We were signed to a label for 2 albums in the mid 2000’s, we ended up signing over the rights to our records for 20 years to secure major international festival spots and supporting major metal tours throughout Europe and South America. The albums have never received a second print and we still don’t receive any streaming monies. But the experience was well worth it…now I make lofi beats lol
That’s a positive way of looking at I believe if you’re able to pivot after and enjoy your time during then the time spent doing it was amazing. I want to start making music but haven’t made anything to show anybody. I’m learning how to produce so I can make it myself but also so I have other skills than songwriting.
My biggest trigger is always this social media stuff. I don't enjoy watching 15 second videos, hell I don't really enjoy social media in general. And I didn't start learning to make music so I could be a "content creator". I started learning to make music because, funilly enough, I enjoy making music. If you have a real-world job, you probably only have time for the music making anyway, so who wants to sacrifice that quality time to focus on burning yourself out making garbage 15 second videos? Is Damian right? Of course. As long as you have a team and don't have to balance real-world jobs. But musician and content creator are two very different things that both require time and focus.
This fits me perfectly. Damian IS right, if you're a teenager or a young, beautiful 20-something still figuring out what path to take. What about us at the end of our lives? I've waited 40 years for "technology" to allow me to be heard and now that it's here I am being told I have to spend all my time creating online content for consumers with an attention span of 1 second. Time is running out for me. My only choice is to hit record, sing the song, put it somewhere and accept that as the victory. At least I will have done that, though it's likely no one will hear it.
During the file sharing / Napster time people were saying we want your music for free, you can make money with merchandise. You want me to sell mugs and t-shirts? I am not a potter and not a tailor. I'm glad I went into IT where you get paid for your work.
I hear you with this one man. I'm a blue collar dude with a more than full time job. So when I spend time thinking of all these stuff, while trying to do it, it gets so overwhelming to me. I want to write and record music. But I do understand that if I want to go to the next level, I need to promote and market myself. This game aint easy as we already know, right? Find me if you like. MARKO TUDICH - MAKE IT HAPPEN everywhere and youtube
That part about music industry "being easy" ignores that it isn't music industry any more. It's content industry. Yes, you might have all the tools, but you have none of the professional crew. Solid houses are built by professionals, most of whom have multi year education behind them. The plumber, the electrician, the architect, even the basic construction worker has years of experience. Dismissing this as "you have the tools, you just don't know to use them" is frankly insulting. And the golden CD years lasted all the way to late 90's, up until Napster. The decline after early years was because the digital remasters from label catalogue were released for the first years. New music continued to sell high numbers, there were just fewer re-releases.
The no albums part triggered me. I do both, release singles every few months and 1 album a year. I find that an album captures a point in time and there is an overarching connection between all of the albums I've made in particular. I 100% agree with the logic tho. It's undeniable.
I think you have the right balance of singles and album releases. I love hearing new singles from artist and can't wait for the full album to drop so I can pick it up.
I’m about to release my first album, in three months, after only five singles, and only two of them will be on the album. Then I plan, like you, to release an album every year, because even if I have a thousand fans who want to hear my music, then that’s fine, I’m not trying to be a millionaire.
Then maybe popularity/“success”) isn’t what you’re after. Perhaps you’re just happy making music and the creative process behind it. I think that’s where I am. Gotta stop letting the “but what if I just had a gold single” logic go. Not really about that tbh
My most viewed TikTok has 1222 views, and I just realized: other than the fact that I was wearing a suit, the first second of the video is of me SMILING! I'll do that for my next TikTok! Damian you're a genius! So I will invest in taking care of the people who are actually smitten by what I have to offer. None of what you said triggered me, I'll let you know how my next TikTok goes, the smile will be my signature move🧡
I just got signed to a label and I truely appreciate your content. Not only do I have a team behind me, but putting in the work myself too like you show us only makes us stronger 🔥🔥🔥 thank you Damian
Tiktok is just so confusing for me. I used distrokid for distribution and made sure it was distributed to TikTok, yet when I’m on TikTok yet I can’t post my own music or find it on TikTok I don’t understand
Just when you think you've learned everything there is to know after watching Damian's videos, he comes out with another and you realize the goal posts are always being moved and the rules of the game are constantly changing. Frustrating but good to know. Thank you, Damian!
The advertising part is very true. Not only have I blown myself up to a full time artist level purely off of ads, but I’ve also created an agency and have helped over 200 artists grow with ads. Ads work yall. Want 1m views on ig? We can do that. Want to reach 1m people in your genre? We can do that. You just have to have great music and content if you want it to work well.
Thank you for this video ! I didn't realise how great this era was for musicians ! "Streaming is the best thing that ever happened to the music industry ! " Hell yes, it is so true !
Got to be careful with covers. I just did a cover of "house of the rising sun", which is public domain as no one knows who wrote it but my cover still getting copyright claimed. So put a covers on your socials for content, but dont invest money in it.
I am honestly not triggered by any of this. I did albums because I simply write too many songs and mission number one is to record them all. I do agree with everything you have said here. I am not even sure how to judge my online audience. I am getting weird signs that it could be fairly large but then I only have 330 ish monthly listeners on Spotify. It is growing on it's own. I am just trying to figure out how to speed that process up. You have given me some invaluable ideas, so I really appreciate the effort you put in to making these videos. Thank you.
Ufffff!! I so many songs too. I want them all recorded as well. It's torture to split my time between recording and working on these career building strategies. MARKO TUDICH - MAKE IT HAPPEN. The album is everywhere and on youtube too
@@Tude75just do it man, lock in, record a bunch, then schedule them for release and make content. Then repeat. Too many songs is a GREAT problem to have
Spent a few years working on my first album to learn the production process, I didn't spend enough time on content and ads, so pretty much no growth 😂 Im excited to get burned today though if it means I know how to handle tomorrow, I appreciate you, this makes the hard journey feel more clear going forward!
The comments about doing singles, not albums hit me. Hadn’t looked at it that way before - the period of quiet, for a lot of hard work. Going to make sure I build a following with singles. Thank you
I agree with you on pretty much all levels and I wanted to add some positives to the part about doing a "cover" song. When I was performing with my folk band, I found many times the main thing at a bar gig that would turn everyone from just being at the bar to being alive at the bar leading into stomping their feet, clapping their hands and dancing as well as pulling a random person to our extra mic to join along in singing a song.....WEll, it was in our interest to get them warmed up for us with some cover songs they knew and we always put a twist on them...always have some covers that you make your own because it grabs people and gives them a push into having a great time which then opens the door much wider for the public to grasp the original music much better...We played our own original Celtic/Nordic/Mountain/Rowdy Folk music and thank God we payed attention to mentors and also the audiences. Our music I admit wasn't the most familar style to most when it came to local bar scenes so covers can be so amazing in your introduction and throughout a 3 - 4 hour gig. Pay attentioin as mucjh as you can and I feel looking professional looks much better when you interact and also find time to breath and have a little humor, it goes a long way just like giving some free merch and maybe drinks at bar as a thank you to those awesome people that are also making your show happen. If you can get folks to dance and participate as well be alive which triggers more to follow the fun stuff that makes a night out something to talk about, well this is what its all about when it comes to performing. Sometimes just asking a few people what they like and making small talk can also be good, just dont be desperate. Be real and authentic, artists that appreciate people can do so much more I believe. I even started a thing where Id have some fans I knew bring hand-drums and Id bring some extra hand-drums so somewhere in the night we'd have this entire place drumming and oh did it get real! Thanks for the great video man!!! I will be checking more your stuff from now on!!
