Cobra Asks: What do people not understand about the music industry?
See bottom of page for the next question and how to get featured!
Rex Arcum: Singer-songwriter & rapper from Cork, Ireland.
You don’t have to be famous to have a career as a musician and there are many, many different routes to success.
I can’t stand when artists complain about their local media and mutual connections not supporting them as if it’s the reason they aren’t “making it”. There’s nothing stopping musicians from learning and becoming the best in new web 3.0 platforms like Audius and Sound.xyz or from collaborating and building a huge streaming catalogue like Russ did. Anyone can promote themselves while earning on TikTok, YouTube and Twitter. Same goes for sync licensing and weekly gigs with guerrilla marketing… and don’t even get me started about NFT’s. The list goes on and on, a career in music has never been more accessible than it is right now".
Robbie McNicoll (vocalist) of Forgetting The Future: Indie rock band from Thurso, Scotland.
People don't understand how much attention an artist has to give their projects, whether it be a new song, tour, or any new release. It can be extremely exhausting coming up with new content to try and promote themselves with 80% having little reward
Ollie Trevers (vocalist) of The Great Leslie: Alt rock band from London, England.
That it's all about persistence. No band or artist just quits after a while of not getting anywhere, you have to keep on going. You need to keep releasing, keep playing live, keep getting out there. One study showed that on average, artists have to release 32 pieces of music before the 'break' and make it, so it's not an overnight thing. You just have to keep going.
Dale Hawkins (vocalist & guitarist) of Feverjaw: Alt-rock band from Wales.
People don't understand that the music industry is a massive grind! Unless you have the infrastructure of a bigger artist you need to be all things. Manager, promo, social media, promoter. You wear all the hats and need to also remember to you know, create!
Crashkid!: Alt-rock band from Scotland, UK.
Something that most people don’t know about the music business is how nowadays it is extremely easy to get studio access and access to extremely talented producers and sound engineers to record original material. This has helped us massively to improve our sound and fan base without costing us a lot of money
Odhrán O'Brien (AKA Odd Numbers): Producer & beatmaker from Dublin, Ireland.
The music industry is a business, like any other. It's also one of the hardest businesses to make a living in. Long-term success in the music industry requires something that is often underestimated or misunderstood by artists - the right mindset.
It's not enough to just release music and play gigs regularly; there are tens of thousands of songs uploaded every day and everyone is vying for the attention of listeners and tastemakers alike. You can be sure that if you're not putting the work in to engage your audience, someone else is. Digital marketing, content creation, networking, social media management, branding, entrepreneurship -- these are all vital skills that independent artists need to have in their back pockets. When each of these moving parts are integrated as part of a solid growth strategy, the chances of success skyrocket!
Cameron Johnston (drummer) of Blurred Reality: Metal band from Armagh, Northern Ireland.
People don't understand the amount of vital roles within the music industry - each a vital cog to make the wheel turn, making sure events run, music is released, artists are promoted, venues get people through their door: There's an endless list of roles all so vital.
Ellis Hurley (vocalist) of Pandas: Alt rock band from Glasgow, Scotland
Networking and marketing is your best friend in the music industry, if you don’t reach out to others and communicate your sound then why they should listen to your music?. You might have the world's greatest song ever written but you haven’t a clue how to market it to them; focus on your image and what your music represents.
If you’ve written a song there’s a story tell, build up momentum, find ways to gain attraction. A couple of examples: Focus on your social media presence; your posts and stories are there to keep your followers engaged. If you have a new song coming out, spend time organizing your posts so they can get a clear idea of what the song is about. In the lead up to the release, create lyric videos so they can visually see the words, therefore having a better idea of the story.
You have all the control on social media, you decide what they see. If you prepare it correctly the listener will have a better chance of engaging in your content especially if they’re aware of how consistent you post. You're giving them the space to make their decision to be part of your musical journey.
Under Starling - Alt-rock band from Waterford, Ireland.
Something that we have only come to realize recently ourselves is, a lot of the music industry is based on PR. You could release a great song but no body might never hear it if its not promoted in the right way
Cobra Asks #2: "What song resonates with you more than any other and why?"
Send your name and answer via Instagram DM (@cobrapromotions) or by email (cobrapromotionsireland@gmail,com). Closes on the 10th of May!
