From making music more accessible to staying in touch with fans: Advice for upcoming acts

Earlier this week I received an email from the distraught frontman of a five-year-old Indian independent rock band. He was at a loss as to what more they could do to build a career and wanted advice on how to proceed. As a journalist, and therefore as somebody who has only observed the scene but not experienced first-hand what it takes for musicians to make it, I could only offer what I’ve seen and known to work for relatively successful acts. I realised that even though some things are fairly basic, every young artist or band goes through pretty much the same learning curve. (It has even inspired a book they can get hold of to help them along with way.)

Some acts are savvy, some take more time. Those performing in English however, like the singer who emailed me about his band, are at an automatic disadvantage. The last few years have shown us that the handful of Indian indie acts that have attained a substantial level of popularity each garnered a formidable fan base by releasing music in Hindi or a regional language. Examples include rapper Divine, electronic music producer Nucleya and rock band The Local Train. Exceptions include blues-rock duo Soulmate and alternative rock group Thermal and a Quarter, both of whom have been around for decades and whose longevity is the combination of outstanding talent and tireless effort.

For what it’s worth, I replied to the vocalist with a set of ten tips for upcoming acts. Here’s an expanded version of what I wrote to him:

1. Make it super-easy for people to access your music. This might seem obvious but it continues to amaze me how difficult it is sometimes to find a new band’s tracks. At a time when the first place most people look to find information about an act is their Facebook page, it’s essential to have in that place links to all possible streaming platforms, especially Apple Music, JioSaavn and Spotify, which support independent music and give it prominence. Even if you don’t have the time or resources to make a video, don’t ignore YouTube because it’s how the majority of listeners consume music in our country currently. No videos? Upload audio tracks or live recordings.

2. Know the value of a press kit. Another thing that consistently surprises me is how many acts have just a line or two under the ‘About Us’ section of their Facebook page. A press kit, with an up-to-date biography and a photo no older than six months, are imperative. Use the bio to tell your story, but have something unique to say. Let people know about where you are coming from, tell them your influences, inspirations, motivations and aspirations. Journalists can be lazy, they will write about a band with an interesting story over one that makes better music. And an act with an angle is going to be an easier sell for promoters and programmers.

3. Play as much as you can. This might seem easier said than done. Though there are more venues, college events and music festivals than ever before, landing a gig remains the toughest task for most aspiring bands. The only solution is to perform at every possible opportunity, from open mic nights to neighbourhood cultural festivals. House concerts are a great way to present your music to an open-minded, attentive crowd. Contact the folks in charge of the local SoFar Sounds chapter in your city – there are over a dozen in India – and submit your songs to them. Most bands started out playing to single or double-digit audiences. The important thing is making each gig special and a sort of mission to convert listeners into fans.

4. Write and put out new music as often as possible. In the streaming era and the age of limited attention spans, fans are constantly hungry for more music. Each new release, be it a single, video (even one shot on a phone), EP or album, is an event to be experienced. Recordings of live sets are another way to introduce your tunes to new listeners and stay on the radars of existing fans. Going through writer’s block? Put out an acoustic version or remix of your most popular track.

5. Stay in regular touch with your fans. Thanks to social media, professional musicians don’t need marketing teams because they have fans. Any act hoping to make the leap from rising talent to established artist or band needs to frequently feed these fans with music and news about their journey. Live streams and Ask Me Anything sessions on Facebook and Instagram are a good start. A monthly newsletter is a fantastic tool through which to send updates on your activities. Sign up to those sent by folk-fusion band Swarathma and singer-songwriter Prateek Kuhad for examples on how to do this right. Kuhad used his mailing list to great advantage when he got his subscribers to announce the release of his long-awaited EP cold/mess last year. Invest in your followers so they feel even more invested in you.

6. Enter competitions. Organising battle of the bands or variations of the concept have for some time now been a favourite means of brands looking to connect with the ‘youth’. Some acts might be opposed to participating in such events because many of them are ultimately popularity contests. However, they undoubtedly serve as another chance to reach out to fresh sets of ears. And if you believe you have reached a certain level of proficiency – and I hope you do if you want people to pay money to watch you – then nominate yourself for the Radio City Freedom Awards . Love or hate the idea of a contest, if you win or get to the finals, you will have something to add to the bio and will increase your chances of getting the attention of journalists, venue owners and festival organisers.

7. Collaborate. By getting together with like-minded bands and artists, you can leverage each other’s fan bases to promote each other’s concerts and pool your resources to put together and stage your own shows. Bangalore’s Consolidate and Mumbai’s Kadak Apple , which showcase electronic music producers and singer-songwriters respectively, call themselves record labels but they are really collectives and stellar examples of what artists can achieve through a sense of community.

8. Don’t quit your day job (just yet). Contrary to popular belief, having enough money to make rent and pay the bills will liberate rather hinder you from focusing on your art. These days, it’s entirely possible to get a 9-to-5 that’s connected to music, even if it has little to do with the kind of music you like to make. You might detest the commercial aspects of working in Bollywood or advertising but be aware that the connections you form in those industries could help open doors that will forever remain closed if you never leave your bedroom.

9. Network, network, network. This is perhaps the second hardest thing to do for musicians, many of whom are introverts who express themselves best through song. As an introvert, I can attest that it gets easier with time especially because you are meeting people on common ground: your mutual love of music. Go for other acts’ gigs, attend workshops by cultural organisations and meet as many people as you can, from fellow musicians to music journalists to programmers to people in the creative industry such as artists, filmmakers, actors and designers. Who knows? It might lead to your being featured in publications, playlists, and maybe even land you a sync in a web series.

10. Find a sounding board. Seek out a friend, somebody who shares your tastes in music and whose opinion you trust, to provide an honest critique of your work. If possible, this person should be someone who isn’t a musician as well and can speak to you objectively from the perspective of a listener. Too often, artists don’t realise the obvious, or maybe they don’t want to accept it. The only way to improve is to be open to constructive criticism.

Expectedly, the musician I sent these suggestions to had heard and executed many of them before. Though he didn’t specify which of them he hadn’t tried yet, my last bit of advice to him was for his band to just keep doing what they are doing because they love it. But to also be 100 percent honest with themselves. Anybody working in a creative field has to realise that success has several definitions. It doesn’t have to be and often can’t merely be measured in terms of views, gigs or awards. Figure out what it means to you and strive towards that.

Amit Gurbaxani is a Mumbai-based journalist who has been writing about music, specifically the country’s independent scene, for nearly two decades. He tweets  @TheGroovebox