Feedback is critical to growing as an artist, as it allows you to see your work more objectively. Sometimes in the music making process, we get attached to ideas that we really like but that may not have a place in the song we’re working on, and it can be difficult to recognize that in the moment.
As your career unfolds, getting a second or even third opinion on your sound and career strategies can be a huge benefit and potentially lead you to make connections in the industry that can help guide you for years to come. Mentorship is one of the best ways to expand knowledge and make it actionable.
What’s so great about feedback?
The main reason why feedback is so important:
It’s immensely difficult to listen to your own music in an objective way,
and you may not be aware of your strengths and weaknesses.
You spend countless hours producing a track, listening to the same sections over and over again, and inevitably over time, you lose all objectivity. You start to fall in love with your rhythm section or the melody, or on the contrary, start to hate the hook that everyone else might find great in your song.
With enough feedback, you might be made aware of a production habit of yours if multiple people point out your bridge section and think it could use some tweaks – it’s all important insight. Who can you trust to provide an honest opinion, and what kind of feedback will be most valuable to you?
One of the greatest instances of an amateur artist getting life-changing feedback from an industry professional is Pharrell Williams’ response to then-student Maggie Rogers’ song “Alaska“:
Types of Feedback
1. Getting Feedback from Industry Professionals on your Sound and Brand
What is your long term goal? If it’s to get a record deal, for example, it would help your chances immensely by having someone from a label listen to your music and give you constructive feedback on it.
This will help you align yourself with what labels are looking for and better understand what needs to be adjusted in order to be signed. Of course, every individual and every label have their own preferences, but if a universal need such as the mixing and mastering of your demos can be improved, it’s great to know!
2. Getting Notes from Other Artists on Techniques and Tools
Those around you can help you find new creative ideas. This feedback is valuable because other artists understand how personal the process of making music is, and won’t be as critical of your creative choices when they listen to your work.
Instead, they might pick up on something technical that could be improved, like the use of a specific plugin to add more saturation to the vocals, or suggest a drum kit they have to add a punchier kick. Other musicians are great soundboards to help improve the artistic execution of your songs.
3. Learning from your Audience and Following
Though you should be making music for yourself, at the end of the day, it’s good to get feedback from those who will actually be listening to and supporting your music. With the internet so accessible to everyone, this type of feedback will come whether you like it or not, but keeping an eye on the general response to your music can help you know whether you’re on the right track and can continue trusting your gut regarding what sounds and feels good.
See as well: 5 MIXING TIPS AND TRICKS: HOW TO MAKE YOUR MUSIC SOUND GOOD
So, how and where do you actually ask for feedback?
All you have to do is ask! The truth is that there is no extravagant strategy to be put in place here, it’s just a matter of asking. There are a couple different ways you can reach out depending on who you’re targeting.
1. Where You Get Feedback from Industry Players
Given how many emails label executives get from artists per day, it’s likely that a message may get lost in their inbox and never be seen. Shoot for people or platforms who want to interact with artists on a personal level to up your chances of building a connection and getting an honest opinion.
- Music submission platforms are designed to receive music from emerging artists and give feedback, so make use of them!
- Some sites accept or decline to provide press write ups for the artists that submit, while others focus on connecting them with people in the industry to answer questions they have.
- Labels and managers specialize in an artist’s growth, so getting feedback from them could give you the guidance necessary to move forward and also potentially lead you to working together in the future!
- The best way to send a message to a label or manager is through a submission platform they are partnered with, and thus, trust. You can also do a little internet digging and find the reps of smaller artists who make music in your genre.
- Reach out by email
- If you only have their social media, DM them asking for their email for professional inquiries and exchanges.
The platform Groover is partnered with labels, managers, mentors, bloggers, journalists, radio stations and more that you can contact directly through the website. It is the most affordable submission platform with the most extensive network, so it’s an all around score.
Keeping it formal will increase your chances of a response. From there, ask them what they think about a couple tracks of yours and what they think could take your career further.
2. How to Exchange with Other Artists
Given how collaborative music is, it’s likely that you know a bunch of people in your field.
- Sharing unreleased music with each other is an extremely common practice, so don’t hesitate to send a private link of your new song to a colleague whose opinion you trust and ask for feedback
- Offer to listen to their new stuff in return.
- Join online music forums to connect with a larger community if you don’t know anyone personally yet!
- Take advantage of the sites that are designed to bring people together, such as Reddit, for example.
- Attending camps and artist residencies is also an excellent way to work with others and expand your network in music.
- The purpose of songwriting camps or production residencies is to collaborate, share, and provide feedback along the way. This is one of the most up close and personal ways to get an opinion on your work, and is the most hands-on way to apply those changes and get continuous feedback as you go.
The feedback other musicians will provide you will be more in-depth than anyone else’s because they’ve been in your shoes. Given that they also understand the process of liking something, making a change, not liking it anymore, going back to the drawing board, and generally being unsure of your choices, they can give you the straightforward clarity you need to make a final decision.
This exchange works best with people who are more or less at the same level as you, though having a connect who’s a little higher up in the food chain is valuable as well. They may have insight on techniques, equipment, or tools that you’ve never heard of before.
3. How You Can Learn from the Public
As an artist, having music out in the world subjects you to the opinions of the public no matter what. Though some people may be unhelpful, your inner community of supporters, namely those who have followed you for a while, want to see you flourish and can be great soundboards when you’re unsure about how your music is being received.
- Playing live shows is perfect for gauging how unreleased music might be received if it were to be released.
- In the same way that comedians test out jokes with small crowds before adding them to their set or scrapping them entirely, musicians perform new songs during shows to see how their audience responds.
- Read the body language of your audience and the general energy of the room when you test out a new song. Did the song do what you intended?
- Going live on social media allows you to engage with the supporters of yours that may not be able to attend shows.
- Having access to your following from the comfort of your own homes means a far greater reach than live gigs, so hop on a live stream once in a while!
- You have free reign here and can tease new songs, perform them, host a Q&A, and generally ask what everyone thinks of your projects or what they’d like to see more of.
This type of feedback is far more valuable than the comments you see on TikTok or YouTube – they don’t know you, so pay negative comments no mind.
Conclusion
Getting an outside opinion and receiving feedback on your work can be what takes you from a rough demo to an official release. Just remember that everyone has different influences and tastes, so don’t feel forced to change something if you don’t want to. Not all criticism is constructive, so only absorb what you think is genuinely relevant to your situation. It’s your own work after all, and no one understands your choices and the reasoning behind them the way you do!
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