“How To Make Money And Pay The Bills From A Music Career” plus 2 more

How To Make Money And Pay The Bills From A Music Career

Posted: 20 Dec 2019 06:37 AM PST

Today it seems that everyone wants to be on the microphone or in the studio making rhythmic sounds. You can bet there are thousands of singles and albums produced each year but only a few make it to the limelight.
What happens to the rest?
They often become obscure. Well, except for the few friends and family of the aspiring artist that listen mostly for the sake of encouraging them. A few times, though, the songs make it round to the limelight. 
But is singing all there is to music? Is that the only way to have a music career?
Of course not.
The music industry is so vast an industry that one can argue that the potentials have barely been scratched. If you have been thinking of joining the industry but worried about how to pay the bills when pursuing this career, then read this article.
This article focuses on 5 career options open to you as a music performer or writer. Which of them have you ever considered? Or which ones did you not know existed?
Share your thoughts in the comment section. Feel free to discuss the options you’re open to trying out if you have the chance.
Music Careers for Performers and Songwriters 
•Production Music Writer
 Ever wondered where TV commercials get their gigs? You guessed right. From production music writers. 
The good thing is, you don’t have to restrict yourself to writing music gigs for one brand or company. In fact, you will have no direct dealings with the companies.
Your job is to write and make music that is befitting for commercials, films, and television shows. Then sell the music to a production music library.
You have to write and produce very good music if you want your music to be accepted by a library. So move away from the cliché and do something unique. These days, even good pop music is accepted by commercials and other programs.
The downside of Production Music Writing is usually with mixing and production. You can build this skill by taking a course on music production at a music school. 
When a brand picks your music from the library, you’ll get a percentage from the production music library. There are no limits to how much your track can be sold though.
•Background Vocalist 
Have you ever listened to Happier by Marshmello featuring Bastille? How do you think the chorus would sound without a backup voice?
Background vocalists are needed in almost every genre of music. They provide different forms of backup vocals to music pieces and performances.
As a background vocalist, you can work with a recording studio to provide backup vocals for recording artists. Or with a live performance band. You can even assist a touring artiste. 
You’ll need to be very good at what you do if you want to get well-paying gigs. You will be able to sharpen your skills if you practice often. Volunteering your skills and connecting with other background singers will help you get more gig opportunities.
If you are assisting a singer on tour, you should consider getting a backup microphone for yourself. Any of the shure sm58 versions will serve you efficiently.
•Accompanist
Accompanists play instruments like the piano, guitar, or organ for musicians, performers at theatres, choirs, soloists, and opera singers.
They can also help with instructing choristers, dancers, and other types of artists.
As a music accompanist, you can work as a freelance pianist or organist, with a church, or sign up with a band. You can also work as a music tutor at an institution or for individuals.
You should be able to work with virtually everyone. This will increase your chances of landing more jobs.
•Beat Maker 
A beatmaker is usually not in the public eye. They produce beats and sell them to recording artists who then use the beats to make their music.
They can work with the artist to produce beats for a written song. They often help to arrange the song of the artist they work with so it can flow harmoniously.
You should practice mixing beats on your own if you want to build a career in making beats. Consider setting up a home studio where you can practice often. Get some training at a music school and attach yourself with a practicing beat mixer.
Being creative and connecting with other people in the music industry will gain you some decent exposure. This will also increase your chances of winning gigs and making some money.
•Jazz Musician 
Jazz music was a hit in the 1900s. It rocked the entire African American community and even the white community. Today, it doesn’t seem to excite the people as much as it used to.
Does this mean Jazz music can’t put food on your table anymore?
By no means. There are several ways Jazz music can provide money for those bills.
You can compose songs that can be performed at jazz orchestras, for music lessons, or included in music books.
There is also the opportunity of working as a music tutor in primary schools and colleges. This will require you to have some degree in music and education.
You can also offer your services as a private tutor in your home or at your client’s home. Online tutoring is also a mine that you can explore to your advantage.
In Summary  
Making money as a musician is not as defined as it is for an office secretary. If you land that defining gig it could change your life forever. But you can’t say when and where you’ll land the defining gig.
You can always engage the opportunities provided by the internet to advance your career today. Put yourself out there. Build a social network that exposes what you do to the world. Continuously improve on your skills.
Even more, learn to manage your finances. Spend on what is important and avoid trying to impress people. They don’t matter that much anyway.
Have fun growing your career in music.