"You're doing it for your own ego" Damn that was eye-opening! There was nothing that I already didn't know in this video but I was ignoring all this time in the back of my mind. Especially what you said about albums and socials, Thanks man! Going to finish a another single and make some tiktoks rn🍻
You had me worried but I actually agree with everything you said. On this video that I realize that I fw with you! Thank you Damo! I don't who calls you that but I'll rock wit it 😂
Thanks for going into what it means to be a perfectionist. I have diagnosed chronic OCD and it's hindered my growth as an artist for like 6 years. Only now, since I've found your content, have I started to understand how important it is to be consistent and market myself. Keep doing what you do. I plan to watch all 1000 or so of your videos 😂
Damian, I liked every one of the comments regardless of the pain accompanied by the the truth. The truth is the truth. I got a little burnt out. Been plowing away at this thing since 2009. Time to jump on a new path in musical journey. Thanks so much for the valuable tips...
Damian ❤❤❤ The shirt, very you. As for the things you said in this video. Thank you for putting it all in perspective. Speaking the truth and making it easy to fall in love daily with a fantastic industry. It is work, it's hard to deal with it all, but its worth everything it takes to live life as an artist! All the best, and stay AWESOME!
I enjoy your videos and have watched an ample amount in their entirety but I had a suggestion if not for anyone else for me lol..... Please add the chapters to your video plz. Idk if it's a content tactic or anything by not doing it which I understand, but it would help imo thanks and keep the videos rolling in
Great video and of course I agree with what you’re saying essentially. I’m a blind song writer and just find the race to keep up with changing social media trends quite exhausting. Maybe I’m lazy but I find social media drains me lately and takes me away from being creative. I love live streaming and all that but suppose it’s the video and visuals side of things.
Dude!! I totally feel the same. Overwhelmed and drained with all the strategizing and no song writing. But I feel like the hard truth is we have to adapt if we want to take our material to the next level.
Spot on...done it.. been there, but the truth hurts. Going live is very unsettling for me as I play live at home, but I think who cares. The other is being fun selling it. The truth hurts. Thank you so much for this insight.
Releasing music this week and as someone who hates promoting myself, there are some great nuggets in here I'm taking away: 1. Get better at what I do 2. Tell compelling stories about my music 3. Focus on Fans, not followers
It's good that you have videos on your RUclips channel because after reading this comment, I wanted to go to your channel to see if you had anything there. Listening to "Swept Away" now. I like the fact that your song isn't too formulaic and not the same thing over and over again. It's definitely quality stuff!
DAMO! Dude, thank you for triggering me with the truth today: I'm not a perfectionist. I just never want to be dissatisfied with my performances/recordings. Now to hop on the horse and release all these tunes I've worked endless hours on! They're "perfect" enough. Time to get 'em out there. Always appreciate your insights & cheeky humor! ☺🤘
Actually, nothing really triggered me, it's a great video, thanks for the content you are doing for us artists ✨ Personally, I love album format (and I rarely listen to the separate songs on my own), but I try to treat them as a collection of singles. Pick a "primary" song, promote it during release period, then pick another song and promote it, then pick another one, and so on. Probably singles would be a bit better since they are new every time, but what I am trying to do here is to combine the format I love with the philosophy of managing the song instead of letting it be forgotten.
Hey, agreed! What you could do to get the best of both worlds is to record an entire album, then just release each song as a single, maybe a couple weeks apart. At the end of that, you can release it all again as an album. This not only keeps you relevant for like a 6 month period, but the algorithms really like that consistency. You can do lyric videos and visualizers along the way, which gives you content for YT.
@@sinnersrisemusic I've seen huge criticism of the artists who release albums without new material at all. Kinda killing the format itself. I'd say it's OK to release half of the songs beforehead and another half just promote after the albums release. And yes, consistency is key
Love all your advices. They are so up to date and make so much sense. I ve been trying to do litterally everything by myself, which became so overwhelming and made me start to doubt and question myself. but all those pieces of advice helped me put those little pieces of the puzzles together in order to get a better bigger picture of the direction to take. thank you so much!
See that the last comments are about a year ago but anyway. My trigger would be the album issue. I do believe in only release singel albums on Spotify etc but my experience is that people actually still by CD's Released a couple of songs and then my album in September 2023 , Yes I was connected with a label who wanted to do it that way (Not anymore, ended that collaboration and that was one of the reasons) Still, I have made more money selling CD's on gigs than I have received from all the DSP's together so I still believe in CD and Vinyl as a compliment if you can afford the initial cost making them of course. Above that I think your spot on as always, even though some of it is "hard truth" Really enjoy your videos, they are incuraging indeed Thank you !! //C
Great rundown. I feel like people who complain about making content probably never experienced or have forgotten the old way of promoting new music: driving around the country in a cramped, equipment-loaded van with other smelly musicians, and barely breaking even or losing money on the trip. Compared to that, content making is easy.
I really appreciate everything you said in the video. It reinforced some of what I have known about the ever changing landscape of the music industry. I am going to release a full length solo album this summer. I made the decision to do that as a choice to offer up to folks who may want a full shot of what I do. But I am also working on singles and I have no plans to release another full album for a while. I've been playing music for decades and I'm trying this whole do it yourself approach to music for the first time. But I just wanted to say that I appreciate your candor. You are offering a very real no bullshit approach to monetizing original music. Well done.
My name is Toussaint! And man you’ve been a lot of help I take notes to 90% of your videos I know that your methods and game will help my career and my brand thank you Mann frr❤💯
Great ideas - thanks! I particularly like your last suggestion - If you cover a very popular song, some people will accidentally find your version when searching for the real one. Maybe they'll like it and maybe not, but it's a good trick to get some new eyes on your content.
Very valid points, I learned a lot... Most important was in reference to the 15 sec video NOT having to be a Quentin Tarantino production. This was triggering as I have always strived for cinematic content, and I'm always being told I'm worried about the wrong things and just jsut get content out!
