We’re all artists, right? Well yes. We create art. But maybe we are the real art. I saw someone on the internet expounding this idea, and I think it makes sense. So let’s talk about building a music career around your personality, not just music.
You are the art
Technology has evolved so far that today anyone can write a memorable song or a cool beat. And thanks to the Internet, we realized that there are so many really good songwriters, performers and producers.
So how do you stand out among the masses? One way is to see yourself as art, not music. You are the creation that fans are interested in.
It’s all about your history and your human experience. People like your music, yes. They listen because they like it. Sometimes music can have a deep emotional impact on people.
But the fans stay close because of you. They watch your life unfold and watch you live it through your music.
A guy from TikTok expressed the idea that artists are art, and gave an example of an unnamed YouTuber. According to the survey, about 91% of the fan base of this YouTuber said that they watch the video because of the YouTuber, and if this YouTuber transfers the channel to someone else, these fans will stop watching.
Your creation matters more when people know its creator. Your song has a bigger impact when people know who wrote it and what they’ve been through. Art is art, because the artist is the real art.
How to build a music career around your personality
You don’t have to be a super energetic, funny, charismatic person. As long as you remain yourself, there will be people who resonate with your authentic personality. And you don’t want to put on an image just so that the fans eventually realize that this is not who you are.
So there are actually two great things you can do to share your music and build a music career around yourself and your personality…
Share your story (even if it’s scary)
A person recognizes a person. We resonate with authentic stories of human experience, so you need to share your life story. You don’t need to include every detail, and I wouldn’t recommend you to do that. Some things are meant only for you and the closest people in your life.
But sharing your story is especially important if the part of your story you’re sharing is in your songs.
For example, I grew up an evangelical Christian, but then witnessed how these beliefs crumble in adulthood. Then I released a whole album, which I wrote during this time, and told the backstory. It was scary to be so vulnerable, but I don’t regret anything. To this day, these songs collect the most comments, messages and emails that I have received from any release.
And I’m not saying that you should share your story just for the likes and streams. You create art and share it in the hope that it will resonate with others and help them. But your songs will have a greater impact if you tell the story of their appearance.
Focus on building a community
You don’t create subscribers so much as you are a community. In other words, it’s a group of people who love your music and care about you because you shared your story.
Therefore, respond to every comment, message and letter. Depending on the size of your audience, this may take a long time. But it’s worth it.
Very often, when I respond to someone’s comment on social networks, they like my comment and/or respond to it, and then subscribe to me. People want to be seen, so look at them. Pay attention to the people who keep popping up in your comments section, in your inbox, and those who share your music.
Three Ways to Create a Community around yourself
There are three ways to develop communication and community: a list of email addresses, a list of text messages and Discord.
List of email addresses
Creating an email list is a way for you and your fans to communicate directly with each other. And, despite what many artists think, having a list of email addresses is not outdated. According to music marketing experts in my comments, people are still interacting with emails from artists.
Personally, I use MailerLite, but you can also try MailChimp, ConvertKit or Klaviyo.
SMS marketing
SMS marketing is when fans allow you to send them text messages. It can be a great way to connect with fans, and it feels more personal because it’s texting. I used SimpleTexting, which cost about $25 a month, but you can also check out ClickSend ($0.02 per message) and TextMagic ($0.04 per message). If you can find an email marketing platform that also offers SMS marketing, that might work too.
Discord
Discord is a great place where you can really feel like a part of the community. Fans can see what other fans are saying about your music and what questions they are asking. You can create your own server (i.e. a group) for free and start promoting it among your fans via email and SMS.
No matter how you build a music career, remember: you are a work of art, so share a piece of yourself.
