It is my hope that this article will help inspire some up and coming composers and artists who might be struggling, like I am, and wondering if anything good is ever going to come from their efforts. So this story is strictly for inspiration. I hope you enjoy it and get something from it.
When my main business hit the skids, I decided it was time to finally do the music thing full time. If I was going to be broke I was going to be it doing something I loved. To that end, I created this royalty free music site. But that wasn’t the end of it. I knew it was going to be a long road to hoe and didn’t want to put all my eggs in one basket.
In spite of this, things have gone a lot slower than even I anticipated and I have to admit that I was getting a little discouraged. I was also starting to maybe lose a little confidence in my ability. That’s never a good thing when you’re a composer.
Well, the other day, somebody purchased one of my stock tunes for a whole $1.99 and used it for one of his videos. I just found out that this person was a member of a forum that I attend. Well, he posted the video for everybody to see, which I thought was nice. Maybe this would give me some exposure.
Anyway, another member of the forum asked the person who posted the video which track was mine. He informed him that it was right at the end just after the photo of his son. I thought that was kind of cool that he felt my piece was good enough to close the video.
This other forum member obviously went to watch the video and, I suppose, have a listen to my track. Well, this is what he said after watching.
WOW…. I have to apologize Steven, that score was actually much better than I assumed it was going to be. I honestly think that if you are patient and keep plugging away, that word of mouth will be a huge factor. – In fact I’m going to scour your site today for a video project I’m working on.
Yeah, it’s only one person, but that’s all it takes. One person to pass on the word to another person and another and another. Pretty soon, before you know it, a lot of people know who you are.
All it takes is a little confidence and some word of mouth to get things going.
So what can you do in the meantime?
Let me start off by saying this. It’s a long process. This doesn’t happen overnight unless you are extremely lucky. I started putting this business together last July. That’s right, it’s been a whole year and I’m first starting to see a glimmer of light at the end of a very dark tunnel. Don’t expect miracles.
At the top of the list, you need to develop a solid business plan. Know what it is you want to do BEFORE you actually go and do it. The last thing you want to be doing is stumbling around in the dark. I had a definite plan last July and I’ve executed it. I knew exactly how many tracks I wanted to have on this site by a certain time. After a slight “realistic” modification of that goal, I have reached it. It took a lot of 14 hour days to do it. Yeah, this is a lot of work.
For a lot of people, execution is the hard part. I’m not talking literally hard, as in unable to do the work. If you’re a composer, you should be able to compose. The hard part of execution is motivating yourself. There are going to be those days when you just don’t feel like working. Believe me, there are times when I really have to push myself. Taking several breaks during the day helps to get through it. And rewarding yourself with a treat after a job well done doesn’t hurt either.
Making a schedule will help a lot. If you’re looking at a massive project all at once, it becomes insurmountable. What you need to do is break that massive project up into smaller projects. For example, I’m currently working on putting together a 5 CD set. I can’t look at it as 5 CD’s. I have to look at it as one CD at a time. If I do it that way, the entire project becomes a lot easier to complete. Pacing yourself is a must or you’ll burn out.
Yes, I understand that sometimes you’re under time pressure. But you shouldn’t be when you’re first starting out. When you’re first starting out, you probably have very little work that you have to do, which is another reason why it’s sometimes so hard to get motivated. If the time comes when you ARE under time pressure, well, that means you’ve probably already made it or, at the very least, you’re getting steady work. I’m not there yet, but I hope to be soon.
Does that last remark sound like optimism? Yes, that’s exactly what it is. Read the title again. You have to have confidence. People will pick up when you don’t. In fact, it’s probably why it took me over a year to get my first job out of college. I had no confidence at all 35 years ago. Believe in yourself and others will believe in you as well.
Besides, I’ve been writing music for over 35 years. I would like to think that by now I’ve gotten at least a little good at it. If I really haven’t then I am in the wrong business and I just refuse to believe and accept that.
I have no idea what the coming year is going to bring. I can see how far I’ve come since last July when I started composing again after a somewhat long hiatus.
So if composing and being recognized for composing is important to you, remember, all it takes is confidence and a little word of mouth.
Of course faith and a little luck can’t hurt.
For The Love Of Music,
Steven “Wags” Wagenheim