From the article: Music Career Problems and Solutions
Indie musicians, music businesses and unsigned artists face a different playing field in the music industry than the people with the coffers of cash on their side. What is the biggest obstacle you face when you are trying to establish your business or get your music heard? Is it finances? Inability to compete in terms of promotion? Not being able to find a place to play a show? Getting a fair deal? Share your biggest music industry obstacles, and if you've found a way around them, do tell! Your fellow music industry folks can definitely benefit from your knowledge. Share Your Thoughts
My Biggest Music Industry Obstacles
- - It is difficult for an African musician to get signed on by a music company (despite the growing fanbase in the UK and its popularity in Europe). - Lack of funding is my next obstacle; - It is difficult to find a good promoter who can get us good and regular engagements. My music is very good and well received by audiences whenever we play a gig. Yet it is very difficult to break through these barriers
- —Guest Bunton Cole
Coming out of the closet, so to speak.
- I wrote the question that caused all of this POSITIVE and wonderful response. I thank you all for this over whelming response!Music is still alive!
- —Guest Stevie Davis
Dancing in the Dark
- It depends on what your musical goals are. You may want to produce an album for family and friends, or a score for a local advertisement, or become a rock star. The first two are easy. The last one is like Dancing in the dark: It doesn't matter how good you are; No one is going to see you. In most parts of the country-- Other than N.Y. and L.A., music agents are few and far between. During the '60' and 70's, they were crawling all over each other. But now, we have the "Indie" record. All in all, I would say the biggest obstacle in the music industry is, that there's not enough non-musical people in it. More people need to be scouts, agents, producers, managers, etc. We need to start investing time in music again.
- —davidwaynelive.com
Funding
- Yes, once again, it's the funding to get the projects completed. Money for mixing, mastering, distribution, music video, marketing and promotion, etc. What is one to do? I'm looking for funding from the government and businesses and whoever has money to give away. :D Benson and Tonic http://bit.ly/9JvJOi
- —Guest Benson and Tonic
Every Business Can Be Hard
- The TRUTH is that there will be obstacles in starting any business. That is exactly what being a musician is if you are looking to earn a full time living at it. Creating your own business. You are an Entrepreneur. If you have sincere talent, spend more time looking at your goals than you you do looking at your obstacles, you already have a better chance of success than a good percentage of musicians out there today. Sure there a lot of reasons not to be able to succeed. But look around, there people succeeding who have start with less than you everyday, all over the world. Be one of those people. Find out what they are doing and do it yourself. If you don't have the time to do it all yourself, then find a friend/superfan to help you. Focus on what's possible and make it your reality. RMS www.ryanstanley.com 'Setting the Stage for the Performance of Your Life'
- —Guest Ryan Stanley
Lack of seriousness
- What I see as the major problem with indie music is the lack of seriousness of the various promotion tools we tried.They take money because they know you need it and then all you see are children playing games. It is very hard to make people believe that you are more serious than others and that you can produce in your home studio records that compete with records created in larger and more respected studios. Home studio is bad result. I feel that this thought is too hardly planted in most minds. Many radios that I had my music played in have their websites very very dead.There is no movement and they does not seem to be frequently visited. I feel that this is the most serious problem. There are too much not serious, weak musicians and it is very hard to poke through all this.
- —Guest Vital Mezery
:::New business models:::
- A retail component to my digital platform and making it affordable for the average artist or band. I decided to establish a brain trust...kinda like a music business think tank.
- —Guest thevirtualcd.com
a sons dream
- having a hard time looking for someone to listen to my son's cd either song by him or find another singer who is that person to listen to it.how do you start? tell me all his songs are copywriten big abstacles big time.
- —Guest delma
Money Money Money
- My biggest problem is money. It changes everything I do. I want to advertise more but I can't. I want to play more but I can't. Money. For sure.
- —Guest Clinton
