How to Network Effectively as a Music Producer
As music creatives/entrepreneurs who want to elevate their career and see their business succeed, you have to try your best to avoid potential roadblocks. One of the biggest roadblocks producers face is themselves. They may not know how to network, how to act in public, or how to present their business due to being socially isolated and awkward. Creating music is a group effort and your network will assist in getting your music heard and help open doors of opportunity. Remember, this industry is more about who you know versus what you know. Even if you’re not a people person, networking can actually be quite practical and easy. With that being said, here are a few things that will assist you in building your network:
Be presentable
Make sure your personal hygiene is on point - you want to look good and smell good. This means perhaps keeping gum on hand so you don’t have bad breath or making sure that your hands are always dry so that you don’t have sweaty palms when you shake somebody’s hand. When you’re presenting yourself to people in person, it’s important that you be approachable, look people in the eye, give a firm handshake, and come across as confident. When presenting yourself online, make sure your socials are not set to private. One of the worst things is when people go to your social media page and can't actually access any information about you. Let your social media be a window to who you are as a person so that people can get a better feel of who you are. Additionally, make sure your branding is on point and your bio has information about you.
Be yourself
In person, you should introduce yourself and connect, but don't try too hard. If someone is being fake, people can see straight through the act. Find unique ways to stand out to create conversation or pay attention to what people are doing/saying and find an “in” organically. When dealing with this online, use your strengths to your advantage and engage in the comments. That's a great way to build rapport with people without coming across as weird or awkward.
Find your people
Whether online or in person, you want to connect with like-minded people. Don't be pushy, annoying, or desperate to make friends because that could be a total turnoff. However, you should definitely be observant and look for those you can relate to because they will be the ones you potentially see success with in the future. Finding your tribe can be a little tricky at first, but once you do, building and creating will become that much easier.
Be prepared
The first thing you want to do, whether online or in person, is research others. You should research the people you're going to be in the room with or online with. It's important that when you’re trying to network with people, you at least know who it is you're talking to. When in person, you want to have your contact info ready such as business cards or your contact card on your phone. The worst thing to do is fumble around while trying to give people your information, especially when you're dealing with higher profile individuals. Those individuals are usually on the move, so you have a small window of opportunity to give them your information. When online, you should have a centralized place with all your info, like a website or Linktree.
Bring value
Here’s a little secret that always works: compliment those you network with and create conversation around them. Ask engaging questions and let them talk about themselves. Now, why would you wanna do this? Because this is a chance for you to get to know who they are, what they like and what they need. In other words, this is a chance for you to provide value to them. However, keep in mind that you don’t want to come off as fake. Don't do it just because you're trying to get an opportunity. When people see that you genuinely care about what they have going on, they'll take you seriously.
Ask before soliciting your content
This applies to both in person and online. When you're in person, for instance, the last thing you wanna do is bombard people with CDs, flash drives, etc. Instead, as you're arriving at the end of a conversation, you can say something along the lines of “It was nice meeting you. Do you mind if I send you some of my music so you can get to hear what I'm all about?” That’s a great way in, and if they say yes, they'll usually direct you on where to send it. When online, the last thing you want to do is spam people in comments or DMs with links that they never asked for because you will get ignored. Instead, engage in meaningful conversation and find an opportunity to send people your music.
These are just a few key things to consider when networking, but knowing where to network is just as important. Check out the video above for tips on where you can meet other like-minded people and for all other music production related content, keep an eye out on the Creator Hub!
