Many young singers and musicians are at the point in their lives when they enjoy making music and would like to play or sing for others. They might sing a few songs and play a little guitar for friends and family members. They might even record their performance on video/audio and put it on the Web so others might hear it.
But these amateur singers and beginning guitarists may not have decided to try making some money with their music. Sometimes it’s just too early to make that decision. Sometimes a singer might just enjoy entertaining family and friends, and may have no plans to make themselves a semi-professional or professional performer.
It may be time to ask these questions: Am I doing what I love? Should I take it further? Will I change and will my music change if I decide to move to the “next level?”
There are different opinions on this subject, depending on the individual you talk to. Some musicians and singers might say that we shouldn’t hide our musical talent by keeping it inside the house. Music is an experience to be shared so young singers and musicians should eventually take their songs out of the tight circle of family and friends they have probably been performing for.
It is possible to do this without worrying about getting paid, of course. Many local places welcome new performers who don’t demand a high fee upfront. In many cases, the singer/musician can make some money by having a “tip jar” available for those who are listening. The key question here might be: Is money an important goal?
One way to look at this subject is to think about money as a tool you might have to have so that you can continue doing what you love to do. This doesn’t mean that you have to start asking for money right away. Young performers should get some experience playing for public audiences without having to worry about money. In fact, many of these amateur singers and musicians might choose to remain “unpaid” for quite some time (at least until they develop their skills and fine-tune some of their songs).
Or look online for some income to support you while you make music. For this, we can recommend the New Music Economy – Music Marketing System ebook. This ebook gives independent music artists, bands, record labels, and others the instructions, tools, and contact information needed to submit their music to distributors without involving a middle man, an agency, or a management company. After you have submitted your music, it takes about 90 days to populate your music throughout all the online stores. When completed your music will be available in major online stores like iTunes and hundreds of others in over 29 countries.
But what if this is not your bag? Well, making music is, in most cases, enough of a reward in itself. This might be the case for you, especially if you truly love playing and singing. Can you see yourself doing anything else, in the long run? Start by paying attention to how you feel when you play music and how you feel when you have to do something else and can’t sing or play. This will tell you a lot about where you belong in the big scheme of things.
Many of us have dreamed about singing and playing for thousands of people, making a lot of money and living the life of a rock star. But there are some important steps to be taken first. Some of the best advice ever given to young performers is this: Be honest and be true to what you love about singing and playing music. The money and fame should follow, eventually.
This doesn’t mean that you should just sit back and wait for the audiences to flock to your concerts. When you decide to make something more of your singing and playing you will have to take some action to put the word out. But don’t get in too big a hurry to become a professional. Do what you love to do and your time will come.
