Building your musical project must be done carefully, step by step. This is the basis of everything if you want to get your music known, develop your fanbase, and build your professional entourage.
Don’t hesitate to ask for advice from music industry professionals on Groover to get honest and constructive feedback on the progress of your music project.
1. The creation phase of your music
1.1 Composing and writing songs
Over the years, there have been so many genius composers, that it would be quite healthy to ask yourself this question: how do you differentiate yourself today as a musician with your own compositions?
One of the first things to think about is: songwriting.
Songwriting is not really an innate science. It’s a talent that comes from a lot of listening, learning, analyzing, and reading. Are you inspired by your idols? How did they tell the story of their song? How does the song evolve in terms of composition? lyrics, arrangements? Active listening is something you can do every day and that you probably already do unconsciously.
You should also know that there is a theory for all this. Sometimes, in order to feel freer and more successful, you have to go through a little learning. Have you ever heard of a story arc? Applying a narrative to your writing is a clever and effective way to make your songs more interesting to your listeners. Working with story arcs allows you to have guidelines when writing lyrics for your songs. The beauty of this method is that it allows you to structure your songwriting without holding back.
Finally, it is very important not to hold yourself back. Always carry a small notebook with you where you can write down your ideas. Don’t hold back your pen, or you will punish yourself for it later.
1.2 Plug-ins, samples and production work
- The best apps to accompany musicians in their daily lives :
Another thing you can potentially carry around with you at all times are apps dedicated to musicians. You might be wondering how your phone can help you with your music, beyond your dictaphone and notes. You might be surprised!
You want to learn how to play an instrument, compose new songs, create productions, etc. There are as many apps for musicians as there are needs and desires.
Apps for musicians exist by the hundreds, designed to learn, create and fine-tune your music. Whether you’re a beginner musician or the leader of a world-class band, these apps allow you to perform a wide range of musical tasks and modifications in a fraction of the time.
From apps that help artists practice and tune their instruments, to smart voice recorders, to all-in-one recording studio simulators, these apps have collectively expanded and improved the musical experience and helped introduce many new users to the music world. Check out some of the best tools you can use to promote your music.
- Samples :
Fearsome weapons of musical creation; nevertheless, there are many things to know about samples before using them in your productions. It is essential to master the legal framework in order avoid finding yourself in a compromising situation. How to avoid the risks of plagiarism accusations? How to use samples legally and easily and/or for free? Your answer is here 👈
2. Making your music professional: recording, mixing, mastering
2.1 How to find the right recording studio?
There are a lot of music studios out there and your criteria will naturally guide your thinking: budget, location, etc.
Unless you are well known already and have an unlimited budget, the choice of studio where you will work on your songs will be crucial. The quality of the recording and production of your songs can really make a difference. Choosing the right music studio is a great way to believe in yourself, in your music, to reveal it at its best.
And it will also save time, in the long run. The time you spend recording and producing your songs will be time saved once they are released because they will have a better chance of getting attention. Otherwise, you will probably have to release several songs before someone thinks you have potential and that your musical project deserves to be taken seriously.
What criteria should you use to choose the best recording studio for your music? And how do you find that studio? You could also create an incredible studio in your own home if necessary. Read our article on the subject here.
2.2 Mix
Mixing is a key step in the music production process. It is the moment when all your genius can be sublimated. A good mix will allow you to get a clean sound, well distributed in space, highlighting the strong elements of your song.
Check out our 5 mixing tips and tricks to make your music sound good
A good mix is necessary to pass to the mastering stage, without which this last stage would be useless.
2.3 Mastering
Your track is finished being composed, recorded, mixed and now you want to move on to the mastering phase? Good idea, it’s what will make your track sound as good as the tracks you hear on the radio for example. Without mastering your music would risk sounding “small”.
3. Create a universe around your music
3.1 Storytelling and coherence in your musical project
Storytelling is essential if you want your listeners to really buy into your entire musical project. Turning your listeners into fans requires strong storytelling that will allow them to identify you – in a suggested way, of course. Once you have your storytelling down, it will be much easier to know how to best communicate with your audience. They won’t just listen to one of your singles, EPs or albums, they’ll have images and a story in their heads. And that will transform their listening and attention to you.
Find out here how to think about this and how to find your own way of storytelling, the story you want to tell that will keep your listeners coming back.
3.2 Video & Image
Today, about 70,000 new songs are released every day on streaming platforms. To stand out and have a chance to be known, you will need more than good songs. One way to stand out is to put a visual universe on your music. A well thought out video and a quality song will, again, help you reinforce the impact of your musical project and will only increase people’s interest in you.
But you might ask, how do you make a video of this quality when you are an independent artist? The question of budget will obviously be your main concern and we are here to help. It’s all in this article.
– Written by in its original version, translated into english by Betty Gonzalez Gray –
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