“I / We want to get to the next
level!” I hear or read that from unsigned artists all the time. But
what does the next level mean? Many artist use that sentence without
knowing what it means (for them) at all. They picked it up somewhere
but never put one thought into it (“Sounds kind of cool” … “No,
it doesn't!”). In some cases I get the impression they think that
there is an “One-Fits-all”-solution or that I am (or any music
industry professional is) a mind reader. Of course, I usually have a
rough idea what the artist could mean with that “next
level”. But that does not necessarily mean the artist is on the
same page.
It is very important in
these days to know where you want to go as an artist. When you
approach industry professionals it is important to convince them that
you know where you are standing in your career and that you have at
least a vague idea of where you want to be in the (near) future and
that you are serious about being a professional musician / artist.
Think about where you (your band) are
at the moment. Write it down! Then think about what you want to
achieve next. Let's say you are gigging only local. Do you want gigs
in other towns? Great. Write it down. You want to record an EP or
even a whole album? Put it on the list. You want to go on tour? You
want reviews of you gigs / EP / album? Write it down!
I am sure you can come up with a lot of
things you want to do to “get to the next level”.
And next time you approach a management
companies you can explain what “the next level” means for you
(your band).
