**Importance of Adding Value and Thinking Win/win**

Introduction

“Treat others how you want to be treated”

“Be good to others and they’ll be good to you”

Be the change you … Ok… I know, you get the picture! I guess the thing people hate about cliches is that as corny as they are, they tend to be very true. When it comes to your music career, I will tell you this now, you will not go far unless you can develop and maintain strong relationships.

“Your network determines your net worth” is another cliche that should hit home for you as an artist. So what is the key when trying to maintain relationships?

The answer is creating value at every step of the way.

Creating value with your fans, through your music, the people you work with, other artists, the bartender at the show, etc.

Everyone you meet needs to leave feeling they got something of value from you and that doesnt not need to be in the form of money or some extravegant gift. It could be as simple as a feeling of appreciation and showing the utmost respect to everyone you come in contact with. The artist that make you feel equal to them when you meet them are the ones you remember the most and that have a huge impact on you.

Have you ever heard of an artist but didn’t care for their music? Then you meet them in person and find out they are an amazing and down to earth person. What happens next?

You tend to seek out their music and all of a sudden the music you really didn’t care about is on repeat for the next month or so. What changed?

The music was still the same… But your perception of that person changed and now you feel like you have a connection and bond with them and you now resonate with their music. This is why we say the music you put out is such a small factor because even the worst music in the world will be appreciated by someone. So if you make good music and you are still struggling to make moves in the industry, maybe you need to focus on the relationships you are creating or on the other hand not creating.

Let’s talk about how you can start creating stronger relationships through adding value!

Providing value through your music:

A lot of artists simply create music not thinking about what affect their creations may have on the person listening to it. Ever heard someone say they were going through a tough time and suicidal but listening to an artists album helped them through the issues they were dealing with. Now thats powerful and how you as an artist can create a ton of value through your music. Not every artist is here to change the world and you may make music that is all about partying. If that is your niche that is totally fine and you are providing value by allowing people to let loose and have some fun on a night out.

What you should consider though is your branding and what you stand for and do your best to have your music align with this. As we mentioned in our previous blog post on (*************) people should know what they are getting when they listen to your music. With Arianna Grande, you expect love songs. With Barry White again you would expect love songs. If these artists come out with songs about drugs and partyting it just wouldn’t make sense and would not be in sync with their brand.

Value is created through you music by creating something that your fans get something from whether it be in the form of something they can relate to on a deeper level, bringing them joy, or helping them through tough times just to name a few.

Providing value through other content:

Newsflash its damn near 2019 and depending on when youre reading this the way you interact with your fans may very well have changed. What I am saying is no longer can an artist rely simply on making great music and sharing it with the world. Artists need to be versitile and produce even more content than ever before just to stay relevant. This means music videos, behind the scenes videos, promo videos, interviews, videos of you day to day life, blog articles, photoshoots and the list goes on.

This isnt easy by any means to keep up with this consistently furthermore the next step is to actually be providing value in the extra content that is being produced. How do you do that that?

Well the key is to make sure that again what you are producing makes sense for your brand and is consistent with any other content that you are producing. The best way that you can provide value through this content though is by bringing people into your world and helping them to understand the human elements about you and let your personality shine through. Each piece of content should work to provide the viewer with a greater perspective on you and what you are about.

 

You can also provide value by doing contests, engaging with your fan base and rewarding your fans by praising their continued support. There are a number of ways to do this but the key with any of the content that youy produce is that there is some sort of plan behid it that conincides with the rest of your marketing and business planning. (link to a post on this*******)

Providing Value through relationships:

There are a number of different relationships that you need to nurish and maintain when it comes to music. How you treat the people you come across in your career will directly impact the success that you have with your music career. Below are some examples of the type of relationships you should be very aware of:

• Relationship With Fans: This should be a no brainer. From the countless amount of award speeches that see artists thanking their fans and how they would be no where without them, the fact is that this is true. You are nothing without the fans and the people that support you so make sure you take care of these relationships as best as you can (***Link to post on how to develop relationships with fans***)))

