Perspective Appreciated: how do I build Musical Career Capitol?

[Realms of Wonder]

My Life purpose is to play Music, guiding people into states of loving introspection, revealing their true nature.

 

I’ve been producing music on my own for the past 2.5 years, and have over decade of classical/fiddle violin and 5+ years composition experience from my early life. As my eyes open to the possibilities of this life purpose, I realize “I lack necessary skill to add massive value to the world.”

 

And so a search to find the most effective methods of career capitols acquisition begins and continues.

 

Career capitol is “the skills you have that are both rare and valuable and that can be used as leverage in defining your career.” (From Cal Newports book, So good they can’t ignore you)

 

here are the methods I have come across 

- Produce my own music, mix, master, sing the whole shebang (already doing this)

- Produce music for others

- Offer services (production) on Upwork or Fiverr

- Get an internship at a local music production studio.

- Eventually get a job at said music studio (this is the route I am leani my towards)

- Buy courses on specific skills (mixing, mastering, singing, Ableton live, and so on)

- Buy coaching/lessons 

- Busk (play on the streets/ live performance in cities)

- Live performance 

- Go to Music school

 

Anything you see that I am missing? Perspective appreciated!

 

 

 

Edited May 22, 2022 by Realms of Wonder

[Yarco]

According to permaculture, there are 8 forms of capital. If you look at each category it might help you come up with some new items.

Financial capital - Ability to handle the business side of being a musician. Making deals, setting your price or rates, dealing with clients who don't pay on time, etc.

Material capital - Instruments, computers, amps, speakers, etc.

Living capital - N/A

Human capital - Sometimes called experiential capital. Like the experience of performing on stage, internship at a record studio, etc.

Intellectual capital - Your knowledge of music theory, editing, composition, how to play instruments

Social capital - Networking you've built up with other musicians, producers, event organizers or places that could book you

Spiritual capital - N/A

Cultural capital - All the songs you learned as a child, the songs that are popular in your society, knowing what makes a popular song

 

I guess the big one I think you're missing is listening to other people's music and studying what makes a good or bad song. Picking up pieces and lessons that you can incorporate into your own work. Instead of just mindlessly listening to music while working or driving, set aside time to really sit down and study it, and focus only on the music.

Edited May 22, 2022 by Yarco

[aurum]

@Realms of Wonder

That’s definitely a good general list.

I’d say it mostly depends on what you feel you want as an end goal.

If your end goal is to be a studio engineer, then I’d personally just focus on that. But if you feel you’re going to be a performer, then that requires much different skills.

And even within those niches you have niches. You could be a pop star performer like Bruno Mars, which definitely requires certain skills. Or you could be a classically trained player that performs shows for classical music. Both are very different.

[Realms of Wonder]

16 minutes ago, aurum said:

@Realms of Wonder

That’s definitely a good general list.

I’d say it mostly depends on what you feel you want as an end goal.

If your end goal is to be a studio engineer, then I’d personally just focus on that. But if you feel you’re going to be a performer, then that requires much different skills.

And even within those niches you have niches. You could be a pop star performer like Bruno Mars, which definitely requires certain skills. Or you could be a classically trained player that performs shows for classical music. Both are very different.

Thanks for the response!

For more context..

 

Domain of mastery: Music

Ideal Medium: Life performance. (which is still pretty vague)

 

End goal is... I see myself performing to sold out shows of 100-20,000 people, all over the world.

 

The complete skill-set then includes marketing (of myself and brand,) business, Sales and finance.

 

In Music, the skills I really want to improve are..

 

1. Music production (in general, gaining massive experience)

2. Mixing and Mastering

3. Singing

4. Stage presence/Public Speaking/Live Performance

5. Lyrics/Articulation.

[Realms of Wonder]

6 hours ago, Yarco said:

According to permaculture, there are 8 forms of capital. If you look at each category it might help you come up with some new items.

Financial capital - Ability to handle the business side of being a musician. Making deals, setting your price or rates, dealing with clients who don't pay on time, etc.

