A career in the music industry is anything but linear. It’s normal to go through peaks and valleys while you’re cultivating your fanbase, but at times it may feel impossible to push past a lull in interest.
Thankfully, we’ve compiled a collection of strategies perfectly poised to push you past your plateau. Here’s what you need to do to take your music career to the next level.
1. Look At The Numbers And Adapt
Many times, musicians neglect to look at the data behind their music. With adages like, “Be so good they can’t ignore you”, it’s a commonly held belief that great music will speak for itself. While this may be true in some instances, you’re going to grow a lot faster if you put together a grow strategy focused on proven data.
Take a hard look at what has worked for you in the past via your content and art. Do certain styles bring you closer to your target audience? Is one social content type lending to more success than others? To break past your block, it’s essential to experiment and change when needed. Adapt to the needs of your fanbase to find more fans.
2.The Changes Needs To Come From You
Unless you have a big bag of money laying around, you need to be in charge of taking your career to the next level. Even so, no PR team or other music service contractor is going to care as much as you do about your artistry.
Even if you do have funding, you should still be a pivotal part of pushing past your plateau. Having skin in the game helps you better understand your audience and therefore grow as a musician.
3. The Music Business Is Much More Than The Music Itself
Far too many musicians miss out on opportunities because they refuse to invest in branding their art. The reality is that music often doesn’t sell itself– you need to put in a lot more effort to find your fanbase.
Make sure you have a supercharged link in bio where your fans can easily get a sense of who you are as an artist and engage with your other platforms. Stay consistent on social media and focus yourself on small though continuous outreach.
4. Pivot Past The Plateau With Small Goals
Try to break down your loftiest goals into small, digestible chunks. Do you want to play a headlining tour? Start performing regularly at open mics. Have a vision of your song being played in a major TV show? Send out one sync email a day. Sustainable success is curated through small, attainable actions, not the rare viral moment.
5. Switch Up Your Music Mindset
As simple as it may seem, sometimes all it takes is a mindset shift to help you push past any blocks in your career. Too often musicians can become discouraged by comparing themselves to other artists. Don’t forget that no two paths in the music industry are the same. It takes patience to push past plateaus in your career.
Instead of working towards an arbitrary number of fans, find ways to make just one more dedicated fan a day. Growth is slow until it compounds.
Above all, remember that art plateaus are normal and part of life as a musician. With the help of these strategies, you’ll break free in no time at all.
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