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The Need For Cybersecurity In Streaming Services

Posted: 19 Dec 2019 08:25 PM PST

The growth of technology in our lives has offered us many amazing benefits. We are able to connect and share information with people all over the world in a breeze. We have knowledge on just about any topic at our fingertips. Tasks such as depositing checks into the bank or paying bills no longer require a physical trip anywhere.

Beyond that, for many young musicians, technology has provided an easy means to get new music out there. Now more than ever before, it is possible for quality music to be discovered and develop a following — it still takes a lot of luck to make it big, but the odds are slightly more in your favor. And for those interested in finding smaller groups that are making incredible sound, sometimes all it takes is a quick search online.

All of these things are great, but there are some substantial drawbacks as well. The first and foremost of which are the cybersecurity risks associated with any sort of online endeavor. There are all sorts of different types of cybercrimes out there, and the number of incidents is steadily growing. This means that in order to be successful using things like music streaming services to get your music out into the world, there need to be some precautions taken.

A Growing Problem

As previously mentioned, cyberattacks are on the rise in nearly every aspect of our online economy and even within government bodies. Experts believe that over half of all companies have experienced some sort of cyberattack every year. A new hack is estimated to take place every 39 seconds, and personal attacks impact roughly one in three Americans yearly.

Nearly 43 percent of cyberattacks will target small businesses and those that are just starting to turn a profit by making their dream a reality. This is largely because small business owners and new entrepreneurs often don’t have the tech-intel nor the funds to set up a full-fledged cybersecurity system to protect themselves, making them easy targets. These data breaches are not cheap, either, and can be the difference between a business idea succeeding and failing.

Unfortunately, the professionals needed to help combat this growing problem just aren’t there. Many companies are just now coming to grips with the need for a dedicated cybersecurity branch, and even those companies that have been on the ball have struggled to fill positions with qualified professionals. There are actually hundreds of thousands of unfilled cybersecurity positions across the U.S.

Security in Streaming Services

Streaming services, especially the major ones that nearly every average Joe/Jane is using, are particularly fruitful targets for hackers and others attempting to steal online information. One study estimated that streaming services were attacked over 30 billion times in the last year alone. Think about it — with nearly every citizen attached to at least one streaming service or social media account (think Instagram, Twitter, Spotify, Pandora, Netfilx, etc.), hackers stand to get their hands on a lot of personal information.

Hacking influencers within social media accounts and streaming services allows hackers to reach a wider audience from a trusted perspective. They have the potential to do a profound amount of damage before they are caught. And when they are noticed, it can be just as easy for them to disappear altogether without paying for any of the consequences.   

With that said, while smaller streaming services that are not quite so big-name can offer a lot of benefits both to those creating and putting out new music and fans that are eager to get away from the mainstream, because of the smaller nature of these services, it is worth doing some extra checking around to make sure your information is secure. These smaller services may forego some of the expenses associated with data security in order to make a profit, especially when considering their smaller size.

Protecting Yourself

There is certainly a fair amount of risk you are accepting simply by putting your music online. For instance, should your information be stolen on a streaming service, your intellectual property could end up in someone else’s hands. As an artist, it is important to understand your rights when it comes to your music and its release onto the internet, no matter what.

There are several things you can do as a music lover to help protect yourself from cybercriminals. For instance, make sure you complete all of the security updates that are put out by whatever streaming service you are using. Likewise, keep an updated security package on your personal devices and follow basic internet safety suggestions like not clicking on sketchy links.

Experts also suggest that you do your research when it comes to online services — don’t expect things to be free without some sort of hidden cost. Furthermore, be careful when using public networks, which are easier for hackers to set traps in and steal information. Consider using a VPN when you travel and definitely back up any music you’re creating in a secure location.

Technology is most certainly a double-edged sword — we have more power at our fingertips than ever before, but that also puts us at a far greater risk than ever before, as well. Cybercrimes are on the rise, especially within the streaming world and social media industries. Protecting yourself and your intellectual property online is crucial. 

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Evolution Of Female Musicians

Posted: 18 Dec 2019 07:55 AM PST

In November 2019, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame unveiled its list of nominees for induction in 2020. Per usual, the nominee list is a predominantly male showcase — of the 16 nominees, only three are women. Further, one of those women is Chaka Khan, who is up for nomination not as a solo artist but as part of Rufus, the group with which she initially found fame.

Yet her solo career has far eclipsed the popularity of Rufus, a Chicago-based funk ensemble that disbanded in 1983. An active musician since 1970, Khan has sold approximately 70 million records and won 10 Grammy awards. So why isn’t she already in the Rock Hall, or at least up for nomination as a solo artist? 