• Relationships With Your Team: Do you have someone who helps you with social media? Someone who helps manage your career? My point is if you have anyone that helps you in any capicity to further your career whether volunteers or paid you should certainly look for ways to strengthen and maintain these relationships. With out these people the wait on your shoulders would be a lot larger so do not take them for granted. If you do not have a team or any help behind you yet do not sleep on the importance of getting help. (****Link to post on how to develop relationships with your team****)) (***also link to post on building your team***)

• Relationship with Promoters, Vendors, Venues, Labels, etc: The key here is not to be that person who only reaches out when you need something. If a venue is constantly having you out to do shows, don’t just go there only when you are performing. Go show love on other nights and show support for the venue and whoever else is performing. If promoters are helping you with getting shows, again don’t just promote and show love for the bills you’re on. When we speak of your vendors I mean people outside of your team who may help you with videos, production, design work, merchandise etc. These people are key parts of your business and you should treat them as such.

For anyone who owns a small or large business regardless of the industry they are in they know the importance of relationships. If you want to earn someones business you have to show your appreciation for them and provide value. Many businesses show appreciation with a card or small gift at christmas and I encourage you to do the same to the people you work with. This may seem weird at first but trust me this will make you stand out and will keep you in that persons good graces. If you think you are above this realize that all the major labels and artists do this. Certainly at a much larger scale as they have the budget for it but the key here is that they are doing it so why wouldn’t you get in the habit of it. Think about that venue you played 2 months back and they treated you like gold. What would it take to send them a simple handwritten note showing your appreciation for how they treated you at the last show and express how you would love to come back to do another gig.

Why is this differnt? well for one getting a hand written letter in todays day in age is just unheard of but because of this fact it has such a profund impact on the person recieving it. Second, what do most artist do? the pack up after the show say there goodbyes, barely remember anybodys names and you never hear from them again unless they happen to get booked again. Don’t be this type of artists. I mean you can but trust me that little extra effort will take you so much further in your career. (****Link to a post on wining and dining people to a degree and how to do it on a budget and be smart about it not annoying****) ( (Joe budden Example on sending gifts)

• Relationships with Other Artists: Stop looking at other artists as competition or that they are going to stop you from getting to where you want to be because they are having success and you’re not. The fact is you want competition and other artists because you can learn from them and also leverage their platforms to help grow your own. Collaboration is so key and supporting other artists in a genuine way will do so much for your career. Focus on how you can help other artists and good karma will certainly come back around. Be honest genuine and strategic. Think win/win and nuture relationships with other artists as this is where a lot of opportunities can come from.

Building Value through your brand: Your brand is something that you should take very seriously. after all this is what helps to shape peoples thoughts and perceptions of you. It is hard to understand the concept of providing value through your brand but just think about the clothes you where or the type of cars you want to buy. A lot of this has to do with precieved value that you get from the brand. Why do you want Nike’s over Sketchers? Because of the perception you want people to have of you and your sense of style resonates more with one than the other. No different with music and your brand. If you look at a certain type of mega star you can sort of picture the type of people who resonate with that artist. Nicki Minaj has a unique following that would be different than a Taylor swift. Yes there may be some cross over but their core followings have a strong connection with their music and their brand. Knowing this as an artist is what makes you a smart marketer. This comes down to knowing your target market and having a marketing plan to attract them. So what value will you as an artists provide to your fans through your brand? (*****Talk about what differentiates you***))) (***Link to post with neil patel****Link to post on marketing plans****)

Building Value through Community: The next step of your brand is building a sense of community. A lot of bigger artists take this a step further my naming these communities which is brilliant. Nicki Minaj has her “Barbz”. Lady Gaga refers to her fans as the “Little Monsters” and there are a number of other examples outh there. Building your tribe creates a sense of community around your brand and music. This provides value because people yearn to be a part of something and when you provide a platform that fufills this need for people you again creat a lot of opportunities for your career.

Wraping It Up

Your ability to create and maintain relationships is a major key to the success of your career. Do not take this lightly and look for ways to ensure that you are managing you relationships as best you can. If you have a team then make sure they are on board as well because someone representing your brand needs to be seen as an extention of you and should act accordingly as well.