Material capital - Instruments, computers, amps, speakers, etc.

Living capital - N/A

Human capital - Sometimes called experiential capital. Like the experience of performing on stage, internship at a record studio, etc.

Intellectual capital - Your knowledge of music theory, editing, composition, how to play instruments

Social capital - Networking you've built up with other musicians, producers, event organizers or places that could book you

Spiritual capital - N/A

Cultural capital - All the songs you learned as a child, the songs that are popular in your society, knowing what makes a popular song

 

I guess the big one I think you're missing is listening to other people's music and studying what makes a good or bad song. Picking up pieces and lessons that you can incorporate into your own work. Instead of just mindlessly listening to music while working or driving, set aside time to really sit down and study it, and focus only on the music.

Thanks! lots of good info there.

[T_i_m]

the most important thing is marketing

[Realms of Wonder]

4 hours ago, T_i_m said:

the most important thing is marketing

Interesting, Why do you say that?

[SgtPepper]

It really depends on your goals and desires... 

I'd suggest watching the Kanye Doc. and following Kenny Beats on YouTube. I think they're right in what they did which is they went deep into the music scene, collaborated with every artist they could, many times for free and got their name out there. 

I think its really about getting a lot of experience under your belt, getting a good mentor, and if youre trying to produce for artists - having a stock of tracks that you can send to artists like an album, that they can choose from. 

Edited May 23, 2022 by SgtPepper

[Asayake]

My advice would be, start trying to create & finish songs. It will expose your weaknesses as a producer, mixer, songwriter and composer, some things will go smooth and some things not so smooth. You will encounter things you don't know how to do but want to do and then maybe be forced to take a break in creating the song to try to figure out  the production aspect of it, which technique/tool to use to be able to do what you wanted to do. You may also get stuck because you have a certain musical idea you can barely hear in your head for example and then when trying to find it on an instrument/midi editor you can't play it. When trying to figure it out you maybe had to learn to play a tricky rhythm or had to learn new chord voicings to be able to express the idea you had. In other words, when trying to create music you will run into different moments where you don't know exactly how to do the thing you're trying to do and then you'll be forced to figure things out. 

This would be a good way to identify useful things to know how to do and improve your capitol as far as music production/songwriting/composing skills go. What I like about this is that it's simple, just make music and spend a good amount of time and effort on doing so, learning by solving all different kinds of problems along the way. The obstacles you run into will be relevant for your learning and many of the problems you manage to solve will reappear in the future when you're making more music and then you will be better prepared and have solutions or ideas to pull from.

The better you get the hang of things, the more nuanced the problems become. If you want to become good at making music in general just solving whatever problem you face that stop you from making the song how you want it to sound will make you well rounded, sometimes the mix sucks and needs to be worked on, sometimes the song doesn't flow well, sometimes you can't play the thing you want to record yet on your instrument etc. Sometimes there are problems that can't be easily fixed and then you'll be forced to get creative and work around them and find your own way of doing things. Sometimes our inability to play something makes us come up with something else. And maybe the new thing we came up with sounded better or was more personal somehow. You can learn a lot by making music and finishing it.

Edited May 23, 2022 by Asayake

[aurum]

On 5/22/2022 at 4:42 PM, Realms of Wonder said:

Thanks for the response!

For more context..

 

Domain of mastery: Music

Ideal Medium: Life performance. (which is still pretty vague)

 

End goal is... I see myself performing to sold out shows of 100-20,000 people, all over the world.

 

The complete skill-set then includes marketing (of myself and brand,) business, Sales and finance.

 

In Music, the skills I really want to improve are..

 

1. Music production (in general, gaining massive experience)

2. Mixing and Mastering

3. Singing

4. Stage presence/Public Speaking/Live Performance

5. Lyrics/Articulation.

Well there’s definitely a lot of personal preference involved in heading that route. I can’t tell what is right for you.

