April 2018

The Spark | Ignite/Connect/Achieve www.thesparkng.com www.thesparkng.com The Spark | Ignite/Connect/Achieve
• As with any other chosen career, you will need to research the music
industry. Find out what’s popular, what’s doing well, and what’s
fading.
• Keep up with the trends …don’t be behind the times — be ahead!
• Believe you can DIY (Do It Yourself) - Connect with fans; Have a brand
identity & awareness; play to your strengths;
• Manage your finances; save for the rainy periods.
• Keep plugging away. Rejection is very common in the music industry.
No one wants to help out; competition is very fierce. Just stay
consistent. Never give up (unless you find out that you truly have no
talent). Rejections lead to success.
• Read, learn, practice. Just keep acquiring knowledge in the field and
try to be the best you can be. Also acquire knowledge on music
business and other services that support your craft.
• Remember to always stay positive and believe in yourself! Keep
working hard and stay focused.
In the end, there isn’t any right or wrong way to achieve longevity but
these tips above do help.
Leveraging Tools Available
First realize that no one is waiting for your music. If people are going to
become fans of your music, you must approach the promoting of
releases with the same planning and professionalism as the artistes
whom you admire have promoted their music. Marketing music has
changed drastically in the age of the Internet and social media. This digital
technology has the potential to take your music to the world.
Use the Internet and all its tools to your advantage. Besides having your
own domain name and website where you promote releases and shows,
you definitely need a presence on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Try
not to over-commit your time to social media, however. It’s better to have
an execution plan and schedule for your social media rather than do a
poor or infrequent job of staying in touch with your fan-base. Make access
to your music easy through Boomplay Music, YouTube, or promotional
sites like 360nobs.com and SoundCloud.
Permission-based marketing using emails to your fanbase is a proven
winner—these are people who clicked on the subscribe link and showed
willingness to stay updated with your news and new releases! Having a
newsletter which people can join is one of the best ways to communicate
and build up relationships with fans.
Contribution of New Media to the Music Industry
New Media has helped in breaking down the walls between musicians and
fans and is responsible for possibly the biggest shift in the music industry.
In today’s digital music environment, access to content for music fans has
never been easier. Consumers now have more choice than ever to stream
songs using a range of ‘all-you-can-eat’ services such as Boomplay Music,
Spotify, Apple Music & SoundCloud.
New Media has given musicians more control over the distribution of their
music and through the use of these DIY services; many Nigerian artists
now have the option to bypass the industry conventions completely and
promote their music to a larger audience.
Social media has also played a massive role, as artistes no longer need to
appeal to millions of people to succeed and make their mark. Instead, a
group of even a few hundred loyal fans on the gram can enable Nigerian
artistes to pursue their dreams.
Furthermore, due to the rise in digital music production software such as
Fruity Loops, music creation is now more accessible than ever before.
Because of this, there are now loads of Nigerian artistes, which ultimately
leads to more variety and choice listeners.
Leverage the data provided by the social media platforms. Tapping into
the analytics can help you further your own creativity. You get to
understand how fans feel about your music and the demographics of your
fan-base. Do remember that Marketing and social media aren’t easy, but
it’s what gets your music heard.
The Ultimate App Guide To
Music Production
Music production from ideation to promotion has been made easy with mobile apps. You can
now make the music of your choice with just a click on your mobile phone.
Music is a universal language, even though it appeals to us
in different ways. It can be a way to cool off after a
stressful day, a source of entertainment, inspiration,
etc. It is no wonder that music is as old as man himself. And like
everything, it has witnessed constant change and improvement.
There was a time when music was only played with musical
instruments because studios were not a thing. Then technology
made it possible to record in a studio and fine tune the music.
Now, there are apps that can actually help make your music from
ideation to completion. If you are an independent musician who
cannot afford studio time just yet or you just want to try your
hands at music on your own, this list will help you get started
easily.
- By Ayandola Ayanleke
Song Writing
You better believe it; there apps that help you with song writing.
But no, they do not actually write the lyrics, but they provide help
that you might need in bringing the lyrics together.
• Hum: Although it is a paid app, it comes handy in helping
you write your songs. The app allows song writing and
recording simultaneously. So while playing around with the
idea of your lyrics, you can hum the words as well and it will
keep it safe for you till you can get to it.
• Songwriter’s app: The beauty of this app is that it provides
suggestions on words and phrases that rhyme as you start
writing and it saves it for you if you need to go back for
more inspiration. But it could even serve as an inspiration
giving you ideas on words or phrases to use next. As with
Hum, you can also record and even add chord notation to
your lyrics.
Mixing
You don’t have to worry so much about becoming an expert at
mixing music with these apps. They can teach and help you
practice at being your own DJ.
• Mixpad: This app is at your disposal if you want to become
an expert at mixing audio on your mobile device. Featuring
different audio and recording effects, the app offers you
the chance to mix your own music, create podcasts, mix
instrumentals, and other music mash-ups.
“
Digitalization has affected the
Nigerian music industry in a big way.
As music moves online, so does the
consumer experience.
“
• Edjing: Edjing DJ Music Mixer Studio offers you the DJ
software in a mobile phone. It can pull music from Deezer,
Soundcloud and your own folder to mix at a click with DJ
features.
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@thesparkng