own brand. This is especially true if you are an artist
or running a business as a studio owner or session player. Now combine this
with the idea of connecting. Build your brand via social media and use it to
attract a large following. Again, it is important to actually connect with your
followers and fans. Believe it or not, musicians really are landing major label
gigs through social networking websites like Instagram. And please, do not
buy followers. It is so obvious you buy your followers when your page has
20,000 followers, but your post gets three likes. Connect with your followers,
engage with their posts, and post good, relevant content. Building a strong,

3. relevant brand can not only land a musician gigs, but also great endorsement
deals!
3. Use Your Strengths, Improve Your Weaknesses
It is no secret that people tend to ignore their weaknesses. Does it really make
sense to focus all of your practice time on things you are already good at? Of
course, musicians need to keep their skills sharp and there is always room for
improvement. However, it is incredibly beneficial to determine your
weaknesses and focus a good amount of your practice time improving in those
areas. When you perform live, highlight your strengths. That could be
anything like stage presence, tone, rhythmic playing, soloing, crowd
engagement, etc. When you practice, improve upon your weaknesses.
4. Make Yourself Unique and Versatile
If you move to a city like Nashville or Los Angeles, you will quickly find that
there are thousands of people chasing the same gigs you are. When there are
so many people competing for the same gigs, have something unique makes a
big difference. Right now in Nashville the ‘utility’ musician is a huge trend. So
many country artists have banjo, pedal steel, mandolin, and dobro parts that
they needed covered, but they lack the funds to hire someone for each
instrument. Picking up one or some of these other instruments is a great way
for a guitar player to make him or herself unique and versatile. Keys are also a
great instrument to double on. However, this isn’t the only way to make
yourself unique. Knowing the right style and appearance for each gig is also
crucial and can set you apart at an audition.
5. Tone, Touch, and Timing
These three big T’s are absolutely crucial to sounding like a true professional
musician. Spend time with your favorite records and master every aspect of
the part. Match the tone and phrasing exactly to how your favorite players
played it. Playing the right notes usually isn’t enough in the realm of

4. professional musicianship. If you’re playing a stringed instrument, try to find
the exact position on the fretboard where the part was played. Of course, it is
sometimes important to take your own creative liberties while playing live.
However, this is a great practice exercise. There is a reason those players are
the ones you are listening to. Take the time to learn the little things they do
that make them true professionals. When you play a live gig, place extra focus
on the Tone, Touch, and Timing. A simple solo that has all three will always
sound better than a complicated solo that doesn’t.
6. Make Daily Advancements
A long term, successful music career takes time to develop. Think of it like
training for a marathon. If you go out and run 15 miles on day one, you will
probably injure yourself and not reach your goal. It makes more sense to plan
ahead and take your time working toward your goal. Becoming a full time,
professional musician requires daily advancements. It will not happen
overnight. Set aside an amount of time for daily practice, branding, and/or
connecting with other professionals. Over time you can and should devote
more daily time to reaching your goals. Also, keep track of your progress. This
can be mental, but videos are also great. Recording practice sessions It is a
great asset for motivation to look back on where you were a year ago and see
all of the progress you have made
7. Know Your Place
Once you have landed the gig, how do you keep it? A musician must know his
or her place within the organization. Are you in a band where everyone is
considered to be the artist or are you a side musician? If you are a side
musician then you need to understand that a lot of people on the tour bus are
your ‘boss.’ The artist, the managers, the bandleader, and potentially others
could be your boss. It would be a bold strategy to show up and start telling
them what’s what. If you have a legitimate concern about how something is
being played, there is a right and wrong way to bring that up to the bandleader.

5. In the end, it is the artist’s show. You might get a couple solos or spotlight
moments. You might not. Soloing during the first verse is a great way to get
fired. Lastly, learn about the other people on the tour and their personalities.
Behave appropriately and don’t be a drunken wreck. While the road can and
should be a lot of fun, remember that you are being payed to do a job. So in
conclusion, show up (on time), be respectful to everyone, play the right parts,
and be a good hang.
8. Record Your Practice Sessions
Very few people like to listen to a recording of their practice sessions. It is kind
of like hearing your own voice on an answering machine. This relates back to
#3, improving your weaknesses. The video never lies. Maybe when you play
along with the record your tone sounds great. However, when you listen back
you may notice that you have too much gain and not enough mods. If you are
honest with yourself and what you’re hearing, recording your practice
sessions will help you identify and improve your weaknesses. It will also be
great documentation for looking back and seeing how much you have
improved!
Finding a career as a musician can be challenging but a worthwhile pursuit -
you get to play music for a living and get paid. If you find our advice helpful, be
sure to check out our entire library of content and interviews with
professionals in the music industry on topics like how to find paying gigs in
music, how to nail the audition, and much more, here.