Aspiring music artists have their back against the wall, but there is a way to break free and make it in today’s world. You see new artists crop up all the time, and within a few years, they’re rubbing shoulders with icons. This could be you – but only if you follow this roadmap.
Attend Music School
The first step is gaining some official music education. You don’t need to attend music school to learn an instrument (let’s assume you know that already, or else you wouldn’t be reading this article) but it can help you learn so many other things. There’s the Clive Davis music institution school that teaches a lot of business and music technology, both of which are valuable things for any artist to learn about.
You don’t have to attend music school, but it will help a lot. The key is to find a good school that teaches you genuinely valuable stuff and can open the door for some networking opportunities.
Establish A Social Media Presence
It’s unfortunate, but you can’t make it as a music artist in 2025 (or beyond) without a strong social media presence. Social media is how most people will learn about you and listen to your music for the first time. It’s the best way to broadcast yourself to millions of people and get sighted by music labels – or even regular people who may wish to hire you for weddings and other events.
Social media also gives you a way to make money from your music. You can create content on TikTok and YouTube, then monetize it and get paid. It’ll hardly generate millions of dollars, but it’s a good way to earn a trickle of money when you’re starting out and developing.
Play Local Gigs
As much as social media and having an online presence are essential in today’s music world, you still need to try the old-school tactics of playing local gigs. Look around your local area for bars, clubs, or anywhere else that accepts musicians.
Be warned: you might have to play for free at first. This happens a lot of the time, but playing free gigs paves the way for paid ones in the future.
Get Lucky!
Yes, sometimes you have to get lucky. It feels like a bit of a stupid thing to include, yet you need to accept that a lot of modern music artists got extremely lucky. All it takes is one viral video for someone to end up charting these days.
But when you think about it, is this luck or a calculated attempt at getting lucky? It’s more about learning how to follow certain musical trends and release music at the correct times. Covers of popular music songs are usually an excellent way for you to gain mass appeal. Sure, you still need some lucky, but if you put yourself in the best positions to get lucky, then you’ve got a better chance of succeeding.
Hard work remains at the center of everything in this guide. You won’t make it anywhere without working hard and being passionate about your music. Use this roadmap as a guide to help you reach where you want to go.
