Music producer and UD team assistant Michael Amarteifio reports back from Talent House and the final Industry Takeover seminar of the season starring Esta Rae (Senior Events Manager, AIM) , Shikayla Nadine (Artist Manager & Founder, SNM Management), Manga Saint Hilare (Artist) and Simon Jordan (Partner, Commercial Music, Russells)…
Thursday saw our last event of the Industry Takeover series, with the ever-amazing host, Chris Cooke leading the seminar. We welcomed a panel of four industry professionals – Esta Rae (Senior Events Manager, AIM) , Shikayla Nadine (Artist Manager & Founder, SNM Management), Manga Saint Hilare (Artist) and Simon Jordan (Partner, Commercial Music, Russells) – a versatile panel speaking about the steps needed in building your fanbase and taking your career to the next level! Let’s make it rain…
Chris started the seminar by speaking about the importance of seeing yourself as a brand. ‘How do I turn my hobby to a career?’ A question that’s been asked several times in the music industry. An artist must begin by building their brand before they get the ‘industry’ involved. Chris shared four phases that an artist needs to prioritise which are; The Creative Phase, The Fanbase Building Phase, The Releasing Phase & The Business Phase.
- The Creative Phase is the pure artistry. Before anything, it’s important that you start your journey with making good music.
- The Fanbase Building Phase is the next step. When it comes to this stage, it’s important to think about how you engage with your audience and how you plan on making content for your fans. This is where possible collaboration could benefit an artist, such as doing open challenges via TikTok or simply working with a producer and accessing their fanbase.
- The Release Phase is when it’s time for the fanbase you’ve built to hear your music. Once an artist reaches this stage, there comes the distribution and marketing element. This consists of a campaign to get people excited about the music you’re releasing.
- Lastly, The Business Phase includes sorting out music rights, understanding revenue streams and knowing where you can access money from (in terms of funding or advances).
As the panel were welcomed to take their seats, Manga spoke about how to create content if you can’t afford studio time etc. From finding free beats on YouTube to participating in challenges via social media, Manga expressed his thoughts on the accessibility that every artist has to making music. “If you’ve got a phone, sing and record yourself” He stated.
There’s no such thing as perfect! So, when you do create music, do you push every song out? Esta gave her take on the release phase. “Put things out and build from it.” She advised. It’s nice for an artist to look back and see the progress they’ve made over the years. This all goes hand in hand with building your brand and your fanbase.
Shikayla then spoke about the importance of knowing your brand and the importance of connecting with your fans. She mentioned Stormzy’s approach with his fans and how artists should naturally build a relationship with their fanbase as early as possible.
In terms of the business side, Simon spoke about how to avoid copyright issues when getting beats on YouTube. He advised that collaboration is the best way forward. If you know a producer, there are many ways to make your own music without getting an unknown beat from YouTube. This will save you a lot of time from getting into legal situations.
Other important things to take away:
Manga – “Reply to all your comments and build that fanbase. It’ll keep you in their algorhythm.”
Esta Rae – “You have to go out and network.”
Shikayla – “Perfect your craft. You can use YouTube to learn different things.”
Simon – “People want more songs and more content so It’s important to plan your releases.”
Key advice from the seminar:
Networking is key. Collaboration is key. Knowing your music is key. Connecting with your fanbase is key. Asking for advice is key. Building with people at the same level is key.
Words and photos by Michael Amarteifio
Michael is a music producer and team assistant at UD. Follow him on Instagram.
