Making Indie Music Economical.
Invest in yourself. You can afford it, trust me!
Making music is an art and all art is priceless. There can never be a specific value associated to it. This remains unchanged for all forms of art. When an indie artist or bands has just started playing, they have no idea about the expenses that they are going to bear to reach the destination of their dreams. Initially, you might be able to find a friend or two who know a bit about the industry and wouldn’t charge you for help and advice, but eventually, you will have to learn, not just to sustain, but to grow as well.
While I or anyone else in the world will not be able to make money for you or make you successful, here are a few tried and tested ways to make indie music economical and affordable for the indie artists.
Concrete Concept
Get a good idea and work on it. When you have a great concept, you will require the least amount of money and effort to make it presentable. I am not saying that just a good idea is the key to success, but it makes the rest of the work easier. For example, if you have a great idea, you do not have to spend a bomb on making an awesome video. Even a simply shot video will sail through because of the idea behind the lyrics or the video is outstanding!
Just make sure that the video supports your song – not spoils it. As long as it tells the complete story, you are ready to upload it on YouTube. As soon as you have uploaded a music video and it becomes popular, sit back and watch your fans go bonkers! Because the video moves swiftly around the internet, you might even start getting sales soon!
Along with YouTube, you can also upload your videos on your own website. If you have no idea about making or maintaining a website, there are companies like Hyper Effects that can help you connect with your target audience efficiently. Hyper Effects is one stop for your website, marketing and cyber development requirements. It helps you to create a website to display your talent or sell your indie music or indie art. Their websites are easy to navigate.
Your video doesn’t actually have to be costly; just make it costly looking. The look of the video will not matter as much, with a captivating concept. Jack Conte’s videos, shot on iPhones and other not very good cameras got a large number of likes and hits. They were an overdose of creativity.
The good news for all indie artists is that editing songs and videos is made very easy in the times that we are living. The availability of all kinds of software that are cheap and easily available has made life so much easier for indie artists and indie bands. Use a computer or mobile device; there are numerous options available to help you with your video editing needs. As long as you are using the basic (limited) version, most of them are free. The pro versions cost a few dollars though, much lesser than a combo meal!
In my blog “Raising money for Your Indie Music” I have written about the importance of creating music that is marketable to the general public, because if you don’t have something that interests the listeners on a basic level, it doesn’t matter how good your development process goes. Not everything that appeals to an artist appeals to general public. So learn, and make sure you have something really amazing and original.
Perfect People
It is more important than you initially think, to be with the right people. With time you realise that having the right people around you is as important as having a perfect gear. Be with individuals who value their dreams and are sure of the work they are doing. Find some dedicated, talented individuals who are passionate about indie music and want to work with an indie artist.
In my blog about “How to Become a Better Indie Artist” I have talked about the importance of contacting a label for publishing your indie music. When you contact a label, it gets you connected with a lot of pros in writing lyrics, recording, business development, marketing, branding and distribution. All of them work together to make an indie artist’s music a success.
So get started on finding and maintaining the right contacts. The right contacts will help you grow faster. If you think you are well capable of surviving without contacts, know also that it just makes you the jack of all trades.
A good concept and some good contacts can help creating music much more economical than you can imagine. Please share your experiences in the comments section and I will add them in my future blogs.
