Success looks different for each band and artist. For some, the primary goal is to earn a full time income from their music while for others it is the joy of creating and releasing their art without necessarily being financially driven. Whatever your aim is, it is key to ensure you are taking the best steps towards achieving it, and that everyone involved is also aligned. This is especially important in the early stages of your career.
Defining Success & How To Get There
Some key aspects to consider include whether you are striving to sign to a label or wishing to stay independent. Both options are perfectly viable and both options carry their own pros and cons, which may vary depending on your specific arrangements as a band. If the goal is to sign to a label, for example, you will need to adjust your band operations accordingly to meet industry requirements – see HERE for further advice and common mistakes to avoid.
You may also need to decide what your priorities are in terms of activities: is recording and producing new music most important at this stage, or do you want to focus on getting live shows booked? Once these decisions around your career path have been made, the next step is to work out how you are going to get there.
When it comes to setting goals, it is crucial to devise ones that are achievable. While the dream may be to make it big, if you are not yet at that stage, setting your next goal to be to open for Metallica, may not be the most effective route to take. Realistic goals for smaller bands may look like this:
- Finish new album (including mixing, mastering, and assets) in the next year.
- Post 2-3 times a week consistently on social media.
- Spend 10 minutes a day replying to comments and networking online.
- Achieve 1000 monthly listeners on Spotify by the end of the year.
By breaking down activities into more manageable daily, weekly, or monthly tasks, this assists in creating a consistent workload (for success, especially on social media, consistency is key!). Smaller goals also enable more effective monitoring. For example, if by posting on social media 2-3 times a week for a couple of months you suddenly find that your content is less effective at gaining attention, you can then experiment with switching up the type of posts you share to see what works best. Small adjustments to goals here and there are often needed to get the best out of your efforts, and they can be developed as time goes on and your band grows.
Aligning Your Goals: Ensuring You’re On The Same Wavelength
As well as aligning your daily activities to assist in achieving your major goal(s), your band members, promotional team, whoever else is involved creatively or professionally, must also be aligned. If one band member wants to fly off on tour around the world, while others want to operate as a studio band, conflict or complications of some form may arise down the line.
From the off, it is key to understand each band members’ individual goals and how they fit in with the primary aims of the band. Establish everyone’s roles early on and ensure appropriate contracts and agreements between members are created and updated when necessary. For example, is the writing line-up different to the touring line-up, and if so, which members retain which rights?
Setting clear goals as early as possible will always be beneficial especially when done in conjunction with establishing each members’ roles and involvement. Remember, the goal posts may move and shift as your career develops. Ensure to check in with your band mates, and any professionals you are working with, fairly regularly and adjust any strategies where necessary.
Further reading:
Defining Success On Your Own Terms
Navigating the Early Days