Is Making Good Music Enough? Independent artist explains...

[@jakoby757]

I went into Tech Sales JUST to understand marketing from the inside. I used to hate promoting myself, but as Nic said, it is a necessity especially in competitive environments. I was able to see it firsthand by making it a career (for now). Some of us need a team. Some of us just need to put ourselves out there. Some of us may need to help put something or someone else out there and then take what we learn and bring it home to get out of our heads.

[@FatTonyTheSkipper]

Any tips you'd recommend then after your tech sales experience? For say a music producer/artist independent?

[@jakoby757]

@@FatTonyTheSkipper in sales, you have to cold call people, generate enough interest in them for them to book a meeting with you, and show them enough value in that meeting for them to buy what you're selling. I make about 50 calls a day at least to book meetings. And have to reach a quota of $16k in sales monthly to keep my job. Think of every piece of content you post as a cold call. Think of them listening to your music as the meeting. Think of any merch, product, or service you offer and your community alongside the music as the product you are pitching them.

[@jakoby757]

@@FatTonyTheSkipper great fucking question!

[@steelokey]

Damn this comment was so damn insightful. I worked a sales/marketing job and learned a lot from it as well not to mention I sold hella weed from 15-19 so I learned a lot in the streets. But it’s crazy how you pointed out those few things at the end. I think the biggest part about my music is I need to put myself out there more.

[@FatTonyTheSkipper]

We're waiting on the answer Jakoby! @@jakoby757

[@AlexAmarMusic]

Great video 🙏 it took me 5 years to release my first song due to perfectionism but this year my goal is to release at least 20. Currently sitting at 274 monthly listeners and I’m excited to see what things will look like in a year

[@AlexAmarMusic]

@ccomfortt.official 🧊🗡️ and here we go! wishing you the best this 2024 bro 👍

[@ISureDont]

The way I look at it is a songs never finished. You can always tweak it but if you never share it you can end up focusing on things that in the end don’t really matter.

[@aaronasissoard1098]

5:50 thus is so true I love all your work bc I like you as a person and support you. Doubt you will see this but I was at Connors show in Philadelphia and loved watching you guys preform. Never thought I'd see you on stage so thank you for that experience

[@KelvinBohm]

How's your progress so far?

[@brion_aiota]

Man you really are the realest for making this whole educational side of your endeavors a priority day to day

[@iamnicd]

All love 🤝

[@BishopKillian]

I have to say that the content you have been putting out there for independent artists is soo valuable. I found your stuff about a week ago. Since then, I’ve bought the book and created more songs in the last week than I have in the last 3 years. Appreciate you sharing

[@KurtAckermann]

Thanks Nic! It's always the same problems incl. to accept a deadline and release the song, even though every musician knows, that it's never finished. It's just ONE version of thousand possibilities.

[@CurtissKingTV]

Awesome advice 💯

[@DizzyEight]

I love this. As a person who does music for a living (on a smaller scale) everything in this video is facts!

[@101DaExclusive]

Nic we need more videos.. Whats new? 💎💎💎

[@fightingchanceband]

You’re a gem brother, gonna send this to my band so we get on the same page about the importance of content creation!

[@waynebo248]

Give the people what THEY want. Then, you can do what YOU want. Bruh, the simplicity of that hearts my heart because I have wasted so many years of my life resisting that philosophy and over-thinking how to get around it. Ego has derailed many music careers before they even got started. I am a prime example of that. Thank you for another great video. Plenty of food for thought here.

[@librationmusic]

It's taken me so long to accept this lol. I did the hard rock thing in a band for years in Denver and we just grinded the local scene vs trying to market ourselves or do anything online beyond sharing show announcements or new music. We made some noise in the area at least - sold out our 200+ person release show in a few years which I was proud of since the main members of the band weren't even from Denver so we had no built in fanbase. I just thought we'd get signed to a label or find a manager eventually to do all of the social media/marketing/etc because I hated social media in general (this was even pre-TikTok), but I've completely shifted my mentality. I'm actually even having fun sharing stuff online. Thank you for the videos

[@FrankHarding-g6c]

Can't wait for your next book!

