After you’ve read part 1, this article will aid you even more in dissecting the essence of who you are as an artist and what you bring unique to the market. Make sure you’re honest with yourself and your fans and you’ll easily sustain your mission statement for years to come. And remember, branding is the most essential thing you could possibly do for your career as a musician.
5. Make A List Of Who You’d Like To Collaborate With
Not a list of your idols. But a down-to-earth list of artists close to you in audience and fan reach numbers. If you’re in the 1k mark, then the artist you want to collaborate with shouldn’t be at more than 10k fans. The reason being is, your act will get obliterated in the way and no one will actually talk about you. Everyone will know the views and comments are only there for the other artist. So strategize a list of new artists like yourself who’d benefit you and off you. Then think about what traits you two have in common so you could appeal to their fans in advance via your brand message and image.
4. Analyze Live Footage Of Yourself
Ideally, you want it to be footage of yourself during a live show. Otherwise, performing covers and live versions of your songs for your selfie camera will work too. How does your portrayal on camera relate to your brand identity? Simple. You can’t proclaim being the baddest rapper alive when your eyes avoid direct contact with the camera lens or you get flustered over having to perform the song live for your fans on IG. Your brand identity has to be real, transparent, and rather factual. Observe your behavior on stage and on camera and make sure your brand and your natural self align.
3. Ask For Professionals’ Opinions
Don’t be afraid to ask people with more experience than you to hear out your catalog and give you an informed opinion on what they see in you different than the hundreds and thousands of artists they’ve come in contact with. The catch is not being a freeloader and offer something in exchange be it money, a dinner, or tickets to a show.
2. Build A Visual And Mental Avatar Of Who You’d Like To Be
Nobody starts out perfect. Nobody. The perfectly curated image you have of your idols came along after years and years of behind-the-scenes work that you have no idea about. And in your own music path, these are the formative years for YOU. So pull out your phone or a pen and paper and write down the ideal portrait of your successful musician self. How do you dress? How do you speak like? Who do you hang out with? What type of music do you put out? How often do you release this music? How often do you go on tour? Who’s your opening act? How many fans do you have and how do they find you? Be as detailed as possible and you’ll be confronted with a very black-and-white version of your path ahead. You already know who you’ll be in the end. You just have to find your way there and claiming your brand mission is beginning the work towards your ideal self.
1. Ask Yourself For How Long You Could Sustain This Identity?
If you’re honest and natural in your choices, then this will be a no-brainer for you. The plain answer should be: forever or at least until I decide I don’t want to do music anymore. If you’re trying to please a certain segment of the market and are trying to anticipate the fans’ needs instead of betting a thousand percent on just being yourself, you’ve got some thinking to do. The second choice might actually bring you success sooner but you have to plan your genre transition or name change or whatever it is that is not sincerely authentic in advance. Beyonce sang bubblegum R&B for decades before she committed her narrative to the likes of the BLM movement but we’re willing to bet she’s always been an activist deep inside it’s just her brand didn’t have room for joining major causes. So if you want to sing about social justice but are seriously convinced you’ll get fans a lot faster by singing about boys, plan for how long you’ll put on this front and how do you plan to transition eventually to your true message and purpose while not losing your initial fans because that is a high-risk move. Your brand identity should feel like a guiding headline and not a restricting rule.
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