Mixing and mastering and even production can often be outsourced at reasonable prices. And it will take years to deeply learn those skills. So personally that would be at the bottom of my list.

Unless your music is heavily electronic driven, in which case production / mixing / mastering is obviously a bigger component.

Edited May 24, 2022 by aurum

[Realms of Wonder]

On 5/23/2022 at 0:06 PM, SgtPepper said:

It really depends on your goals and desires... 

I'd suggest watching the Kanye Doc. and following Kenny Beats on YouTube. I think they're right in what they did which is they went deep into the music scene, collaborated with every artist they could, many times for free and got their name out there. 

I think its really about getting a lot of experience under your belt, getting a good mentor, and if youre trying to produce for artists - having a stock of tracks that you can send to artists like an album, that they can choose from. 

Thanks for this advice, I’ll check out the Documentary.

 

Producing for others is just a way to gain more experience for me, long term vision includes producing, mixing, mastering, and performing all original music.

 

That is a good point though, to have a portfolio I can show to those I do want to produce for.

 

 

[Realms of Wonder]

On 5/23/2022 at 4:58 PM, aurum said:

Well there’s definitely a lot of personal preference involved in heading that route. I can’t tell what is right for you.

Mixing and mastering and even production can often be outsourced at reasonable prices. And it will take years to deeply learn those skills. So personally that would be at the bottom of my list.

Unless your music is heavily electronic driven, in which case production / mixing / mastering is obviously a bigger component.

You’re definitely on the right track. Mixing and mastering is a huge part of my music making process. It is heavily electronic.

 

Thanks for the perspective  

[VioletFlame]

@Realms of Wonder Hi there! Great post. ? First off, I wanted to say congrads on finding your life purpose and passion. I think that's wonderful that you are following your calling. I too am a performing musician, singer/songwriter and I think it's so cool to come across other musicians and artists on here. ☺️

I have a question for you dude. Have you heard of Music Therapy? I am currently in my third year of college pursuing this degree and I can honestly say that I already see, just based on my overall mood and mindset, that it is totally paying off. 

So, in case you haven't heard of this profession, MT is the use of music, both receptive and active, to achieve non-musical goals such as social, emotional, cognitive, behavioral, physical, and yes, spiritual goals. 

There is an excessive amount of neuroscience behind music and its impact on the brain and how to utilize music to achieve therapeutic goals. So if you dig science as well, then this may be up your alley.

Music Therapy ties into the study of neuroplasticity and how music is a tool for healing and facilitating the recovery of patients dealing with specific maladies, conditions, disabilities, mental and behavioral issues, etc. I will be working with the youth. However, Music Therapists can work with all age groups. I feel called to work with clients dealing with Autism, learning disabilities, social and behavioral issues, and mental illness. But you can also work with patients battling major conditions such as Dementia or Parkinson's. Which is something I may do further down the line. 

Aside from my overwhelming passion for music, I've also had a deep passion for psychology. So once I discovered this field of study, I was blown away and felt my whole body tingle and light up like "THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO DO" Lol I literally felt like I was made of light in that moment -- of discovering my life purpose. It just made so much sense to me. 

Did you know music is the ONLY stimulus which can activate EVERY area of the brain at once? Pretty nuts, right? And in MT, we are able to use music as the vehicle to stimulate neuro-pathways and create new pathways in the brain, creating better results.

There is a vast amount of research and studies on how music has effectively enhanced or benefitted the lives of many who are suffering. I could go on and on but for now, in case you're interested, here is some research on MT.

Some Music Therapy research:

· Reduces pain

· Decreases anxiety, depression

· Improves speech/language rehabilitation

· Improves physical and motor rehabilitation (improves fine and gross motor skills) 

· Increases respiratory capacity

· Facilitates expression of feelings; fears, hope.

· Increases socialization & acceptance of disability

· Mood elevation

For more information, I recommend visiting the American Association of Music Therapy. Here is the link:

https://www.musictherapy.org/

I hope this has helped or inspired you in some way! Much luck to you on your journey! ☺️?