[@modicafleming]

Good way to look at it.....Balance what u like and what your target market want

[@albertostang]

Nice content man. I've been an "artsy" artist for over 15 years. There were many moments I almost threw the towel because I couldn't make my projects profitable. Your content has given me a lot of food for thought for my next season. I make electronica & lofi, in the last year I've been averaging 100K - 150K monthly listeners without investment. I'm self produced, no marketing, no frequent posts or flashy promotions. Most of my modest online "success" has come from editorial playlists and collabs with bigger artists that drive traffic. I guess the compounding effect of being consistent for decades, led me to build cred and good connections that are paying off. I'm not big enough to live out of this but going from a couple of monthly Ks to 150K has motivated me a lot. I believe I struggled to get it going because for years I was too "cool" to care for the audience, and I would be too self conscious to speak to the camera or make content. But when I've been courageous enough to do it, I've seen the engagement rise, people commenting, sharing & supporting, so I will double down on it. If you are independent and you want to make a living out of music, you have to play the game somehow and give people a little bit of what they want, you just have to figure out how to do it without losing your essence. That's wise advise.

[@ThirdWorldBeatz]

Nice!

[@FatTonyTheSkipper]

How did u do it? I heard editorials were easier before but harder now

[@filser.official]

whats your artist name bro ?? 📈

[@albertostang]

@@filser.official Sunsplash

[@spike8683]

I don’t think you have to give the audience what they want, in fact it is rick rubin’s number one rule to consider your audience last, i know it may sound counter intuitive but any producer will make things they like, things they resonate with, so of course there will be people out there who resonate. Thinking that you know what the audience wants is a big gamble, how could you possibly know? So many artists that try to pick what the audience will like, end up making a watered down shitty version of what they truly are. Stay true to your innate wisdom and flow of creativity & you will attract the people who resonate with you on a deep level.

[@GretaJaime]

Thanks for making these videos! I also read your book & agree with a lot of it. I do think a lot of it, like you said in the book, comes down to "how much you want it." I've made thousands of short form videos and have released a lot of music consistently, while working other jobs & still continue doing this. When I first started making videos (in 2020) I think I did 3 videos everyday for 4 months before one took off and got views in the thousands on TikTok. When I speak to some artists you hear them complain when they've made maybe 20 videos and 3 songs. 😂 I think as difficult as it is, being extremely persistent will help in the long run (or at-least has helped me so far). Thanks for the gems, we appreciate you Nic! :D

[@HOTDANCEHITS]

can't wait for the new book, bought the first one. Thank you for doing this

[@frdiforartists]

Thank you for the support, I hope you found the book valuable 🤝

[@JUSTUSraps]

First book. Gems on gems, Looking forward to the second one.

[@KristenMcNamara]

Excited for the new book! 🎉

[@ovrthro]

We need new Nic D!

[@aaronasissoard1098]

Watching all these videos

[@APWestMusic]

Yes, yes and yes!! Nothing but facts 💯 Hearing you say this, even on the NDPNDNT podcast (sometime last year), has forever changed my mindset. Forever grateful 🙏🏼

[@jewelthompson4210]

I really want that book Nic. Release it, bud!

[@zachdiamond]

Great analogy’s man

[@professorflitch]

It is enough for me.

[@Moises-Junior]

Lets talk about it!

[@caspaclark]

Always so inspirational and educational even when I know your just riffing off if your experience. Helps so much to organize my thoughts and solidify my ideas that I'm not always sure of 🎉❤

[@rosamaaninka9272]

Thank you 🌹

[@BeTheEnergySteve]

I have an interesting case of i've built an audience from training myself to DUNK and now feel niched in that category. Trying to navigate being brand new to rapping and entertaining my current fan base. super helpful video as usual bro! been loving binge watching your content, awesome to watch the evolution.

[@pauliiluap]

this and ndpndt is my life at the moment.

