Yes, you can make money and you can even support a family with music. What may seem difficult and impossible is possible and there are many, many artists who are doing it. Danelle Harvey, a music industry vet and Author of the newest music industry biz book, ‘Music & Money,’ is here to share just how she did it and how you can do the same. Danelle’s book, ‘Music & Money’ has become a beacon of light for many musicians. It sat at #1 bestseller in 8 categories simultaneously in it’s launch week with no promotions.
One of Danelle’s keys to success is quite simple, but yet so hard to do for so many of us. A lot of musicians trying to earn a living get stuck in the uncertainty of what to do next and when to do it. Danelle has penned her book to speak directly to these struggles showing independent artists exactly how to earn a living with their music and take the guesswork out of running a successful independent music career.
Danelle Harvey is an entrepreneurial ambiverted, glam nerd, fitness and tasty vegan cuisine obsessed happy oddball from London, UK, currently residing in the tropics. After leaving record deals, she built a sustainable 25+ year indie career to suit her needs & lifestyle desires. She achieved amazing outcomes (as a recording & touring artist, composer, songwriter, singer, musician, activator,humanitarian, record label, licensing company owner, actor, work with chart topping artists) whilst raising her daughter. She created her ideal life.
Take a look at her interview with The Crafty Musician below and see how she did it.
What prompted you to pursue music?
It was accidental. I was a young teen and a studious academic hoping to study law. I was also thinking about going into art & fashion design as I already had my own design business. Then I got discovered singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to my friend’s mum at her birthday party on the microphone. Her mum (who was like a mum to me) loved my singing voice – that was why my friend asked me to surprise her. A producer friend of the mum heard me and whisked me into the studio. Next thing you know, I was singing, writing, recording professionally, had a label releasing my vinyl and a publishing deal, and was doing paid performances playing my own music. It seemed to happen just like that and continued on from there!
Are there any specific events that catapulted your career?
I think the prior one mentioned was the main one as it got me started. Because of it, I made great money as a teen from my own music which was amazing! Another, was after I went indie years later; I’d set up my own label and struck up my own publishing and distribution deal with partners aligned with my brand as an ethical, conscious, humanitarian artist. This deal led to me making my label official! I got a lot of great exposure in the media, shows, releases, international and domestic tours, and so much more including my humanitarian work achievements. I’ve been able to affect positive legal changes and be an advocate on issues that are close to my heart – doing this is at the core of my work and is a part of my company’s mission.
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What gave you the determination to succeed as an artist?
A few things. When I was younger, I wanted an escape as things hadn’t been great at home. Also, I’ve always loved being independent and vowed as a child to never be reliant on anyone. I’d realised how it was possible to make money whilst literally moving people emotionally AND making a positive difference to people’s lives – be it through my music, or by having a platform from which to raise awareness of important issues. I was driven initially by seeing how seemingly easy it was to make money just by singing and writing and I loved shoes and clothes – so I could buy to my heart’s content. I also loved getting gifts. Then it also became about triumphing over my own adversities. When I realised the impact doing what I did had, I realised that I could effectively be a voice for the voiceless which is one of the reasons I’ve had such a passion to work in the legal field since childhood. Once I had my daughter and experienced the difficulties mentioned in the book (including domestic violence) it also became about protecting her and giving her the best life and upbringing possible. Also, I love to buck convention! So many people said it could never happen and I just knew it was possible because I believed in my vision and myself. So stubbornness is another aspect – haha! Overall, I would say one or a combination of all of these kept me determined.
Did you have any friends or family members who discouraged you from pursuing your dreams? How did you handle those situations?
I remember walking home from school one day with a cousin and singing away to myself quietly. It was some song I’d made up and she stated matter of factly that I couldn’t sing and to stop lying to myself! She was mean! This was when I had already started to do school concerts performing my own songs on request and was discovering that I really could sing. I don’t know whether she realised that – she was quite a bully to be honest and felt better about herself when ‘in charge’!
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I wasn’t very confident about showing my voice to the world back then as I was still getting to grips with the fact that singing could actually be a thing in the world at large other than in the church choir. However, I could sing on stage easily. After her comment, I laughed to myself as I believed in myself enough to know that that was her opinion and I took no notice. When the odds are supposedly against me or I have no support I actually become even more empowered. Like I stated before – stubborn haha! Weeks later I got discovered at my friend’s mum’s party. I always follow my gut and no one else’s opinion. I’m strong like that. That is the only adverse event I recall towards my singing. Otherwise, I think the singing came as a surprise to my family. One minute I’m this odd, timid tomboy nerd who got A’s and was always top of the class, the next second I was becoming a well known singer in the vicinity and for that genre. Also, becoming a singer was not in the realm of what my family even does, I don’t think anyone could say anything! It was quick and surprised us all! Regarding friends, it all happened so quickly that I didn’t get a chance to witness anyone’s reaction apart from pride, kudos or shock when I appeared on stage! It was either I know her! I went to school with her! Or shock that this studious nerd was the one who’d sung and written the singles they loved! Quite bizarre I suppose.
