Learn four ways to survive as an independent rapper, artist or musician in 2020. Learn about how self-reliance and delegation can go a long way.
Get management
Take artist Flash Milla from Toronto; he loves being an artist, creating and vibing with other creators; but marketing, content creating and public relations just isn’t his thing. Don’t wait to find a marketing-savvy friend or an old-schooler to show you the ropes; making the music is less than half of it. “I feel like waiting is what always messed me up; I always wanted everything to be perfect.” – Flash Milla.
Get a scholarship to Youtube University
At one point in our lives, most of us have studied something we didn’t enjoy. Look no further than Youtube to learn everything you need to succeed in all creative fields. The key to not getting lost in overload information is to stick to 2-3 channels; most “informative Youtubers” will have their videos set out in a scheduled and easy to follow fashion. My personal fav for online marketing is Andrew’s channel; the way he talks and structures his lectures is amazing.
Spend 1 year becoming a Jack-of-all-Trades!
Being independent means you don’t have a label to support you financially. Releasing a track can easily cost you over 200$ if done correctly. A big reason for this is we have to pay each and every person to do the work for us but if you’ve always been the type to hate team projects at school, it’s your time to shine… Each skill that you learn and master will save you money on every song release. Believe me, it takes about an hour to download photoshop and learn how to insert a nice font on a picture, resize and upload!
Don’t be afraid to be a beginner
The worst things a lot of musicians make the mistake of doing is thinking they know it all from the get-go; they assume the confidence it took for them to stand tall as an artist is enough to tie it all together. Ask questions and don’t be afraid to admit you know nothing; people are happy to share information. Choose people you admire and follow their footsteps. It could be a fellow artist you follow on Instagram, a successful entrepreneur like Gary Vee or someone part of your network that is business-savvy.
We could have written a blog post called 100 ways to survive as an indie rapper/artist but that would have taken you ages to read, let us know in the comments if these tips were helpful and we’ll open up a discussion about more resources in the next weeks.