Thanks for the Video Damian ❤ The Music Industry isn’t better it’s just different! There are many pros & cons. I really do think this comes down to what kind of artist of music genre you are. Rock/Indie & Metal acts are not as popular as they were back in the day when I collected Hovis bread 🥖 on my bicycle at 6am in the morning! After my paper round! Data from Rick Beato’s RUclips Channel clearly show this in 2023 where Pop, Indie Rap dance type artists are pretty much killing it. The thought of going to a live gig where there’s no band & just a backing track makes me want to start word war 3, if that hasn’t already started. I’ve only ever lost money on streaming services as probably 99.9% of people reading my post who have released music have. But luckily I play the long game and make money on my live shows where I have managed to support myself financially. Unfortunately if you’re in a band you are pretty much screwed live at grass roots levels because the fees for gigs haven’t really gone up much since the 1980’s That’s why I mainly perform solo or duo with 2 to 3 full band gigs a year. Not loving the dream. But still appreciate ld as an original artist who play a few covers. PRS is by far the best thing I ever did & Much better than streaming. I make an additional £500 a year from this. Thanks for listening. Life is still great doing what I love Steve ❤
…and to be brutally honest Damo, most new music I hear the unlucky in debt no opportunities younger folk in the UK stream is Angry perfect sounding repetitive ⚾️ 🏉 …But this is just my opinion. The Henley College Music students I teach do pick up instruments & do have some stylish cool vibes. As you said before music & fashion do go hand in hand.
This was really really good!!!! I hate Social Media but I need to get better at using it with wisdom! I also need to find a better way to tell my stories. I sometimes do think my songs are to on the nose for this culture climate so I will be changing my lyric style!!! Thanks for this.
I have to say, there's not many talking heads I'm subscribing to, but you really appeal to me with your concise, clear messages. Great stuff, thanks for making great content! Cheers, Thor 😊
I'm on Tik Tok now because of one of your video. I'll never regret it even if I don't have a huge audience right now, it still helps me witj my YT growth. For now I only have covers cause my songs are not ready for release (No I'm not a perfectionnist), but as soon as one is ready I will follow your advices for the release too. Thanks !
It’s very demotivating to not see results on my music, but that’s the thing, I don’t post enough on social media I need to build a presence, your right I’m overthinking, it doesn’t have to be perfect, man you opened my mind up, appreciate you
Thank you!! I have become a cover artist, never wanted to be…but I’m approaching 1M followers on Tiktok because of it!! And now they are starting to listen to my originals. It works!! ❤❤
Thanks for this video! It is really a very timely watch for me. Overthinking has been/is the greatest impediment to progress. I realize that now. It has definitely held me back. And also the fear of making mistakes or looking stupid… another hard truth is that no one really cares. As long as we are sincere in what we put out and not let overthinking stop us from creating or putting content out growth with happen. If we let fear and perfectionism ( so called) stand in our way then we are sabotaging ourselves.
@@DamianKeyes - Got a query for you - regarding 14:27 onwards - we have been pushing singles with music videos (quite visually based) and then EP collections to follow. We are thinking about looking to fund an album (alt rock/heavy rock), more because we think it will be the best genuine reflection of our art and we want to create a piece that almost fits concept throughout the track listing. We have been building a bit of a story and universe over the first 2 EPs worth of singles and MVs, and hoping to conclude with an album which would have a fair few music videos prior to album drop, and would tie up this first of our concepts... Do you think this is still a viable way to create within the industry? We try to incorporate our music videos as a key piece of visual identity, and we want to advance on our conceptual lore from the band's mind, similar in a way to how Stone Sour released their House of Gold & Bones concept albums, or how Muse/Bring Me The Horizon now so neatly tie their concepts together during a live performance with visual representation?
@@DamianKeyes The only danger is that most people don't know what they want, and even if they want control, it doesn't mean they understand what it takes to achieve it... I think BREXIT and the desire to control our borders explains that point best. I think it would be the same with wanting control over all aspects of the music... once they get that control, they are now driving a Formula One car and it WILL go out of control very quickly when they realise they don't actually know what they are doing. I know this as I would be one those people... lol
Thanks Demian for the tips. I really love doing music & business stuff is my weaknes. So it was good to hear some new tips. Tik-tok resonated with me as well as to continue making covers, all the best, Peter👌
I’ve been trying to help an extremely skilled, gifted and talented singer-songwriter jazz vocalist to thrive. I’ve sent this video to her with the hope that she’ll engage and follow through with everything that you’ve laid out. I know that it’s clearly “a lot of work”. However, anything that we each choose to be our profession does require us to get our hands dirty and work at it. Hard. Yet another “inconvenient truth”. Thank you for posting, yet, another brilliant examination of the facts about being a recording music artist in the 21st Century. Cheers!
Question for you. If you are a talented singer (of any sort) would it help to play in gigs? For example, play at a coffee shop that will allow artists to play their stuff for free, or play in some church gigs?
Tbh these really aren’t hard truths, but the one that resonates with me is the “Social media is a reflection of you.” I am not successful in music, or social media, and I feel like this can be the only reason. Trying TikTok might help to an extent though. It’s nice hearing from you Damian, interesting video
I don't consider myself a musician or artist, I'm just experimenting with electric guitars and effects. Its fun, however this is good information. Thanks for posting.
I don't know if I overthink social media... I find it a huge hurdle to have to ask someone to shoot content with me... I asked my partner once and he seemed a bit annoyed by it. I'm also not disciplined or something, because for a little while I posted on instagram, youtube shorts and tiktok like you said but now it's just instagram again and I forgot the others
I started busking recently and really wanted to focus on my own songs[still do]. I do around an hour of originals but truth is 1-2 covers got me some coins! And it is nice playing others songs in my style. Thanks for the info as always :)
Thanks Damian. Excellent video. As you wanted to know which part triggered me the most it was probably the bit about overthinking stuff and not realising that a few 10s videos can be done in no time. The rest of it was super inspiring too. 👌
Wow! I must admit I had not watched you for a while as I was growing tired of you asking (me) to do more socials. But this video is a key milestone for me, because you tell all what needs to be told (including for socials!). What I like best is your first comment on streaming (although the one on socials will probably be the one helping me most). I agree that streaming is a great opportunity to have music exposed to the world, one that had never existed before. However, I want to point out that when I was 20 and I was going to music stores, there were many vinyls around but still, the room was limited and the number of available vinyls was also limited. This expanded with CDs as shops were then displaying more CDs than previously with the vinyls. Now, with streaming, everyone in the world has access to an unlimited number of songs and albums. Trouble is that they go mostly, when not only, to what they know already. It is more or less difficult in these conditions to emerge than it was in the 70's or the 80's? I am not sure. And then we come back to your comment on advertising... Thanks again for the great video and the very relevant pieces of advice.
Well I am at the start of the start, I’m 20 so I just want to learn as much as I can, there for I didn’t find anything triggering be cause it make so much sense, thank you for this video!