Additionally, why are significantly more men honored for their musical merit and influence than women? It’s a question that journalists are asking in greater frequency. In March, just before the 2019 induction ceremony, Longreads did the math and determined that only 7.7 percent of Rock Hall inductees are women. 

While the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction process is notoriously subjective, its treatment of female artists is indicative of a larger systematic problem. From Khan to Ella Fitzgerald, Lauryn Hill, Adele, Courtney Love, and beyond, female musicians have long revolutionized the field of music. Thus, in choosing to ignore the contributions of female musicians, the Rock Hall is essentially perpetuating the pervasive misogyny that’s unfortunately rampant in the music industry as a whole. 

How Women Have Changed the Music Industry

It’s not all bad news when it comes to those groundbreaking and innovative female musicians that have helped to shape the modern musical landscape. Khan, for instance, is much more than simply an award-winning performer: over the decades, the R&B icon has also served as a role model for younger artists, most notably Whitney Houston.

Houston, also on the 2020 Rock Hall nomination ballot, released her cover of Khan’s “I’m Every Woman” in 1993. At the time, she already had a No. 1 single on the Billboard charts, “I Will Always Love You,” yet that didn’t stop “I’m Every Woman” from getting significant airplay. It became an international hit as well, breaking into the top 10 in a number of foreign countries, including Canada, Ireland, and the Netherlands.

But before Khan and Houston exploded onto the global music scene, Ella Fitzgerald was climbing the charts and snapping up Grammys. The so-called “First Lady of Song” received 14 Grammy statuettes in her lifetime, the first at the ceremony’s inaugural event in 1958. Fitzgerald was also the first African-American woman to perform during a Superbowl halftime show. The historic event firmly established Fitzgerald as both a leader and a trendsetter.

And the music industry can do with all the female leaders it can get, especially behind the scenes. According to Forbes, women only make up 21.7 percent of artists, 12.3 percent of songwriters, and 2.1 percent of producers across every genre. This is despite the fact that about 47 percent of the total U.S. labor force is female. Similar to the field of engineering, where only 14 percent of industry professionals are women, the female disparity within the music industry could be connected to a lack of emphasis on leadership skills during childhood.

Challenges and Benefits of Female-Centric Leadership

Generally speaking, women in the music industry are regaled to the sidelines rather than a position of leadership. In addition, certain instruments are low-key considered off-limits to females, including drum kits and the bass. Yet there are of course women who defy conventional gender roles and light up the stage, in some cases even screaming into the microphone. Courtney Love, Adele, and Australian-born punk rocker Brody Dalle come to mind.

Those strong women are among the music industry’s female leaders, a group that’s more important than ever in today’s complex music landscape both on and off the stage. Specifically, Bradley University reports that women-led corporations are statistically more valuable than those without female leadership. And it’s easy to see how female music icons have evolved across generations where sales numbers are concerned. 

Ella Fitzgerald may never have dreamed that her influence would eventually spawn female musicians who would go on to sell hundreds of millions of albums. Among the top 20 best-selling musical artists of all time, in fact, there are more than a handful of women, including Whitney Houston, Rihanna, and Taylor Swift. 

Female Musicians, Social Media, and Promotion

Leadership skills can also mean that you know how to make technology work to your advantage. For instance, the internet has drastically altered the music landscape, with both positive and negative results. You can even record a professional track in the comfort of your own home. What’s more, you can then share that track with your friends, family, and followers on social media with minimal effort.

Social media can be a powerful tool for advertising, communicating and connecting with fans, and procuring feedback on new music. Some female artists have even used the internet and social media to springboard their music careers. Tahliah Debrett Barnett, commonly known as FKA Twigs, used the Bandcamp platform to release her breakout album, “EP1,” in 2012. By the next year, she was signed to a major label. 

Final Thoughts

Despite the myriad female artists who have fueled trends and brought excitement to the music industry throughout the years, there’s still plenty of work to do. By encouraging more young women to take on leadership roles, the music industry may become safer and more open to women. We can start by doing better in the realm of honoring iconic female musicians, such as Khan, Houston, and Fitzgerald, none of whom have been inducted into the prestigious Rock Hall.

 

Magnolia Potter is a muggle from the Pacific Northwest who writes from time to time and covers a variety of topics. When Magnolia’s not writing, you can find her curled up with a good book.

 

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