Have you always wanted to become a music producer? Do you want to start your own production company? As with starting a band or establishing yourself as a solo act, there is plenty of long hours and hard work that goes into producing. But, with careful planning and dedication, you can start your own music production company.
You do not need office space to get started. As with bands,
you can begin your music production career from your own home. Here are 7
simple steps to help you get started as a music producer.
#1 – Learn Your Business and Develop Your Skills
First, you need to know what you are doing. If you don’t
have a musical background, a musical education, or musical experience, you should
focus on your skills. Learn more about the business. Read articles, browse
music insider websites, and soak up as much information as you can.
Depending on your situation, you may also want to consider
getting a degree in music production, sound engineering, or recording. Another
option is to seek an internship at a professional recording studio. This
provides hands on learning.
#2 – Get the Right Equipment
You should have the ability to make music from your own
home. Unless you have the funding to create a professional quality studio, you
should ensure you have the basics. This means having a computer or laptop with
audio software. If you plan on recording with live instruments, you will
obviously need additional recording equipment.
Check out the following YouTube video from user David Scott
as he covers some of this info in a little more detail:
#3 – Choose a Space for Your Home Studio
You will want to setup your main workspace in an area that
is free of distractions. For example, if possible, do not place your equipment
in your living room.
You want to place it somewhere with minimal chances for
interruption or noise disturbances. Basements are often good options, as they
can help dampen the sound and are easier to soundproof.
#4 – Choose a Name for Your Company
If you have not yet established a name for yourself, or you
have plans of building your company to include staff, you may want to come up
with a unique business name. Instead of using your own name, you could
establish a business for your music production.
If you decide to create a business and choose a name for
this company, you will need to file a DBA (doing business as) form. Depending
on the state where you live, you may need to file additional paperwork and tax
forms.
#5 – Get Marketing Material
There are two sides to marketing your fledgling production
skills. You will need to market yourself locally and online. For in-person
meetings, you will definitely want to have your own business cards. This is an
affordable step.
You’ll find many online sites that offer great deals on
personalized business cards. Other marketing material to consider using
includes pamphlets, flyers, and posters.
#6 – Get a Website
Next, comes the online marketing. For starters, you’ll need
a website. Every business needs a site and you don’t need to spend a lot to
create one.
You can find hosting plans for as low as $5 to $10 per month
for the first year. These will often come with a free domain name, which should
either be the same as your own name or your production company. From there, you
can use WordPress to build your own personalized website. You don’t need any
web design experience.
#6 – Start Producing Your Own Music
If you have not yet produced music with other artists, you
could begin producing your own music. You obviously have the skills to create
music if you’re interested in producing music. Work on your own tracks and
upload them to SoundCloud. You’ll have material that you can present to local
and regional recording artists as a sampling of your work.
#7 – Seek Out Local Talent
At some point, you’ll want to actually start producing
music. You’ll need to be active in your local music scene and make contacts
with local artists. Find artists with similar tastes and style. Seek out local
talent and negotiate the terms of working together. If you don’t have a
standard production contract, you can find plenty of templates online.
Starting your own music production company is not an easy
process. It will require a lot of hard work. These 7 steps are a good starting
point, but you are going to have to stick with it. Continue looking for new
learning opportunities and ways to promote your music.
Along with these 7 steps, you’ll need to promote your music. Whether you are producing your own music or working with other artists, music promotion will be a key part of your success.
How to Promote Your Music in Kenya
In this section, I will show you how to promote your music
in Kenya.
See, Kenya has a vibrant music industry with many rising
stars.
As such, there is a need to stand out and let people notice
your presence.
And to do that, here are some of the most effective ways to
promote your music in Kenya:
1). Albums worth listening to
Create an album has been proven to be one of the most
effective ways for musicians to get their message out there.
You want this album to reflect current trends and tastes so
it will appeal to listeners who have similar interests.
A lot of groups release singles before they start promoting
albums too because people can’t wait longer than two weeks between new
songs!
2). Fire up social media
One easy way to promote your music in Kenya
is by using social media.
Social sites like Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram
allow you to show snippets of new songs.
You can also share behind-the-scenes pictures with fans who will want more information on upcoming releases.
Artists in Kenya need to be constantly posting on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with fresh and engaging content.
You can also partner with influencers in Kenya to get the word out about your new music.
But pay attention:
It’s also important not to rely just on these platforms for
the promotion.
3). Do not ignore your music website
You will want to create your own website with contact
information so people can find out more about you and be able to buy tickets
for concerts.
Work hard at updating your site regularly with news from
performances as well as new content (videos, blog posts about their process).
This will not only keep fans up-to-date but may also
generate some buzz for the artist.
4). Talk to music blogs
Additionally, it’s a good idea to get involved with blogs
that focus specifically on Kenyan artists; this can lead to interviews and
connections which could really take your career into overdrive!
For those starting out, make sure you follow any relevant
blog posts about the up-and-coming artists, engage with these sites so people
know about you too.
5). Nail Your YouTube channel
For those who have a YouTube channel, it’s crucial that they
work on posting regular videos and improving production quality!
It’s crucial to create an emotional connection with your
audience through this medium as well.
As such, think about what kinds of stories you want to tell
and how best to do it.
One more thing; make sure there is variety in camera angles,
editing styles/techniques, length of the video, etc.
This way if someone watches one or two clips from your
channel they won’t feel like watching anymore because everything looks too
same.
It’s important not to use copyrighted content such as another artist’s song without their permission!
Remember also that adding tags in the description box under
“Video Description” will help with search engine optimization for other people
who are looking for these types of videos too!
Once you have created an original video, it needs some
attention so please share it on all social
media platforms every time you update it with new content- Facebook,
Twitter etcetera.
One tip that has really helped
me is to use YouTube Thumbnails. These are like a personalized
business card for your videos and you can edit the text, add images, or even
video clips of yourself in action!
6). Join music streaming services
Another way to promote music in Kenya is to join music
service platforms like Spotify, Boomplay, or Apple
Music where you can upload your music and be discoverable to listeners
around the world.
If you can’t do it yourself, get someone to help.
They will need ids/passwords for any platforms like iTunes Connect
or Spotify.
This should help them upload your releases, then they’ll
need your social media profiles so they can promote you on there.
And lastly, a way to contact you in case they need anything.
You may also want them to have a press kit or some music
samples from your catalog as well.
In short, just make sure it’s easy for whoever does the
promotion.
7). TikTok! TikTok!
Another way is to promote your music in Kenya
is to post on TikTok.
This is a new social media platform that allows users to
share short clips lip-syncing or dancing to songs with friends and followers.
8). Live DJ shows
Also, consider hosting live shows or DJ sets where you can sell tickets to people who want an exclusive performance from you.
This is one of the most effective ways to promote your music
in Kenya.
9). Email marketing
It’s also important not to neglect the importance of email
marketing.
Use newsletters as a key tool for providing valuable
content.
This should keep subscribers up-to-date with what you are
doing on iTunes, Spotify, Boom Place.
And whenever there is a new release or something, blast an
email to your list with the news.
Finally, make sure you have all your contacts at hand before
promotions start because when they do kick off things happen fast!
Ultimately though, promotion is about being visible enough
where people can find your music; this may mean spending some money advertising
on social media or giving away CDs to increase visibility.
In conclusion
To promote your music in Kenya there are many different
avenues for artists to choose from.
And each of them has its own benefits and
drawbacks.
Whether or not something will work out well depends on what
kind of promotions you do as well as how much time and patience they invest
into it.
Remember these tips when promoting your music in Kenya!
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