Edited May 26, 2022 by VioletFlame

[Realms of Wonder]

6 hours ago, VioletFlame said:

@Realms of Wonder Hi there! Great post. ? First off, I wanted to say congrads on finding your life purpose and passion. I think that's wonderful that you are following your calling. I too am a performing musician, singer/songwriter and I think it's so cool to come across other musicians and artists on here. ☺️

 

Howdy Doo! Glad to meet another Musician.

6 hours ago, VioletFlame said:

I have a question for you dude. Have you heard of Music Therapy? I am currently in my third year of college pursuing this degree and I can honestly say that I already see, just based on my overall mood and mindset, that it is totally paying off. 

So, in case you haven't heard of this profession, MT is the use of music, both receptive and active, to achieve non-musical goals such as social, emotional, cognitive, behavioral, physical, and yes, spiritual goals. 

Thanks for making the time for this thoughtful response. Glad you have found so much inspiration and meaning in music therapy!

Stumbled across Music Therapy last year, it excited me to think about Music in terms of Therapy, but it didn't feel 100% authentic. 

I am wary of already created paths, getting a degree doesn't resonate for me. Nor do I want to perform music in clinical/therapy settings. I want to forge a new path in the music industry, to be a successful independent artist that creates music that thousands and millions of people are drawn to. A star, A leader, an innovator, a visionary for how music can evolve society. Not because I am special, but because of how this music will impact humanity. Playing unique and innovative music to show others/myself how  to be authentic is music is my heart.

6 hours ago, VioletFlame said:

There is an excessive amount of neuroscience behind music and its impact on the brain and how to utilize music to achieve therapeutic goals. So if you dig science as well, then this may be up your alley.

Music Therapy ties into the study of neuroplasticity and how music is a tool for healing and facilitating the recovery of patients dealing with specific maladies, conditions, disabilities, mental and behavioral issues, etc. I will be working with the youth. However, Music Therapists can work with all age groups. I feel called to work with clients dealing with Autism, learning disabilities, social and behavioral issues, and mental illness. But you can also work with patients battling major conditions such as Dementia or Parkinson's. Which is something I may do further down the line. 

Did you know music is the ONLY stimulus which can activate EVERY area of the brain at once? Pretty nuts, right? And in MT, we are able to use music as the vehicle to stimulate neuro-pathways and create new pathways in the brain, creating better results.

There is a vast amount of research and studies on how music has effectively enhanced or benefitted the lives of many who are suffering. I could go on and on but for now, in case you're interested, here is some research on MT.

AMAZING. I was fuzzily aware that such studies existed, but that's awesome that there is so much.

 

For you, the science behind how music effects psychology, why is that inspiring?

6 hours ago, VioletFlame said:

Some Music Therapy research:

· Reduces pain

· Decreases anxiety, depression

· Improves speech/language rehabilitation

· Improves physical and motor rehabilitation (improves fine and gross motor skills) 

· Increases respiratory capacity

· Facilitates expression of feelings; fears, hope.

· Increases socialization & acceptance of disability

· Mood elevation

For more information, I recommend visiting the American Association of Music Therapy. Here is the link:

https://www.musictherapy.org/

I hope this has helped or inspired you in some way! Much luck to you on your journey! ☺️?

Thanks for the info, great to meet another passionate musician, out to make their mark on the world it the  way they find most meaningful.

Love and Honesty, keep it up

[VioletFlame]

3 hours ago, Realms of Wonder said:

I am wary of already created paths, getting a degree doesn't resonate for me. Nor do I want to perform music in clinical/therapy settings. I want to forge a new path in the music industry, to be a successful independent artist that creates music that thousands and millions of people are drawn to. A star, A leader, an innovator, a visionary for how music can evolve society. Not because I am special, but because of how this music will impact humanity. Playing unique and innovative music to show others/myself how  to be authentic is music is my heart.