I'm trying to start a band, and I must say, I wish more people heard the last one. Most of the time when I start talking to a potential band member, they ask for original stuff, and when I say at this moment I only know how to play some covers (I play guitar and been taking singing lessons for some years now), they tune out. But to be honest, ever since I started doing covers properly, i.e. learning all the parts of the song, I have learned A TON about the song structure, build up, even technique etc. And now when an amateur musician says 'I play grunge/pop/metal/whatever, but only originals', I hear really 'I can noodle on guitars for hours, I can't play one song from start to finish'; and of course, they ASK for original stuff, but provide none of their own.
There a vast difference between musicians who play covers and musicians who are skilled enough to perform original music. Those who can write and arrange for a band are even fewer. Music is a harsh mistress and by the time a musician, drummer or vocalist is skilled enough to perform original music, they often have little to no interest in playing covers. Proof is in the taste of the pudding. Talent helps. This is meant to encourage, not discourage. Get going and record your material !
The 1st point is built on the idea that we actually have control. We the artist don’t, Spotify and Distrokid do. They could remove an independent’s songs or Spotify account for no reason tomorrow and there’s nothing you can really do. Same for the other problems
Life changing, inspirational words Damian. I felt every single sentence to my core and it really lit a fire in my heart. Thank you for the energy you bring to this platform and us aspiring artists.
So on point one - People only listen to a new artist if they are on a playlist. After 4 weeks most songs are removed from the playlist rotation. Whilst you may have only sold for one week for every album sold in a store a good proportion actually made its way to the artist. So having it available longer doesn’t actually generate more money for artists. Point 2 - social media and platforms rise and fall. MySpace was in TikTok’s position 15 years ago. But I agree social media is here to stay. Point 3 - Music is easier. Bullshit. As well as learning an instrument. Finding like minded musicans. Writing good music. Having a good aesthetic. Standing out in a very competitive and larger field. You must now also - be a ‘content creator’, be a marketing expert, be a social media expert, be a shameless self promoter, be an audio engineer, be a business expert, sell anything and everything except music (t-shirts etc) continue to work hard at all of the above all of the time or fall behind. Point 4 yes advertising works, however as a musician you can now spend far more on advertising than the revenue generated from music sales. This must be a loss leader excercise and involve far more outlay at the outset of a career. Point 5 Less venues to perform in. Higher cost of living with less concert goers. I find this video disingenuous and patronising. Musicians all suffer from self doubt as a result of predominant personality types. Social media is therefore NOT easy. Give a musician 1000 compliments and one negative review, I guarantee they remember the one negative. It is not easy, it is hard, there is less monetary reward, there are more elements to focus on, and all of it takes and time dedication. Point
Totally agree about the 'true fans'... I would take 100 true fans over 10k or even 50k likes any day. Spot who they are and love them right back, it's great advice.
The "no albums" one is hardest for me. A lot of the music I write just makes more sense in an album of tracks that contrast with and complement each other. I don't think it necessarily works when taken out of that context and people hear it "cold" in a busy playlist of other tunes trying to grab attention. I know the playlist context is where you have to prove yourself, but that's a challenge for the kind of music I make. A lot of my tracks just don't fit in well with other people's. 😀
Trust me no-one cares that much about your music. Not a single person is thinking about it like that and also they never have. A song is a song is a song. If your songs don't make sense without the other songs, then your songs are shit.
Here's what I would try so that you can get the best of both worlds: Record an entire album, and then release each song as a single each month, or every 2 weeks, depending on how cohesive you want to keep things. Then when they're all out, release everything as an album together. Along the way, you can do lyric videos for each song so that you have things to upload, you can do cool microcontent for each as well. Treat each song with single-like promotion. Try it! It keeps you busy for the entire promo period for each song, and keeps you on track.
That's especially true with instrumental concept albums and some soundtracks. Some tracks make sense listening to the whole or at least some of the tracks on it.
Damien, genuone question here: around 10:00 you said we should overthink less. But also, we should think about everything from business to algorithms to strategy to making good content to everything else... Psychologically speaking, how does all that not become overthinking per default?
We were signed to a label for 2 albums in the mid 2000’s, we ended up signing over the rights to our records for 20 years to secure major international festival spots and supporting major metal tours throughout Europe and South America. The albums have never received a second print and we still don’t receive any streaming monies. But the experience was well worth it…now I make lofi beats lol
That’s a positive way of looking at I believe if you’re able to pivot after and enjoy your time during then the time spent doing it was amazing. I want to start making music but haven’t made anything to show anybody. I’m learning how to produce so I can make it myself but also so I have other skills than songwriting.
How is the LoFi beats thing doing?
I just subscribed
thanks for sharing
My biggest trigger is always this social media stuff. I don't enjoy watching 15 second videos, hell I don't really enjoy social media in general. And I didn't start learning to make music so I could be a "content creator". I started learning to make music because, funilly enough, I enjoy making music. If you have a real-world job, you probably only have time for the music making anyway, so who wants to sacrifice that quality time to focus on burning yourself out making garbage 15 second videos?
Is Damian right? Of course. As long as you have a team and don't have to balance real-world jobs. But musician and content creator are two very different things that both require time and focus.
This fits me perfectly. Damian IS right, if you're a teenager or a young, beautiful 20-something still figuring out what path to take. What about us at the end of our lives? I've waited 40 years for "technology" to allow me to be heard and now that it's here I am being told I have to spend all my time creating online content for consumers with an attention span of 1 second.
Time is running out for me. My only choice is to hit record, sing the song, put it somewhere and accept that as the victory. At least I will have done that, though it's likely no one will hear it.
I feel the same way. I don't care for social media and I have no intention of investing that much energy in to it.
During the file sharing / Napster time people were saying we want your music for free, you can make money with merchandise. You want me to sell mugs and t-shirts? I am not a potter and not a tailor.
I'm glad I went into IT where you get paid for your work.
I hear you with this one man. I'm a blue collar dude with a more than full time job. So when I spend time thinking of all these stuff, while trying to do it, it gets so overwhelming to me. I want to write and record music. But I do understand that if I want to go to the next level, I need to promote and market myself. This game aint easy as we already know, right? Find me if you like. MARKO TUDICH - MAKE IT HAPPEN everywhere and youtube
That part about music industry "being easy" ignores that it isn't music industry any more. It's content industry. Yes, you might have all the tools, but you have none of the professional crew. Solid houses are built by professionals, most of whom have multi year education behind them. The plumber, the electrician, the architect, even the basic construction worker has years of experience. Dismissing this as "you have the tools, you just don't know to use them" is frankly insulting.
And the golden CD years lasted all the way to late 90's, up until Napster. The decline after early years was because the digital remasters from label catalogue were released for the first years. New music continued to sell high numbers, there were just fewer re-releases.
