There are some people for whom music is little more than a totally personal endeavor. They see it as something private and are happy to treat it like a hobby or a personal passion. Then there are those for whom music is so important that they want to build their lives around it. When that happens, it’s only natural to want your music to reach an audience. For a lot of artists, their music is only worth anything if they actually get to share it with other people. Of course, that is often easier said than done, especially for those who are just starting out. It can often feel impossible to take that first step towards building up a dedicated and passionate audience for the music that you make. But there are things that you can do in order to start building up that audience, and here are just a few of them.
Get online
There was a time when, if you wanted to get your music onto a platform that was heard by millions, you needed the support of a major label. Now, thanks to the internet, plenty of unsigned bands are now in a position where they can record their music and release it online to a potentially huge, international audience. Sites like Bandcamp even allow you to sell your music for whatever price you think is fair. Once you’re on a platform like that, you can start sending your music out to blogs and review sites. Many blogs are constantly on the lookout for new artists to expose their, potentially massive, audience to and you might be exactly what they’re looking for.
Perform live constantly
Of course, as important as the internet is to getting your music out there, there really is no substitute for playing live in front of people. If you really want to build up a dedicated following, then you need to start gigging. A lot. The thing about the internet is that there are hundreds of thousands of artists all vying for attention which can make it very difficult to get noticed. If you’re on stage in front of someone, then they are much more likely to sit up and pay attention. If you perform a lot, even on a local level, then you’ll start building up a reputation that you can then use to grow and expand your audience even further.
Make good music
This one might sound obvious, but the old saying that “if you build it, they will come” really does hold true here. Don’t worry about constantly chasing an audience. If you do, you’re going to end up making music that serves the lowest common denominator which neither you nor your audience will actually want to listen to. Instead, focus on creating something that you really love and that you’re proud of. If the music that you’re creating is actually good, then it will find an audience. And audiences can tell when someone is the real deal and are likely to start flocking to you in droves. Don’t go chasing an audience, make the music you love and an audience will come chasing you.