@Realms of Wonder I totally hear you dude. That's been my dream since I was little and still is (subconsciously) a fantasy/dream of mine. Especially since I've been performing since I was 11 yrs old. (I was raised into a family of performing musicians!) but unfortunately, I realized that we live in a capitalist society and for now I have to make ends meet and all. But I made a deal with myself that I'd at least like to do that with a big smile on my face--making money doing what I love, and helping people heal. Essentially, I see myself and all Music Therapists as not only leaders, but true healers. And it sounds like so are you!

While in school, I still regularly perform and seem to reach people through my music which is always my mission--to reach the audience on some level. I am happy because I am featured in local places and get to perform my original music and touch the hearts & souls of many and many more to come throughout my life and that is more than enough for me.

And you know something? It wasn't necessarily easy for me to get to this point. Because I DID have this clinging dream attached to me, weighing on my shoulders, this big desire to gain recognition which seemed so heavy when really I wanted to feel weightless. I wanted to float along and simply play and write music because I LOVE to and it makes me incredibly happy. Without it, I probably would've been long gone a long time ago. But my mission now is to use music as a healing tool for others in the same way it helped me heal and recover from traumatic experiences along my journey. Music opens space for the subconscious to take over, for our emotions to spill out and make sense, and for cathartic release.

Fame and fortune is not the destination for me. It's not what I really want in life. It was when I was a kid/teenager, I really wanted to gain recognition since I have been pouring my heart and soul into my music my whole life-- it only is natural to want to share it with the world. But one day I woke up and realized I and You can STILL do that. 

There are soo many ways to reach people through your music and one does not need fame and fortune to reach people and to make an impact on somebody's life. You could sing or perform a song to a neighbor who seems to be struggling with something and that very act could leave a memorable, inspiring and profound mark on his/her life.

You can be a Star, as you are. You can reach to the top, starting now, from where you are; from within. Try to let music intrinsically motivate and inspire you as opposed to only extrinsically inspiring you. 

Once I realized the true reason why I love music so much, I realized it's not about chasing fame or publicity. It's about connecting with others and making an impact in some way through the music. Whether I excel at that while I'm on stage singing to a large group of people or singing in a clinical setting to one person, I will be content because the musical relationship I develop with each person and each client will be intimate. Not fleeting, but hopefully an experience which is life-changing and mind-altering for the individual. 

Fun fact: I was actually a high school walk-out because I chose to stay home and play my guitar, sing my heart out, and write music all day. In a nutshell, I never imagined myself to be going to college. But it was the mere discovery of this profession and of my life purpose which motivated me to go because my philosophy is like this; so long as you have a vision and are studying something which is heart-centered and centers around your life purpose, then it's absolutely worth it. If you're willing to put the time in, and if you have the discipline and patience and ambition to reach your end goal. 

I am actually minoring in Film Score as well. ? So there are many options for you to get your feet into the Music Industry.

Practice. Practice. Practice. Until you can practically play with your eyes closed! Keep working on your skill and proficiency and recall your favorite artists and most influential musicians/leaders and consider them to be your distant mentors. Keep them in mind and heart. Learn as much as you can from them and their music. Gain inspiration as much as you can. ?

Edited May 27, 2022 by VioletFlame

[Chrisd]

Cool life's purpose

 

[Realms of Wonder]

On 5/26/2022 at 5:04 PM, VioletFlame said:

@Realms of Wonder I totally hear you dude. That's been my dream since I was little and still is (subconsciously) a fantasy/dream of mine. Especially since I've been performing since I was 11 yrs old. (I was raised into a family of performing musicians!) but unfortunately, I realized that we live in a capitalist society and for now I have to make ends meet and all. But I made a deal with myself that I'd at least like to do that with a big smile on my face--making money doing what I love, and helping people heal. Essentially, I see myself and all Music Therapists as not only leaders, but true healers. And it sounds like so are you!

I can tell you are very passionate about Music, your relationship to yourself and others, and how Music can help people process and integrate trauma. I think that's beautiful. First and foremost, how has music helped your process trauma?

