Research Paper:
For my research paper I decided to choose the topic of the modern day musician my thesis being: "Some may argue that new digital platforms have helped give musicians a place to be discovered, but in 2016 it has become increasingly difficult to become a successful musician. There is increased competition, digital music sharing and ticket companies have decreased profit to artists, and the demands of social media fans have become overwhelming and impossible to keep up with."
Plan of Action:
Part One: Getting Heard/Being Unique:
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Though technology has definitely made things much harder for musicians that doesn’t mean that it is impossible to make a career if one knows how to use the internet in a way that best benefits their music. The key is first and foremost is originality. Once one has developed their own style, a process that usually develops more naturally, the next step is to find the best platform for that image. One must keep in mind more popular platforms will have more competition, while less well known platforms may not be as easy to discover. A possible choice of sharing one's music for example could be to get it aired on a radio show or podcast.
Part Two: Managing/Making money
It is a given that starting off as a new artist the money isn’t going to be great, but there are a few effective ways to try and make enough money to stay afloat. First of all keeping a steady part time job is always the way to go. There is still time to work on one’s music while simultaneously getting paid when living off just the music just isn’t possible. It may also be a good idea to try to join in on a music festival and make money off of ads or your own merchandise.
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Part Three: Staying Relevant/Keeping a Fanbase
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Fans today have their expectations set higher than ever before which has only made things harder. In order to make it in the business, an artist needs fans no matter how crazy their demands. The best way to do this though it is certainly not an easy task is to keep up with social media promoting one's music online and staying in touch with fans on twitter, instagram and any other social media platform is the way to really get people's attention.
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