The no albums part triggered me. I do both, release singles every few months and 1 album a year. I find that an album captures a point in time and there is an overarching connection between all of the albums I've made in particular. I 100% agree with the logic tho. It's undeniable.
I think you have the right balance of singles and album releases. I love hearing new singles from artist and can't wait for the full album to drop so I can pick it up.
Where can I find your music?
I’m about to release my first album, in three months, after only five singles, and only two of them will be on the album. Then I plan, like you, to release an album every year, because even if I have a thousand fans who want to hear my music, then that’s fine, I’m not trying to be a millionaire.
Then maybe popularity/“success”) isn’t what you’re after. Perhaps you’re just happy making music and the creative process behind it. I think that’s where I am. Gotta stop letting the “but what if I just had a gold single” logic go. Not really about that tbh
My most viewed TikTok has 1222 views, and I just realized: other than the fact that I was wearing a suit, the first second of the video is of me SMILING! I'll do that for my next TikTok! Damian you're a genius! So I will invest in taking care of the people who are actually smitten by what I have to offer. None of what you said triggered me, I'll let you know how my next TikTok goes, the smile will be my signature move🧡
I just got signed to a label and I truely appreciate your content. Not only do I have a team behind me, but putting in the work myself too like you show us only makes us stronger 🔥🔥🔥 thank you Damian
Thanks so much Martin that means a lot, appreciate you 😊😊
Hey dude I checked out your RUclips videos and you’re really good. I can see why you got signed 🎉
Sorry to hear that.
I admire you
Tiktok is just so confusing for me. I used distrokid for distribution and made sure it was distributed to TikTok, yet when I’m on TikTok yet I can’t post my own music or find it on TikTok I don’t understand
Thank you so much for this.
Just when you think you've learned everything there is to know after watching Damian's videos, he comes out with another and you realize the goal posts are always being moved and the rules of the game are constantly changing. Frustrating but good to know. Thank you, Damian!
Powerful!! Thank you for all you do for independent artists. Please pay close attention
The advertising part is very true. Not only have I blown myself up to a full time artist level purely off of ads, but I’ve also created an agency and have helped over 200 artists grow with ads. Ads work yall. Want 1m views on ig? We can do that. Want to reach 1m people in your genre? We can do that. You just have to have great music and content if you want it to work well.
Thank you for this video ! I didn't realise how great this era was for musicians ! "Streaming is the best thing that ever happened to the music industry ! " Hell yes, it is so true !
Got to be careful with covers. I just did a cover of "house of the rising sun", which is public domain as no one knows who wrote it but my cover still getting copyright claimed. So put a covers on your socials for content, but dont invest money in it.
I am honestly not triggered by any of this.
I did albums because I simply write too many songs and mission number one is to record them all. I do agree with everything you have said here.
I am not even sure how to judge my online audience. I am getting weird signs that it could be fairly large but then I only have 330 ish monthly listeners on Spotify. It is growing on it's own. I am just trying to figure out how to speed that process up.
You have given me some invaluable ideas, so I really appreciate the effort you put in to making these videos. Thank you.
Ufffff!! I so many songs too. I want them all recorded as well. It's torture to split my time between recording and working on these career building strategies. MARKO TUDICH - MAKE IT HAPPEN. The album is everywhere and on youtube too
@@Tude75just do it man, lock in, record a bunch, then schedule them for release and make content. Then repeat. Too many songs is a GREAT problem to have
Spent a few years working on my first album to learn the production process, I didn't spend enough time on content and ads, so pretty much no growth 😂 Im excited to get burned today though if it means I know how to handle tomorrow, I appreciate you, this makes the hard journey feel more clear going forward!
The comments about doing singles, not albums hit me. Hadn’t looked at it that way before - the period of quiet, for a lot of hard work. Going to make sure I build a following with singles. Thank you
I agree with you on pretty much all levels and I wanted to add some positives to the part about doing a "cover" song. When I was performing with my folk band, I found many times the main thing at a bar gig that would turn everyone from just being at the bar to being alive at the bar leading into stomping their feet, clapping their hands and dancing as well as pulling a random person to our extra mic to join along in singing a song.....WEll, it was in our interest to get them warmed up for us with some cover songs they knew and we always put a twist on them...always have some covers that you make your own because it grabs people and gives them a push into having a great time which then opens the door much wider for the public to grasp the original music much better...We played our own original Celtic/Nordic/Mountain/Rowdy Folk music and thank God we payed attention to mentors and also the audiences. Our music I admit wasn't the most familar style to most when it came to local bar scenes so covers can be so amazing in your introduction and throughout a 3 - 4 hour gig. Pay attentioin as mucjh as you can and I feel looking professional looks much better when you interact and also find time to breath and have a little humor, it goes a long way just like giving some free merch and maybe drinks at bar as a thank you to those awesome people that are also making your show happen. If you can get folks to dance and participate as well be alive which triggers more to follow the fun stuff that makes a night out something to talk about, well this is what its all about when it comes to performing. Sometimes just asking a few people what they like and making small talk can also be good, just dont be desperate. Be real and authentic, artists that appreciate people can do so much more I believe. I even started a thing where Id have some fans I knew bring hand-drums and Id bring some extra hand-drums so somewhere in the night we'd have this entire place drumming and oh did it get real! Thanks for the great video man!!! I will be checking more your stuff from now on!!
Cool info. Thank you
Great video as always, I thought all the tips were pretty spot on and will take them on board for my next release!
Really appreciate that, thank you so much! More coming soon 😊😊
"You're doing it for your own ego" Damn that was eye-opening! There was nothing that I already didn't know in this video but I was ignoring all this time in the back of my mind. Especially what you said about albums and socials, Thanks man! Going to finish a another single and make some tiktoks rn🍻
You had me worried but I actually agree with everything you said. On this video that I realize that I fw with you! Thank you Damo! I don't who calls you that but I'll rock wit it 😂
Thanks for going into what it means to be a perfectionist. I have diagnosed chronic OCD and it's hindered my growth as an artist for like 6 years. Only now, since I've found your content, have I started to understand how important it is to be consistent and market myself. Keep doing what you do. I plan to watch all 1000 or so of your videos 😂
Cool work. Keep going🔥
The hard truth trigger for me was the entire section on "the perfectionist." Not releasing content because the mind is overthinking. Great video.
Damian, I liked every one of the comments regardless of the pain accompanied by the the truth. The truth is the truth. I got a little burnt out. Been plowing away at this thing since 2009. Time to jump on a new path in musical journey. Thanks so much for the valuable tips...
As always - Truthful, Re-confirming and inspiring.
Defenetly the last tip! Do more covers!
As an older artist (pre internet) I really appreciate this video!
Thank you so much I do really appreciate that 😊😊
Damien, you are the first person to make sense of music marketing for me. Thank you for the video.
Live long and prosper.