 

More and more I see that the music I make will help others, but first it will help me to learn to love myself and be more authentic, while giving me a way to contemplate and process my trauma and difficulty on this path. in the future, I want to give that to others as a gift.

On 5/26/2022 at 5:04 PM, VioletFlame said:

While in school, I still regularly perform and seem to reach people through my music which is always my mission--to reach the audience on some level. I am happy because I am featured in local places and get to perform my original music and touch the hearts & souls of many and many more to come throughout my life and that is more than enough for me.

And you know something? It wasn't necessarily easy for me to get to this point. Because I DID have this clinging dream attached to me, weighing on my shoulders, this big desire to gain recognition which seemed so heavy when really I wanted to feel weightless. I wanted to float along and simply play and write music because I LOVE to and it makes me incredibly happy. Without it, I probably would've been long gone a long time ago. But my mission now is to use music as a healing tool for others in the same way it helped me heal and recover from traumatic experiences along my journey. Music opens space for the subconscious to take over, for our emotions to spill out and make sense, and for cathartic release.

Fame and fortune is not the destination for me. It's not what I really want in life. It was when I was a kid/teenager, I really wanted to gain recognition since I have been pouring my heart and soul into my music my whole life-- it only is natural to want to share it with the world. But one day I woke up and realized I and You can STILL do that. 

There are soo many ways to reach people through your music and one does not need fame and fortune to reach people and to make an impact on somebody's life. You could sing or perform a song to a neighbor who seems to be struggling with something and that very act could leave a memorable, inspiring and profound mark on his/her life.

Love hearing your explain your impact on others.

 

To clarify. When I said "I want to forge a new path in the music industry, to be a successful independent artist that creates music that thousands and millions of people are drawn to. A star." I wasn't thinking about Money of fame. obviously I Want to be financially free, but that's not the reason WHY I want to play music and share it with the world.

Being a star, I mean it more literally, a bright shining light in the night sky which is a luminescent body in the distance. I mean shining as brightly as I can, to illuminate the consciousness of myself, then others. in the kind of way that Leo is a star, or a really good friend can be a star to you.

On 5/26/2022 at 5:04 PM, VioletFlame said:

Once I realized the true reason why I love music so much, I realized it's not about chasing fame or publicity. It's about connecting with others and making an impact in some way through the music. Whether I excel at that while I'm on stage singing to a large group of people or singing in a clinical setting to one person, I will be content because the musical relationship I develop with each person and each client will be intimate. Not fleeting, but hopefully an experience which is life-changing and mind-altering for the individual. 

Fun fact: I was actually a high school walk-out because I chose to stay home and play my guitar, sing my heart out, and write music all day. In a nutshell, I never imagined myself to be going to college. But it was the mere discovery of this profession and of my life purpose which motivated me to go because my philosophy is like this; so long as you have a vision and are studying something which is heart-centered and centers around your life purpose, then it's absolutely worth it. If you're willing to put the time in, and if you have the discipline and patience and ambition to reach your end goal. 

I am actually minoring in Film Score as well. ? So there are many options for you to get your feet into the Music Industry.

Connection is the key, Love. That we have in similarity. 

 

Did you always know music was your heart?

 

Film score ? do you want to write for films as well?

 

On 5/26/2022 at 5:04 PM, VioletFlame said:

Practice. Practice. Practice. Until you can practically play with your eyes closed! Keep working on your skill and proficiency and recall your favorite artists and most influential musicians/leaders and consider them to be your distant mentors. Keep them in mind and heart. Learn as much as you can from them and their music. Gain inspiration as much as you can. ?

Every day. thanks for the thoughtful response @VioletFlame

[actually]

Be assertive

think for yourself and sometimes that means cutting people off if they do not see or fuck with your vision.

Stick to the plan and learn as you go

never give up (this particular career will challenge you ALOT and you will want to give up at some point. Never give in to this fear and keep going