The Big Bad Music Industry Isn't Usually Stacked Against You

Delusional thinking is rampant in the songwriting world. How are you marketing yourself?

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In the songwriting world more than almost any other world (plumbing, for example), delusional thinking is rampant. It is truly amazing the number of people who think that the music industry is purposely ignoring their incredible musical talents. What else could account for the fact that after 20 years, they’re still an unknown?

The truth is that for the most part, the music industry is structured in such a way that they usually get it right. You can argue that not enough money goes to the artist, and that’s possibly fair criticism.

But when it comes to the issue of good, great, or even excellent songwriters getting “ignored”, that usually has more to do with the ineptitude of the songwriter, not the evil-ness of the industry.

And by ineptitude, I’m speaking of their woeful skill level with regard to properly marketing themselves. These are people who either don’t really understand what the industry is looking for, or refuse to believe that there are tried & true procedures for getting widespread recognition for what they do.

The analogy of the plumber is a good one here, because there are very few delusional plumbers. If they’ve got business, it’s because they’ve built their clientele over time, customer by customer. They have to be good, but they have to market themselves properly.

I’m well aware that telling some songwriters that you don’t just get “discovered” isn’t what they want to hear. They like the magical feeling of believing that someday Hollywood will call and say, “We NEED your music.”

For those people, it might be more useful to imagine that you are indeed a plumber looking for customers. What are the steps that every up & coming plumber knows? They need to first become a good plumber. Getting good training, and working with a good plumber and watching them work is crucial.

Then they get good tools. Professionals don’t get work if they don’t have everything they need in their toolbox. And finally, they market themselves appropriately. Good plumbers don’t rely solely on word of mouth. They advertise in their area, expanding as they deem appropriate.

And there is very little that’s delusional about it. You get discovered in the plumbing world if you’re good at what you do, and then get the word out.

In the music world, getting the word out starts with building an audience base. If you’re sitting at home, writing great songs that are sitting on your computer, you’ve already messed up the first step.

If you aren’t a singer, you need to partner up with someone who is. That’s because eventually, someone needs to hear your song in order to show an interest in it. Demos these days need to be good.

And then get advice from industry personnel who are willing to offer it. Joining an A&R company is one standard way of promoting yourself.

But the steps before promoting yourself are many, and involves getting a good product that others will be interested in hearing. So you need to write a good song, and then get a good recording, which means getting it well recorded, well produced, well mixed and well mastered.

And none of that matters if you aren’t building an audience base, chiefly with live performances. This is the part, by the way, that makes it all better than being a plumber. For you, the world is your potential market. Plumbers are usually limited to the city in which they live.

And the other way to make big it is to write a good song, record yourself singing it in your bedroom, put it on SoundCloud, and then moan that the big bad music industry is stacked against you.

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Written by Gary Ewer. Follow on Twitter.

“The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-eBook Bundle looks at songwriting from every angle, and has been used by thousands of songwriters. How to use chords, write melodies, and craft winning lyrics. (And you’ll receive a FREE copy of “From Amateur to Ace: Writing Songs Like a Pro.“)