Here’s the best advice I can give you for getting into music
Good afternoon! This week I’ve compiled some of the best advice from some wonderful people who are already killing it in the music industry
Although a lot of you here are already working in the music industry, there may also be a fair share of you who are here because you admire so many trailblazing women in our industry, but you have absolutely no clue where to start yourself.
But fear not! I’ve gathered some of the best advice from some brilliant people in music and I’m going to share it all with you here.
To get us started here’s some of my own:
Don’t let imposter syndrome win: I’ve spoken before about how women are often much more criticised when they’re just starting out than boys are, and it’s incredibly easy to let people’s comments throw you into imposter syndrome. No matter what stage you’re at, you belong here and you have a right to take up space and make mistakes. It doesn’t make you a bad musician, it makes you normal.
This is your time to have fun, so don’t hold back: Music is so expressive and that’s what makes it such bloody good fun. When you’re on a stage, you don’t need to glue yourself to the floor and grip onto a mic stand. Move about! Whip your hair! It makes the show much more interesting and allows you to release much more emotion.
The internet is your BFF when it comes to learning: I’m entirely self taught when it comes to music, and there are so many great tools out there for learning a multitude of different instruments, and some brilliant subscription models too. Have a Google and find somewhere that provides the tools or lessons that suit you best. If you’re guitar orientated, I recommend Ultimate Guitar and Fender Play.
Now, let’s hear from some others:
I love this one. Kiera Court of HEAD BALLET says,“You don’t have to be the loudest in the room to make the biggest impact, to know you belong always and don’t put a lot of weight on things but always put in a lot of effort. Be vocal in a way that suits you and trust your gut.”
Musical duo AUGER say, “Draw up a five year roadmap of where you want your talent to take you… and sign away nothing!”
The folks at L’islet Records say, “You can do everything yourself. Be you and deliver music you like. Network with like minded folks, reach out to people you want to work with or take advice from. Work hard and never accept criticism from anyone you wouldn’t take advice from. Always follow up and have fun!”
Doug Foulger of The Dudes (amazing band name) says, “Take any good advice from people who are already respected in the music industry, research and cross reference any offers made to make sure they’re from a reliable source.”
And here are a few that I found from some of the biggest musicians in the game:
Dave Grohl’s mantra is “Never erase, always record”, which is something we all should remember.
Hayley Williams once said, “As long as you're flexing that muscle of discernment, that voice deep in your gut that says, ‘This isn't me,’ or, ‘This is me, and I'm going to fight for this,’ That's the thing to listen to. It will always be there. It will be your constant companion, no matter if you're signing your first record deal or you're negotiating your masters.”
Metallica’s James Hetfield once told his son, “The audience wants you to do well just as much as you want to do well. The audience is there to have a good time.”
Thanks as always for reading! Do you have a story you’d like to share here? Do you have a golden piece of advice you’d like our fellow readers to know? Get in touch or leave a comment below:
Our song of the week for this issue is from Florence + The Machine. I do not know what drugs she put in this song but it’s incredibly addictive and perfect for summer:
And before I go, just a heads up that there won’t be a newsletter next week, but I’ll be back the week after on the 20th July.
Stay unapologetically loud,
Rachel x