What is an independent musician? An independent musician is a musician who is not signed to a major record label. They do not have financial, promotional and distribution frommajor record label or their subsidiaries.
Many musicians want to be signed by a major label since the label has considerably more power and financial means to promote the musician and to distribute their music, which can greatly increase the chance of greater success. However, being signed to a commercial label does not guarantee success.
Some acts, however, may choose to remain independent. Being independent means you are responsible for everything to do with your career, which can be extremely overwhelming for an artist or it gives the artist peace of mind that everything is being run the way he/she wants it to be. Being independent generally offers much more creative freedom.
The life of an independent musician is not easy, but they are free to create their own music without a label dictating what they can and cannot sing or where they can or cannot perform. As an independent musician you are running your own business. It is the responsibility of the artist to either do everything by themselves or hire people to do specific jobs.
They may hire a manager and or a booking agent. They may hire a company to promote their music, they must find ways to distribute their music, and In addition, they must cover the cost of musicians, instruments, rehearsal time, studio time, transportation to and from shows, as well as maintaining their everyday living costs.
Many independent artists write and produce their own music, which means they must register it properly so they will be rewarded with much deserved royalties. Their music must also be sent to radio stations in a proper format. Performance contracts are also a very important part of running their business professionally.
As with any business, having a good team of people that you can trust makes a huge difference. It is very important to surround yourself with people who support you and believe in you. The music business can be brutal. Many people try to and do take advantage of a musician, especially those that have no knowledge of the business. There are those that try to cash in on an artists success, many times leaving the artist with nothing to show for his/her talent.
In most cases a true musician truly loves what they do, the joy of being able to make people feel something with your music and lyrics is the greatest reward. The ability to make people happy just by listening to your music is what it is all about.
When listening to music, take a moment to reflect on what that artist has gone through to get where they are or what they continuously go through to be able to make a living doing what they love.
There is so much talent in the music world that never gets heard. If you listen to an independent artist and like what you hear, buy their music, share their music, find out their story. With the age of internet you can seek out amazing musicians and help them achieve success!
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