Apart from friends and family, we often have our own inner critic and self-defeating ideas that cause us to not operate in confidence. How do you handle the inner critic?
I know this might sound weird, but I didn’t have an inner critic that I was aware of. I was painfully shy and socially awkward though so found ways to address that (for as long as I can remember, I’ve consistently worked on aspects of myself that I’d like to improve). One of them was to just jump with both feet – act first and think later! This may not be relevant to your question but learning to perform in front of hundreds and thousands of people was baptism by fire for me! Maybe stage fright does indicate a form of inner critique, I’m not sure! However, to get past the shyness, I would channel someone I admired like – Whitney Houston – and just embody that confidence that she exuded. I’d deal with the nerves by squashing them and ignoring them. Eventually I found it easy to put on a stage persona as that was what was required. I created a combo persona of Whitney, Patti, Stephanie Mills, Chaka Khan, Janet Jackson, etc. in my head and channelled them all! In more recent years as an indie undoing all of that was tough. I learnt that to connect and build a fanbase in the ‘new music business’ that felt right to me, I had to be authentic and real. So at that point, I started to be honest about my true self and persona!
In your book, you mention that you were supporting your daughter at the time when you were pursuing music, how did you handle the financial uncertainty that being an artist sometimes brings?
I made it work. I have always been entrepreneurial so I’ve always found a way to make it work. I realised that if I wanted it badly enough I would have to find ways to get it. I’d focus on that and a solution – more work, PAs or writing opportunities would come – I did a lot of ghostwriting and what I call ghost singing ‘work for hire’ jobs at the time as well as the published stuff of my own music and collabs. I sold some of my songs, melodies, compositions, vocals and expertise outright – in hindsight a few of them were extremely successful, and would have made me loads more money on the back end too, but when that hustle is on and you are not in a space to see clearly, you think about immediate gain. During those times, I’d take a lump sum payoff as I just wanted the best for my daughter and honestly – was dealing with ptsd – I didn’t know it at the time – so my rationale was based on fear and ensuring immediate protection of my daughter. I mention this because I realise now that my knowledge and awareness today would have resulted in different choices. I would have not signed away my rights to certain songs and vocals. Nonetheless, I made the choices. I was not forced to – I acknowledge it was a choice so no regrets. I did what I had to do. Survival mode can do that to you when you’re young, unfamiliar with it all and alone. This is another reason why I like to help female musicians succeed and understand potential pitfalls or challenges in the industry. Aside from that, I did well – all things considered. Overall, to deal with the potential uncertainty, I developed a system to make a consistent base income and cash flow and built from there. I became proactive and was visible. Then the opportunities seemed to flow. I also learnt to manage my money properly. That part was also a game changer!
How did you identify a specific music strategy that would actually work for you?
By studying successful business approaches in the general sense. I loved the guerilla marketing approach which is based on the DIY method done on zero to little budget. Using that, along with my creativity and knowing my strengths, I put together something that was doable according to my schedule and requirements, and put it into practice. I took action! I allocated times when I could do it and did it. I logged everything and analysed, tweaked, rinsed, and repeated.
What practical advice would you give artists looking to make a full-time career in music?
Three things:
- Find a way to build as strong a foundation as possible then create an aligned action plan.
- Make sure the actions you take serve your overall purpose and desired outcomes and move you towards your goals.
- Make sure you review whatever action(s) you commit to so that you can steadily and conscientiously build and grow using the results you find.
What would you say is the biggest misconception about the music industry that most independent artists believe?
These are some common ones: that they have to be starving artists, that there’s no money to be made, and that an external force or tons of money is required to help them succeed.
Thank you for sharing your principles and strategy in your book! We can’t get enough of knowledge from experience especially in The Crafty Musician Community. What prompted you to write your book, ‘Music & Money’?
You’re welcome! I wrote it because I’d amassed so much info over the years and wanted to share the gems. I like to help empower others and try to show them how to not make certain mistakes and to take action from an informed place. I think we create our own luck and doing so stems from knowing what we are doing and moving forward with conscious intentions! I came into music creating my own music and singing my own songs so I never went down the traditional route. This gives me a distinct advantage of knowing what to do regarding copyrights and ownership and business using creations (intellectual property) as assets and I wanted to put my truth out there as someone with another perspective who has actually made it work. I noticed musicians leaving money on the table with their practices and still claiming to be broke and as someone who loves to empower people I was getting frustrated for them! I knew intuitively how to help and also knew that I couldn’t reach everyone so thought a book would be a great way to reach more people. Through the book, the information is there if they want it. I believe that it provides a very strong foundation for people to succeed and fulfils my intention to empower! 
Buy Danelle Harvey’s book on Amazon today. At the time of this writing it is only $4.99. Scoop it up now before the price goes up.
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