Damian ❤❤❤ The shirt, very you. As for the things you said in this video. Thank you for putting it all in perspective. Speaking the truth and making it easy to fall in love daily with a fantastic industry. It is work, it's hard to deal with it all, but its worth everything it takes to live life as an artist! All the best, and stay AWESOME!
That means a lot, thank you so much 🙂🙂
I enjoy your videos and have watched an ample amount in their entirety but I had a suggestion if not for anyone else for me lol.....
Please add the chapters to your video plz.
Idk if it's a content tactic or anything by not doing it which I understand, but it would help imo thanks and keep the videos rolling in
My trigger was the part about not saying NO to TikTok. Thank you so much for this awesome video. Appreciated.
I really appreciate this, thanks so much, keep smashing it! 🙂🙂
Great video and of course I agree with what you’re saying essentially. I’m a blind song writer and just find the race to keep up with changing social media trends quite exhausting. Maybe I’m lazy but I find social media drains me lately and takes me away from being creative. I love live streaming and all that but suppose it’s the video and visuals side of things.
Dude!! I totally feel the same. Overwhelmed and drained with all the strategizing and no song writing. But I feel like the hard truth is we have to adapt if we want to take our material to the next level.
Spot on...done it.. been there, but the truth hurts. Going live is very unsettling for me as I play live at home, but I think who cares. The other is being fun selling it. The truth hurts. Thank you so much for this insight.
Bro your knowledge and fun is over the top i am learning and laughing at the same time thanks love yaaa 🔥
Great stuff and all TRUTH! Most of us simply need to make a plan and stick with it for long enough to see the results as i continue to learn myself.
Releasing music this week and as someone who hates promoting myself, there are some great nuggets in here I'm taking away:
1. Get better at what I do
2. Tell compelling stories about my music
3. Focus on Fans, not followers
It's good that you have videos on your RUclips channel because after reading this comment, I wanted to go to your channel to see if you had anything there.
Listening to "Swept Away" now. I like the fact that your song isn't too formulaic and not the same thing over and over again. It's definitely quality stuff!
DAMO! Dude, thank you for triggering me with the truth today: I'm not a perfectionist. I just never want to be dissatisfied with my performances/recordings. Now to hop on the horse and release all these tunes I've worked endless hours on! They're "perfect" enough. Time to get 'em out there.
Always appreciate your insights & cheeky humor! ☺🤘
One aspect is getting your music to the right ears, people will completly dislike your music or they will like it you have to reach the audience
Actually, nothing really triggered me, it's a great video, thanks for the content you are doing for us artists ✨
Personally, I love album format (and I rarely listen to the separate songs on my own), but I try to treat them as a collection of singles. Pick a "primary" song, promote it during release period, then pick another song and promote it, then pick another one, and so on. Probably singles would be a bit better since they are new every time, but what I am trying to do here is to combine the format I love with the philosophy of managing the song instead of letting it be forgotten.
Hey, agreed! What you could do to get the best of both worlds is to record an entire album, then just release each song as a single, maybe a couple weeks apart. At the end of that, you can release it all again as an album. This not only keeps you relevant for like a 6 month period, but the algorithms really like that consistency. You can do lyric videos and visualizers along the way, which gives you content for YT.
@@sinnersrisemusic I've seen huge criticism of the artists who release albums without new material at all. Kinda killing the format itself. I'd say it's OK to release half of the songs beforehead and another half just promote after the albums release. And yes, consistency is key
thats why i love damo, he reels you in with the clickbait and hits you with the knowledge
Spot on, Damian!🤘Thanks for another great rant. Much needed these days!
Thanks so much, I try not to rant too much but sometimes they just come out lol. Appreciate you! 🙂🙂
Thank you, Damian. Very insightful and I will be utilize every bit of it with my material.
Thank you so much, I really appreciate that 🙂🙂
This video was superb. Very well presented, clear, concise, and on-point. Thank you.
Man I love everything you said,definitely motivation for me 🙏🏿👏🏾👍🏾
Love all your advices. They are so up to date and make so much sense. I ve been trying to do litterally everything by myself, which became so overwhelming and made me start to doubt and question myself. but all those pieces of advice helped me put those little pieces of the puzzles together in order to get a better bigger picture of the direction to take. thank you so much!
See that the last comments are about a year ago but anyway.
My trigger would be the album issue.
I do believe in only release singel albums on Spotify etc but my experience is that people actually still by CD's
Released a couple of songs and then my album in September 2023 ,
Yes I was connected with a label who wanted to do it that way (Not anymore, ended that collaboration and that was one of the reasons)
Still, I have made more money selling CD's on gigs than I have received from all the DSP's together so I still believe in CD and Vinyl as a compliment if you can afford the initial cost making them of course.
Above that I think your spot on as always, even though some of it is "hard truth"
Really enjoy your videos, they are incuraging indeed Thank you !! //C
Sick video idea🔥
Honestly Im really glad for you making this video, Thank you for letting me know about all of this. Its made me more confident
Great rundown. I feel like people who complain about making content probably never experienced or have forgotten the old way of promoting new music: driving around the country in a cramped, equipment-loaded van with other smelly musicians, and barely breaking even or losing money on the trip. Compared to that, content making is easy.
But people who liked your music would spend 10-20 bucks at each of those shows 🤷♀️
I really appreciate everything you said in the video. It reinforced some of what I have known about the ever changing landscape of the music industry. I am going to release a full length solo album this summer. I made the decision to do that as a choice to offer up to folks who may want a full shot of what I do. But I am also working on singles and I have no plans to release another full album for a while. I've been playing music for decades and I'm trying this whole do it yourself approach to music for the first time. But I just wanted to say that I appreciate your candor. You are offering a very real no bullshit approach to monetizing original music. Well done.
I love how blunt and straight forward you are Damian! It's refreshing!
Ahh too kind!
My name is Toussaint! And man you’ve been a lot of help I take notes to 90% of your videos I know that your methods and game will help my career and my brand thank you Mann frr❤💯
Great ideas - thanks! I particularly like your last suggestion - If you cover a very popular song, some people will accidentally find your version when searching for the real one. Maybe they'll like it and maybe not, but it's a good trick to get some new eyes on your content.
Very valid points, I learned a lot... Most important was in reference to the 15 sec video NOT having to be a Quentin Tarantino production. This was triggering as I have always strived for cinematic content, and I'm always being told I'm worried about the wrong things and just jsut get content out!
I missed you! First time you showed in my feed in ages.
Love your videos
Thanks for the Video Damian ❤
The Music Industry isn’t better it’s just different! There are many pros & cons. I really do think this comes down to what kind of artist of music genre you are.
Rock/Indie & Metal acts are not as popular as they were back in the day when I collected Hovis bread 🥖 on my bicycle at 6am in the morning! After my paper round!
