8 Things to Consider Before Quitting Your Music Career

We’ve all seen it: people deciding to call it quits for good on their music career. The reasons for this can be manifold: not making hardly any money, not gaining more chart status / social media following, etc.

It’s unfortunately a common phenomenon for people in the music space: people drop out of the scene for various reasons. BUT, the longer you can hang in there in the scene and not give up, the greater the chances are that you will be able to achieve some form of success.

Here are some things to think about before leaving the music space:
 

1) YA GOTTA BE IN IT TO WIN IT

Remember: the second you quit, you’re throwing it all away, everything you’ve work so hard for years to build… If you don’t put in the time and work, how can you reap the rewards and find success??

Each new track you release, social media post or story you publish is a new opportunity to connect with new fans who haven’t heard your music yet (and may actually become your biggest fans!). It’s also a chance to give your existing fans something they may really love (and share with their friends). SIMPLY BY STAYING IN THE GAME, YOU ARE WINNNG!

 

2) CONSIDER TAKING A BREAK

Re-charge the batteries / find ways to re-inspire yourself

Instead of throwing in the towel with your music career altogether, perhaps you could JUST TAKE A BREAK. (however long a break this could be is up to you: a week, a month, a year)… Go back and re-visit what got you excited about the scene in the first place and re-inspire yourself. You may find that you return afterwards with a renewed sense of energy and inspiration for your work. No doubt, a certain amount of work is required for success (in any field, there are no shortcuts), but maybe instead of going gangbusters non-stop, you could slow down to a pace that works for you, is more sustainable, and that will actually result in your churning out better quality results!

 

3) ENGAGEMENT WITH YOUR FANS > THE SIZE OF YOUR FOLLOWING OR RANKINGS

Of course we all would (more or less) like to make more money, achieve higher rankings, etc, but when you’re in it for the long haul, “branding” can be just as important as monetization. Increasing your “authentic following” by regularly engaging with them and providing them with content they enjoy can definitely lead to increased revenue eventually!

 

4) **BUILD A NETWORK OF CO-SUPPORTERS!**

Join forces with people who are out there doing similar things within the electronic music space. Find peeps whose strategic goals are in line with what you’re also trying to achieve. Pool your resources: maybe you’re stronger in one particular area than your partner, and vice-versa. Complement each other in areas that are mutually beneficial.

 

5) YOU COULD CHANGE YOUR GOALS OR EXPECTATIONS

ARS ARTIS (“Art for art’s sake”)
Maybe you can change your goals. Instead of constantly TRYING SO HARD, trying to increase sales, number of streams/downloads/followers, you could instead return to focusing more on the stuff you enjoying doing / making the kind of music you or your fans love or that is inspiring, rather than feeling like “you just have to put something out to put it out” (a mix, track, album, or social media posts). You may find that by re-defining what “success” actually means (or can mean), you may obtain more happiness in your work, which is a kind of success of its own reward.

 

6) HELP OTHERS ON THEIR JOURNEY

We need you!!! Remember (and especially in this crazy, super-crowded electronic music scene): WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER! Share other people’s stuff, help promote their work…. You can find that, by inspiring others to achieve their dream, this will also boost your credibility as an authority in the scene, as well as make you feel good, and maybe re-inspire you as well.

 

7) PURSUE MULTIPLE OR ALTERNATIVE REVENUE STREAMS

Maybe, if your goal is increasing revenue, you will find that by pursuing different avenues (like licensing your music, setting up a crowdfunding page, doing some artist coaching, or establishing a presence on Bandcamp), this could result in a bit more income.

 

8) SEARCH ENGINES REWARD LONGEVITY

I’ve read that, if you run a website or blog (such as I do here at Electrofans.com), that the search engines can give you more props in terms of higher overall rankings if you’ve been around for some time (with the assumption that if you’ve been around for longer, the chances are higher that you will be a greater authority).

 
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Ultimately of course, the decision is yours as to whether or not to quit or stay in the music business, but if you give it some careful reflection, or perhaps change your approach if you’re stuck in a rut, you may be able to stay in the game while achieving greater satisfaction and fulfillment for your work. Hope this can inspire you a little bit!