What part do you play?
There are many areas of concentration within the music industry. There are sound engineers, recording engineers, producers, musicians, singers, songwriters, singer-songwriters and performers to name a few. Today’s’ article is focused on the music artist, who is more specialized and the traits they possess.
Let’s first look at some definitions. A musician is generally someone who plays an instrument, sings, composes, arranges, conducts or engages in music activities. They may be a solo performer or part of a larger group, such as a band or an orchestra. A music artist is someone who not only plays or sings, but someone who creates, performs and releases their own music. In addition, they typically manage their brand including video and social media.
A music artist generally has a high skill level with both their instrument as well as their voice. Both are required to create a quality product for the music consumer. They also have a good understanding of music theory, harmony and melody as they relate to the emotional and musical impact on a performance.
A music artist is a creative person by nature and uses their musicianship and voice to full creative advantage. Being unique in both style and approach, allows them to cut through the noise and stand out in the crowd. Benchmarking and learning from other people’s successes, is the key to advancing their own success.
A music artist is very dedicated to their craft and continually works to improve both their creativity and performance chops, making each song and performance better than the last. Success doesn’t come without a lot of effort and continual evolution, pivoting when necessary.
Is being a music artist a full time job? There are many music artists (and musicians) who are part time and have a full time day job. The day job supports the passion for music creation. Being a full time music artist would certainly be easier, providing more time for creative and branding activities.
Do you have what it takes to be a music artist? It’s a lot of work, but it can also be very rewarding. Understand what level of success you wish to achieve, before you taking the plunge. Have an awesome day.