Data from Rick Beato’s RUclips Channel clearly show this in 2023 where Pop, Indie Rap dance type artists are pretty much killing it.
The thought of going to a live gig where there’s no band & just a backing track makes me want to start word war 3, if that hasn’t already started.
I’ve only ever lost money on streaming services as probably 99.9% of people reading my post who have released music have. But luckily I play the long game and make money on my live shows where I have managed to support myself financially.
Unfortunately if you’re in a band you are pretty much screwed live at grass roots levels because the fees for gigs haven’t really gone up much since the 1980’s
That’s why I mainly perform solo or duo with 2 to 3 full band gigs a year. Not loving the dream. But still appreciate ld as an original artist who play a few covers.
PRS is by far the best thing I ever did & Much better than streaming. I make an additional £500 a year from this.
Thanks for listening. Life is still great doing what I love Steve ❤
Love it Steve! And I have to admit I still love some good Hovis bread!
“Look at that saddle, it be like sitting on razorbaldes” 😂
@@DamianKeyes 😂 That’s funny! I remember that one too 👍
…and to be brutally honest Damo, most new music I hear the unlucky in debt no opportunities younger folk in the UK stream is Angry perfect sounding repetitive ⚾️ 🏉 …But this is just my opinion. The Henley College Music students I teach do pick up instruments & do have some stylish cool vibes. As you said before music & fashion do go hand in hand.
The humor in between the hard truths calm me again 😂
This was really really good!!!! I hate Social Media but I need to get better at using it with wisdom! I also need to find a better way to tell my stories. I sometimes do think my songs are to on the nose for this culture climate so I will be changing my lyric style!!! Thanks for this.
Totally agree with point one.
All facts, no cap. Keep preaching the hard truth, Damo!
I have to say, there's not many talking heads I'm subscribing to, but you really appeal to me with your concise, clear messages. Great stuff, thanks for making great content! Cheers, Thor 😊
I'm on Tik Tok now because of one of your video. I'll never regret it even if I don't have a huge audience right now, it still helps me witj my YT growth. For now I only have covers cause my songs are not ready for release (No I'm not a perfectionnist), but as soon as one is ready I will follow your advices for the release too. Thanks !
Brilliant, start to finish, and very generous of you.
I love each and every word of this vid. Thank you.
many thanks, it's all I have to say ...
Thank you so much
It’s very demotivating to not see results on my music, but that’s the thing, I don’t post enough on social media I need to build a presence, your right I’m overthinking, it doesn’t have to be perfect, man you opened my mind up, appreciate you
Appreciate you to, thanks dude 😊
I’m hella overthinking fr . Just need to go back to the hustle I had when IG was just gettin started and I didn’t care and posted everyday !! Hahab
@@ChelseaMonet stg bro, we got this
Why don't you put one of your songs on RUclips? I looked at your RUclips channel and all I see is one video of you talking about becoming better.
The no albums part was absolutely, 100% wrong. Other than that, spot on. Great videos.
Thanks, I can’t always be right 😊😊
Thank you!! I have become a cover artist, never wanted to be…but I’m approaching 1M followers on Tiktok because of it!! And now they are starting to listen to my originals. It works!! ❤❤
Thanks for this video! It is really a very timely watch for me. Overthinking has been/is the greatest impediment to progress. I realize that now. It has definitely held me back. And also the fear of making mistakes or looking stupid… another hard truth is that no one really cares. As long as we are sincere in what we put out and not let overthinking stop us from creating or putting content out growth with happen. If we let fear and perfectionism ( so called) stand in our way then we are sabotaging ourselves.
Love this, I agree overthinking is possibly the biggest obstacle for all artists. Keep smashing it and enjoying the journey 😊😊
Absolutely true Meera , Damien always comes out with the best videos at perfecting timing but then thats how Sai also works
@@DamianKeyes - Got a query for you - regarding 14:27 onwards - we have been pushing singles with music videos (quite visually based) and then EP collections to follow. We are thinking about looking to fund an album (alt rock/heavy rock), more because we think it will be the best genuine reflection of our art and we want to create a piece that almost fits concept throughout the track listing. We have been building a bit of a story and universe over the first 2 EPs worth of singles and MVs, and hoping to conclude with an album which would have a fair few music videos prior to album drop, and would tie up this first of our concepts...
Do you think this is still a viable way to create within the industry? We try to incorporate our music videos as a key piece of visual identity, and we want to advance on our conceptual lore from the band's mind, similar in a way to how Stone Sour released their House of Gold & Bones concept albums, or how Muse/Bring Me The Horizon now so neatly tie their concepts together during a live performance with visual representation?
Awesome information and advice!
Love the enthusiasm you have for the business as well as for the music. Now THAT's being in the MUSIC BUSINESS.
Thank you, I would love every artist to keep as much control as possible even if they are working with the industry 😊
@@DamianKeyes The only danger is that most people don't know what they want, and even if they want control, it doesn't mean they understand what it takes to achieve it... I think BREXIT and the desire to control our borders explains that point best. I think it would be the same with wanting control over all aspects of the music... once they get that control, they are now driving a Formula One car and it WILL go out of control very quickly when they realise they don't actually know what they are doing. I know this as I would be one those people... lol
😂 I love your delivery
So very pertinent !
And the “perfectionist” part hit me where it should ! Thank you again for a great video Mister Keyes!
Thanks Demian for the tips. I really love doing music & business stuff is my weaknes. So it was good to hear some new tips. Tik-tok resonated with me as well as to continue making covers, all the best, Peter👌
Good video Damo, great advice
I’ve been trying to help an extremely skilled, gifted and talented singer-songwriter jazz vocalist to thrive. I’ve sent this video to her with the hope that she’ll engage and follow through with everything that you’ve laid out. I know that it’s clearly “a lot of work”. However, anything that we each choose to be our profession does require us to get our hands dirty and work at it. Hard. Yet another “inconvenient truth”.
Thank you for posting, yet, another brilliant examination of the facts about being a recording music artist in the 21st Century. Cheers!
Question for you. If you are a talented singer (of any sort) would it help to play in gigs? For example, play at a coffee shop that will allow artists to play their stuff for free, or play in some church gigs?
Very useful Damian - nice one. ♥
Great video! Thanks heaps for this 🙏 ..the old dinosaur in me truly needed to hear this.
🍻
Thanks so much Jay, that really means a lot 🙂
Hey, fantastic, then I'll post my covers! Thanks!
Pure gold
Tbh these really aren’t hard truths, but the one that resonates with me is the “Social media is a reflection of you.” I am not successful in music, or social media, and I feel like this can be the only reason. Trying TikTok might help to an extent though. It’s nice hearing from you Damian, interesting video
Nicely done. Fluid meaningful concepts that truly deserve a good think over!
I don't consider myself a musician or artist, I'm just experimenting with electric guitars and effects. Its fun, however this is good information. Thanks for posting.
