We found this great post by Artistopia about artist development — http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/13298/entertainment/why_artist_development_makes_a_difference.html. The article covers everything we can think of that you need as an artist to move your ministry forward. Most artists don’t think of half the items on this list for their careers. However, as an independent artist, business management, sales, and advisers are equally as important as musicianship and having the right equipment during your performances. So after reading the post, we wanted to highlight a couple of questions you may have.
Why is artist development important?
Artist development is important because excellence in music is important and excellence in presentation is important.
Artist development should be a main focus of serious artists who want to have a career in the music business consisting of more than temporary fame and fortune. Times have changed. Labels are being more stingy with their resources, therefore it’s up to the artist to do what’s necessary to get a record deal and/or maintain their careers.
What does artist development include?
The article mentioned a lot of elements of artist development on which artists need to work. We’ve categorized them into the following list (which is not exhaustive):
Musicianship
vocals, songwriting, instrumentation, musical skills education and enhancement
Equipment
instruments, monitors, amps
Performance
stagecraft, image
Image
graphics, fashion, website, photography, accessories
Business management
goals, managers, finance, organization, administration
Marketing and publicity
PR, advertising, message, awareness
Production
Mixing, mastering
Radio
Airplay, interviewing, touring, building relationships
Sales
Merch, CDs, downloads
Team and advisors
Legal
Copyright, contracts
There are many components to artist development as demonstrated in the list above. However, “tending to all areas of your music career may make the difference between a one-hit wonder and longevity in this business…. The music business is a business.”
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