Founder Of MusicEntrepreneurHQ.Com On Helping Artists With 10+ Years Of Experience
The founder of Musicentreprenuerhq.com David Weibe sat down with us to go over his historic career helping artists and musicians of all backgrounds. He has over 10 years of experience being featured on such publications as CD Baby, Hypebot, Bandzoogle, and more. David is an author, podcaster, and entrepreneur that helps artists navigate their careers towards success by providing them with tools and resources that have been proven to work.
Enjoy these insights to how David has achieved success in the music industry and how he plans on helping artists with his new exclusive program.
Questions:
Q: How have you helped artists achieve success?
A: 1. I helped Liam Duncan start his freelance writing career.
When he first told me that he wanted to spend more of his time writing from home to replace his job income, I wasn't sure how seriously to take him, but shared my contacts with him, and before I knew it, he was writing for some of the people I connected to, and even some I didn't! Liam successfully freed up more time to work on his passion, and he has made a bit of a name for himself touring with The Middle Coast, as a session player for Michael Bernard Fitzgerald, and as a solo artist. Liam continues to make music and tour today.
2. I helped a jazz artist crowdfund $15,000 for a jazz album in 2017. This included an all-out social media rebranding and digital marketing audit, but the thing that made the difference was the artist's email list and personal contacts. She was emotionally connected to many people who wanted to support her and help see her succeed.
3. I ran an independent radio campaign for a local artist and gave her Facebook page a bit of a boost in the process (100 - 200 likes). We also did an all-out social media rebranding and digital marketing audit for her. She didn't have an email list yet, so we started. She has since gained several hundred more likes on her page and as an artist, she is admired for her ability to host events and create community among artists.
Q: What are the biggest challenges artists face today and how can they start to overcome them?
A: This depends somewhat on the artist. In general, the impact of pandemic lockdowns can't be overstated.
Last year, The Guardian said a third of British musicians were thinking about quitting amid the pandemic. This has a lot to do with shows being cancelled and a lack of gigging income, but it's more than that. I've talked to some artists are old dogs not wanting to learn new tricks, and can't see themselves writing, producing, or even getting into digital marketing. Which leaves them no options in a world climate like this.
Things are gradually returning to "normalcy," yes, but if lockdowns can happen once (twice in some countries), they can certainly happen again. If artists want to mitigate against the impact, they need to ensure they have a solid online presence and establish stable income streams. Then, slowly begin diversifying with live streaming, video (which can help drive affiliate, advertising, and sponsor income), licensing and placements, donations, and other income sources that don't rely exclusively on their ability to perform.
Many artists have told us they feel like the industry is too saturated and there's too much competition. Others have told us they're trying to create a brand that makes an impact, or wanting to learn how to successfully market their music, such that they can create a steady income from it.
In general, artists are focusing on the right things. But they don't necessarily know the impact of being surrounded by a community of people who are up to things in their career, or having a coach that's invested in seeing them succeed. For most artists, this is the key to creating breakthroughs in their careers. I know from personal experience how much of a difference it makes to be surrounded by amazing, ambitious people.
Q: In your career what has been the difference in the artists who succeed?
A: Much of it comes down to relationship.
Relationships can take many forms, obviously, but the artists who have a close connection with their fans, with potential investors, with venue owners and festival organizers, and just people in general, tend to create more breakthroughs in their careers by virtue of being in conversation.
Most breakthroughs are only a conversation away. Whenever you feel stuck, you can get into conversation and resolve your challenges or create opportunities. In general, people are willing to work with those who have their best interests at heart.
Another big thing is mindset and perseverance. If you give up at the first sign of adversity, you don't stand a chance in the music industry. There will be a lot of rejection. But it's not about the rejection. It's about finding the right partners. And the right partners are always out there. You don't need thousands of people to collaborate, work with, and support you. A handful of people can make a huge difference.
Q: What are 3 of the best strategies artists can use to achieve success?
A: "Strategy" is definitely the keyword here, as most artists are just pursuing tactics.
And tactics, in isolation, whether it's TikTok, SnapChat, Clubhouse, or otherwise, tend not to form a cohesive whole. If you don't have an email list, driving traffic to your content accomplishes very little. Sharing a Spotify link might get you a few streams, but in most cases will not earn you any new fans. To me, it all starts with the brand. And it's good to break it down into two parts - external and internal. External is the image you put out into the world. The colors you use, the fonts, the logos, the costumes you wear... all of it. This tends to be the easy part, the only part artists focus on, which is why they end up missing the core essence of branding, which is the internal part. The internal part is all about defining your purpose, your mission, the impact you want to make in the world. And you must align this piece with an audience.
You may not be able to figure it out all at once, but by continually talking to the type of people that come to your show, you can start to form a profile of your ideal target audience. "Oh, they're interested in dogs... It sounds like they listen to XYZ band... They read ABC blog..." And then you begin to look at how you can find more of those people, which is where targeting in advertising can be amazing.
Your brand is your strategy. And once that piece is in place, all other decisions become easy. Beyond that, artists should consider forming a proper online presence, and that includes a website. It's surprising how many artists rely on Facebook or Instagram to host all their content. No matter how many views you're getting on your content, this is not best practice. You can use social media, but that goes back to the previous step - knowing your audience and where they hang out online. Only then should you invest more heavily in social media. Also, having a website conveys a sense of professionalism and so long as you own the domain, it will never get deleted, changed, or banned without your permission.
And all other things, be it funnels, Clubhouse, podcasting, VR or otherwise, should be considered alongside your brand.
Q: What do you want to accomplish in this next chapter of your career?
A: I'm looking to create a greater impact with artists who want to take their careers seriously.
I've gone through many challenges as an artist, whether it's losing my father at 13, family members committing suicide, wrestling with anxiety, cars breaking down, relationships ending, or going broke (something I've been through three times by now). Standing on my shoulders, artists only stand to see further into the distance. They can make better choices and create the results they're looking to create in their careers faster by learning from my ups and downs.
That's why we launched our new membership, Elite Players: All Access Pass. This membership includes a private forum where members can interact and receive coaching, among many other members only benefits. There's a huge archive of content that gets into digital marketing, mindset, and the business of music, to support artists in their ongoing growth.
We aren't always accepting applications, so the best idea for artists would be to bookmark the landing page and sign up when it's open. Right now, it's open until August 27. But you can come on over to our landing page to learn more about the membership at any time. It's well-behaved, and I promise it won't bite.
I also see this as an opportunity to give back. My late father and grandparents contributed greatly to the education of underprivileged children and other related projects, and this is a huge part of my current efforts too, in honor of their memory.
Q: How can artists benefit from joining your course?
A: Two questions:
What are you struggling with in your music career right now?
What would it mean to you if you could overcome those challenges?
The answer to these questions will form the foundation of what musicians can expect to get out of it, because the results will be customized and tailored to their needs. If you're looking to get your music licensed, you will find resources to help you with that. If you want to be able to market your music to create an income, you will find answers to that. If you want to build your brand, you will find training and coaching for that. If you're looking for community, connection, and collaboration, we've got those bases covered too.
I invite you to check out what Elite Players: All Access Pass is all about!
Conclusion:
The landscape for artists is increasingly shifting. With proper guidance to steer you in the right direction anything is possible. Investing in yourself as an artist will give you an advantage to not only succeed, but succeed in a faster more effective way.
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