Watching this video was a a very good use of my time. Thank you for posting.
I don't know if I overthink social media... I find it a huge hurdle to have to ask someone to shoot content with me... I asked my partner once and he seemed a bit annoyed by it.
I'm also not disciplined or something, because for a little while I posted on instagram, youtube shorts and tiktok like you said but now it's just instagram again and I forgot the others
I can't wait for the comments on this one! Thanks Damo!
Lol I’m wearing a hard hat and waiting for the fall out!
I started busking recently and really wanted to focus on my own songs[still do]. I do around an hour of originals but truth is 1-2 covers got me some coins! And it is nice playing others songs in my style.
Thanks for the info as always :)
Yeah! People always want to hear something they know - it'll keep them interested enough to keep listening to the originals
@@meloysmusicstudio thanks for the insight dear 😁
Thanks Damian. Excellent video. As you wanted to know which part triggered me the most it was probably the bit about overthinking stuff and not realising that a few 10s videos can be done in no time. The rest of it was super inspiring too. 👌
Wow! I must admit I had not watched you for a while as I was growing tired of you asking (me) to do more socials. But this video is a key milestone for me, because you tell all what needs to be told (including for socials!). What I like best is your first comment on streaming (although the one on socials will probably be the one helping me most). I agree that streaming is a great opportunity to have music exposed to the world, one that had never existed before. However, I want to point out that when I was 20 and I was going to music stores, there were many vinyls around but still, the room was limited and the number of available vinyls was also limited. This expanded with CDs as shops were then displaying more CDs than previously with the vinyls. Now, with streaming, everyone in the world has access to an unlimited number of songs and albums. Trouble is that they go mostly, when not only, to what they know already. It is more or less difficult in these conditions to emerge than it was in the 70's or the 80's? I am not sure. And then we come back to your comment on advertising... Thanks again for the great video and the very relevant pieces of advice.
Well I am at the start of the start, I’m 20 so I just want to learn as much as I can, there for I didn’t find anything triggering be cause it make so much sense, thank you for this video!
I'm trying to start a band, and I must say, I wish more people heard the last one. Most of the time when I start talking to a potential band member, they ask for original stuff, and when I say at this moment I only know how to play some covers (I play guitar and been taking singing lessons for some years now), they tune out. But to be honest, ever since I started doing covers properly, i.e. learning all the parts of the song, I have learned A TON about the song structure, build up, even technique etc. And now when an amateur musician says 'I play grunge/pop/metal/whatever, but only originals', I hear really 'I can noodle on guitars for hours, I can't play one song from start to finish'; and of course, they ASK for original stuff, but provide none of their own.
There a vast difference between musicians who play covers and musicians who are skilled enough to perform original music. Those who can write and arrange for a band are even fewer.
Music is a harsh mistress and by the time a musician, drummer or vocalist is skilled enough to perform original music, they often have little to no interest in playing covers.
Proof is in the taste of the pudding. Talent helps.
This is meant to encourage, not discourage. Get going and record your material !
No one knows how to write in the beginning so we all start with covers. Good luck, keep going and enjoy yourself homie 😀🤟❤
top music adviser!❤ much love
Thanks so much, appreciate you
I love this guy. Thanks, Damian Keyes. Point taken.
I love you right back, thanks so much! 🙂🙏
The 1st point is built on the idea that we actually have control. We the artist don’t, Spotify and Distrokid do. They could remove an independent’s songs or Spotify account for no reason tomorrow and there’s nothing you can really do. Same for the other problems
Life changing, inspirational words Damian. I felt every single sentence to my core and it really lit a fire in my heart. Thank you for the energy you bring to this platform and us aspiring artists.
So on point one -
People only listen to a new artist if they are on a playlist.
After 4 weeks most songs are removed from the playlist rotation.
Whilst you may have only sold for one week for every album sold in a store a good proportion actually made its way to the artist.
So having it available longer doesn’t actually generate more money for artists.
Point 2 - social media and platforms rise and fall. MySpace was in TikTok’s position 15 years ago.
But I agree social media is here to stay.
Point 3 - Music is easier.
Bullshit. As well as learning an instrument. Finding like minded musicans. Writing good music. Having a good aesthetic. Standing out in a very competitive and larger field.
You must now also - be a ‘content creator’, be a marketing expert, be a social media expert, be a shameless self promoter, be an audio engineer, be a business expert, sell anything and everything except music (t-shirts etc) continue to work hard at all of the above all of the time or fall behind.
Point 4 yes advertising works, however as a musician you can now spend far more on advertising than the revenue generated from music sales.
This must be a loss leader excercise and involve far more
outlay at the outset of a career.
Point 5
Less venues to perform in.
Higher cost of living with less concert goers.
I find this video disingenuous and patronising.
Musicians all suffer from self doubt as a result of predominant
personality types. Social media is therefore NOT easy.
Give a musician 1000 compliments and one negative review, I guarantee they remember the one negative.
It is not easy, it is hard, there is less monetary reward, there are more elements to focus on, and all of it takes and time dedication.
Point
Totally agree about the 'true fans'... I would take 100 true fans over 10k or even 50k likes any day. Spot who they are and love them right back, it's great advice.
The "no albums" one is hardest for me. A lot of the music I write just makes more sense in an album of tracks that contrast with and complement each other. I don't think it necessarily works when taken out of that context and people hear it "cold" in a busy playlist of other tunes trying to grab attention.
I know the playlist context is where you have to prove yourself, but that's a challenge for the kind of music I make. A lot of my tracks just don't fit in well with other people's. 😀
Same here. Times infinity. 😂
Do the album..I do
Trust me no-one cares that much about your music. Not a single person is thinking about it like that and also they never have.
A song is a song is a song. If your songs don't make sense without the other songs, then your songs are shit.
Here's what I would try so that you can get the best of both worlds: Record an entire album, and then release each song as a single each month, or every 2 weeks, depending on how cohesive you want to keep things. Then when they're all out, release everything as an album together. Along the way, you can do lyric videos for each song so that you have things to upload, you can do cool microcontent for each as well. Treat each song with single-like promotion. Try it! It keeps you busy for the entire promo period for each song, and keeps you on track.
That's especially true with instrumental concept albums and some soundtracks. Some tracks make sense listening to the whole or at least some of the tracks on it.
Wao you are such a good mentor for us aspiring artists. I'm so grateful that ppl like you are here to help us. Keep it up 💚
This was a really good one, sums up a lot. Thanks for not being angry about it! Love the shirt!!
Thank you! Haha shirt is from All Saints, a bit brighter than the usual but I’m liking it!
This is the best video ever thanks man !
Damien, genuone question here: around 10:00 you said we should overthink less. But also, we should think about everything from business to algorithms to strategy to making good content to everything else... Psychologically speaking, how does all that not become overthinking per default?