Being an independent artist is more than just picking up your instrument and playing gigs. While that aspect of artistry is what most people see the most often, it only makes up about 20% of the job. When I first decided to pursue music full time, I didn’t have a complete grasp on what it would take to make it into something I can depend on for a full-time income. I’m not sure if anyone does really, at least not at first. Day to day work for a musician involves maintaining a website, negotiating compensation, handling contracts, providing quotes, looking for new business/gigging opportunities, interacting with supporters on and offline, leading a team whether paid or volunteer, handling logistics of current gigs, and promoting the heck out of everything. Not to mention finding time between all of that to actually sit down and practice. Being an independent artist encompasses a lot. But knowing how to handle the business side of the equation can make or break your ability to make a living from your music.
If you don’t have a degree or experience in Business or even Marketing, then you may be out of the loop when it comes to setting up a foundation for a successful career in music on your own. Knowing things like how to plan for a positive ROI, what is a Call-To-Action and an Opt-in, web development and fundraising, or having good copywriting skills and sales pitching are just a few of the business essentials an independent artist would need to know in order to make a profit off his/her music. The most successful independent artists are the ones that have an understanding of how the business aspect of being an artist works. They have a basic knowledge of marketing or know enough to know that they need to seek out someone who does.
That’s where coaching comes in. Having a good business coach can help you stay focused on your goals in order to reach your specific career objectives. It provides accountability by keeping you on track and committed to carrying out your tasks. It gives you access to a wealth of knowledge on the best and quickest way to meet your goals. Coaching also provides you with step-by-step guidance along your career path. But how do you find the right coach? And more importantly, how do you find one that fits your budget especially when you might not have a budget in the first place?
There are a few things you can do to get free music business coaching.
Shadow ‘Virtual Coaches’
The first one is to shadow a few of your favorite artists who are more advanced in their careers than you are. This is a great way to get guidance from someone who knows what they are talking about. The beauty of this option is that you can be their student and receive on-hand training from them without interacting with them or paying for it. I call this the ‘Virtual Coach’.
Pick three artists who have larger followings than you and who seem to be living the life you aspire to. These three artists will be your ‘Virtual Coaches’. They will be coaching you from a distance by showing you the ropes without ever speaking to you. Join their mailing list, follow all of their social media platforms, read their websites, their blogs, their bios, and study them. Whenever they put anything out, read it and study it. Identify what’s working. Identify what’s not working. Pick the tactics you like and that seem to be working and try them out for yourself. Use their tactics to generate tactics of your own. What email program do they use? What distribution company are they using? How do they communicate to their followers? How are they gaining new followers? These are all questions you can answer by just following them, watching their videos, and reading the stuff they put out. This should give you enough ideas to move forward on your own initiatives.
Free Webinars, Challenges, Summits, Blogs, eCourses
The other way to get free music business coaching is to sign up for free webinars, challenges, summits, conferences, blogs, and subscribe to coaching channels on YouTube. By the way, for weekly music business tips and hacks, subscribe to our channel on YouTube here.
These resources don’t even have to be centered on music. Although there are plenty free music business coaching resources available, you’re not limited to music-specific resources here. You’re looking for business advice therefore you can also seek out training related to solopreneurs – for people who are self-employed and they run their own personal empires, such as freelancers, bloggers, artists, therapists, etc. This works exceptionally well because you can take something that’s worked in another industry, put your own spin on it and make it work for your music as well.
The upside to this option is that you’ll have a team of coaches and advisors helping you move forward with your music business. As time goes by, you’ll gravitate to one or two of the ones you like the most and who provide the most value to you. The downside is that if you subscribe and follow too many at once, you’ll end up with information overload and you might even get conflicting advice. The key is to organize your resources and go through them in your own timing. I have a special time of week that I dedicate to learning and education. I call it The Learning Hour. Every Monday, I set aside a few hours to watch webinar replays and YouTube informational videos, read articles, and read books. I also set up special folders in my email account and when I see something come across my inbox that I want to read I’ll throw it in that folder and come back to it during The Learning Hour. This helps me to manage my time better and take in the vast amounts of stuff I get from various sources on my own terms.
+Check out my Free Webinars, Workbooks, and other Resources
In order to get the most out of the first two free music business coaching options, you have to be disciplined, good at time-management, and be clear on what your objectives are. If you’re not that great at organizing massive amounts of information and managing your time, you might not benefit from shadowing other artists or subscribing to a number of different coaching resources because you’ll be getting a windfall of information from multiple sources. If that’s you, this final option could be a better fit for you.
Take Advantage of Free Trial Offers
Don’t be afraid to take advantage of free offers. The purpose of a free offer is to run a trial and see if that resource is a good fit for you and your needs. You don’t have to make any purchasing decisions up front and there are no strings attached (usually). If you’ve ever wanted to test drive personal coaching, this would be the best route to take. Even if you only do just one session, it can help you move past obstacles and start taking your career to the next level. That’s how powerful business coaching is. Talking with someone who has already done or is doing what you want to do helps you see things from a different perspective and identifies opportunities you haven’t thought of.
By the way, if you want to try a coaching session, I am currently offering one free coaching session for musicians on this blog. It’s a 30 minute session where we work together to help you come up with practical strategies you can use to advance your career. You’ll get pristine focus and more clarity on what you need to do next to get to where you want to go. Click here to schedule your free music business coaching session with me.
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