When it comes to our music careers there is nothing more important to us. However, the industry is tough, maybe tougher than it’s ever been. This is partly due to the fact that everyone has the same tools available to them, and that many people are being ‘found’ by the right people with less effort (and financial backing) than in previous times. That doesn’t mean that you are guaranteed to find success quickly, there are still steps to take and hurdles to leap before you are even ready to release your first track. Here are some ideas on how to take your career to the next level, whether you’re completely new, or finding a little dip in your progress.

Educate Yourself About The Tools You Use
Whatever we do there are tools that we need to use, if you are an acoustic artist you will still need to know about microphones and you will, of course, need to know how you use any instruments. The ins and outs of how to use your instruments are in-depth and something that most artists learn over years of time. But sometimes to level up your music career it could be as simple as learning a new technique.

You could learn how to play slide guitar and try one of these slide tunings out and change the sound of your guitar altogether, you can choose to try out open A tuning, or even try out different types of guitars to see which one works best for you. Getting familiar with the tools that you use, will always make your job a lot easier. If you aren’t completely comfortable with the tools that you use it can show, and it can also reduce your confidence level significantly.

Always Be Professional
Being prepared and professional will always help you stand out, and even though you don’t have to always strive for perfection, you can get very close by being highly skilled and learning as much as possible. When you receive the feedback from other professionals about how you are working, and how well you are doing, it will bring a sense of pride that can help you level up in your career. Making sure that you know everything you need to know inside out, and you have no doubts, means that you can focus on your performances and recordings, without worrying about the details. This helps you bring a level of emotion and will show you are comfortable in your performances. Practice, practice and a little more practice will help you become as familiar with your tools as physically possible and therefore seem more professional.

Online
In recent years social media and the online world has exploded in the music scene, being able to stream your favourite music through Spotify or sharing your recordings via Facebook and Twitter to bring a level of marketing that has never been seen before, is game-changing. Although there is, and always has been, a debate about the money made in the more online world of enjoying music, there is no doubt about the fact that getting the word out there can be easier than ever before. It can also mean that the landscape is sometimes a little more tricky to navigate.

This is because of the fact that so many people are trying to break into the music scene at the same time, however, if you know your craft, and you are talented enough to succeed, getting online and polishing your social media accounts up will show a level of professionalism and help you grow a fan base quicker than ever before. It is advisable by many experienced artists to be careful in the online world as well though because putting yourself in front of so many people on a daily basis can be a little overwhelming. But if you have an incredible talent and work that the world should share with you, then getting online and being bold about this could be just the thing that you need to find success.

Know Your PR
Public relations are important when it comes to levelling up your music career, there have been many disasters for artists in past decades, from small PR mistakes to career-ending situations that a good PR representative could help with. But when it comes to PR it’s important to have a very specific and consistent message, knowing what you stand for and doing as much good with your music as possible can be important. Knowing what you believe and getting that message across can be a difficult combination, but if you are going to spread your message online and through the media just be aware that not everything is received as well as we had hoped. This is why many artists now focus on music and try not to share a public opinion about emotive subjects.

There are many things going on in the world that many people have opinions on, but sometimes keeping your music career and your opinions separate can help avoid any problems. If this isn’t something that you can do, then reading up about PR or hiring somebody to help you with this, can avoid any mishaps.

Set A Goal
“Being famous“ is a goal that many children think about when they are younger, and they see their favourite pop stars on TV. This doesn’t cut it if you are taking your music career seriously. What exactly is your aim with your music? Are you looking to share with other people, inspire others, get a message across, or even just make people smile? Whatever is that you are aiming for you need to be clear and set a path to that goal. If you want to play in a specific Venue, then finding out exactly what that venue’s requirements are, how you are able to reach that milestone, and what you are going to do to get there, means that you are much much more likely to be able to reach your goals.

There are many distractions along the way but when you are looking towards a specific goal it can be much easier to stay on track. Many opportunities may pop up along the way, but that’s the beauty of having a goal, it can sometimes bring more to you than you could imagine. It’s also important to remember that revising these goals over time can also be useful, and doesn’t mean that you have failed if your goal changes. But how can you level up your career If you don’t know what that means exactly? This is why when you hear successful artist talking in interviews, they always have a clear goal of what they wanted to achieve before they reached that level.

Manage Expectations

Finally, managing your own expectations, and understanding that things don’t always go to plan, means that you are going to be much more resilient to the challenges that face you. Whilst you have a goal, it’s important to note that not everything works first time, and anything that doesn’t go to plan is there as a learning tool. Knowing that you are going to be learning along the way, and understand what that means to you, is essential.