Originally Posted by Student

Marketing should be the last thing you think about, the only thing that matters is the music. If you're truly passionate and you've got the skill then just focus on that. You should never go into it dreaming of success, you should go into thinking this is exactly what you want to do and that's why you're doing it. Eventually you'll be able to pay your bills but an artists life is the struggle of trying to make it, always pushing ahead, always having the music be #1 in your mind.

As soon as you think about marketing, agents, money, success, etc. you're creating reasons why not to do it and compromising yourself in the process by trying to appeal to what you think people want to hear, not what you think is dope and want to create.

Of course don't be a sucker and sign the first contract that gets thrown in your face, read it carefully and weigh your options. Sometimes going independent is the better route if it means having more creative control, sometimes mainstream deals work out but all of that goes without saying. In life and everything, don't be stupid.

Passion is the only driving force to personal success, I say personal because it's not and shouldn't be monetary, everything else is secondary in that regards.

I couldn't disagree more. If you define your success as doing a few small gigs here and there and uploading tracks online then great knock yourself out. You said mainstream success though, and that's not mainstream success. Building your brand is everything.

Originally Posted by Student

Marketing should be the last thing you think about, the only thing that matters is the music. If you're truly passionate and you've got the skill then just focus on that. You should never go into it dreaming of success, you should go into thinking this is exactly what you want to do and that's why you're doing it. Eventually you'll be able to pay your bills but an artists life is the struggle of trying to make it, always pushing ahead, always having the music be #1 in your mind.

As soon as you think about marketing, agents, money, success, etc. you're creating reasons why not to do it and compromising yourself in the process by trying to appeal to what you think people want to hear, not what you think is dope and want to create.

Of course don't be a sucker and sign the first contract that gets thrown in your face, read it carefully and weigh your options. Sometimes going independent is the better route if it means having more creative control, sometimes mainstream deals work out but all of that goes without saying. In life and everything, don't be stupid.

Passion is the only driving force to personal success, I say personal because it's not and shouldn't be monetary, everything else is secondary in that regards.

I couldn't disagree more. If you define your success as doing a few small gigs here and there and uploading tracks online then great knock yourself out. You said mainstream success though, and that's not mainstream success. Building your brand is everything.