[@ReidGrahamVisuals]

Nic, I would love love love for you to chat about the current Tik Tok arena - I know you touch on it often and I'd just be stoked to hear more from you. I think a bunch of us are constantly trying out different videos with different songs, tryna find some way to get out of the 200-400 view range. Any insight on how we could be thinking differently on video production? You often talk about how to entertain the audience and if you could spend a video diving deeper in that, I would be stoked to hear it (I listen to quite literally everything you put out on the music education side: your book, NDPDNT going all the way back to when Connor started it, the vids on this channel, everything). No worries if not, you're already dropping gold nugget after gold nugget and I just want to say thanks for doing what you do!! So glad your video of Mona Lisa in the mini van at that pizza joint dropped onto my feed back in 2020. I still remember showing my best friend and my girlfriend that video the day I found it and we all went 'wow this is really cool' - who woulda known you were going to be in the top 5 biggest indy artists out

[@SamWoolfMusic]

Mindset SWITCHED. Thank you!

[@frdiforartists]

All love

[@artificiallunacy520]

First of all, thank you for sharing your wisdom in such an appetizing way. The burger joint analogy is excellent. Regarding the subject, I completely agree, but I think of it more like a grayscale: the better your music, the less promotion it requires. If you have truly good music and a "taste" that resonates with many people, you don't need to promote much at all. Just share it with some people, and they will do the promotion for you, like Avicii, for example. If your music is just decent, then you can still become really big by just being good at promotion or by being a likable person in general. This is because, as you said, some people will like the music just because you made it, wont offend and artists here by giving examples 😂

[@esmuzik76]

💯 very true

[@AveragePauper]

Jalapeno and PB on a black bean burger on Peta bread is SURPRISINGLY good. Tried it once after I say my uncle had it. The flavor combination did no add up to what I was tasting in my mouth.

[@LaynoProd]

needed this insight thanks Nic! 💎🙏🏽📝

[@AsiRiana444]

Can’t wait for the new book!

[@ClassEBeats]

Nailed it Nic🎯

[@CoRyBiNks]

when I first started making music about a year ago I was solely focused on making the best songs I could..now I realize that’s just a part of the puzzle and getting better at making content to promote my music is key..really appreciate you Nic Looking forward to the next book! ETA??

[@emumist]

Looking forward to the next book!

[@vitomartinomusic]

True. Thanks!

[@RenoirLeMiersGreatBeginnings]

Thanks boss

[@ricardolongo5164]

Hey Nic! Your content and your book has helped me a lot. Now I feel that for the first time in years there's a path that I can walk to achieve a living from music (my passion). Can't wait for the next book to come out. Thanks for sharing 🙌🏻

[@FranciscoMeza]

Im really looking forward to buying your new book. I already bought your other one

[@RichardRosiles]

Keep giving them the game!!

[@rileyevans6070]

Living these videos man! Really insightful

[@ChrisLincoln1]

Lets go bro❤

[@ZNDRMUSICOFFICIAL]

I'm definitely gonna buy that book! Super hyped!

[@KodhDj]

Do this, there's also a workbook with it - a great tool to open up your perspectives

[@ZNDRMUSICOFFICIAL]

@@KodhDj wait for his last book?

[@KodhDj]

​@@ZNDRMUSICOFFICIAL oh i was talking about the 1st one but like yourself the upcoming one is exciting

[@ZNDRMUSICOFFICIAL]

@@KodhDj oh his first one has a workbook? I loved the first one 😁

[@Mainzeption]

Would love to hear your take on starting new Tiktok accounts to get into the right algo’s

[@ForMeOnlyk]

Once again, thanks for the advice brother 🙏🏻

[@BoyAmour]

Hi Nic, I’m a fan of your work, read the book! I have a debate with my friend, who’s also producing my music. He says that we can’t put out music in different styles/genres. That people will get annoyed by that😂 he says we should pick a certain style and stick to it. How do I tell him it’s wrong strategy?

[@luisfbuss]

You’re awesome man! Can’t wait for the new book ! 🔥

[@Dracaveli]

im learning so much bro. thank you!

[@silvestarrocket2817]

thx

[@alittleblackcircle3628]

Bruh I need that book Nic! Preciate all the free gems you give us. You makin it possible for us out here.💯

[@harveysoto]

Let me know how to pre-order the next book 😂

[@austincelaya1139]

Can't wait for the second book, when are you thinking of releasing it?

[@winslowdonovanmusic]

loved this thank u bro especially the part about giving them what they want and THEN doing what u want when u have enough fanbase. im in that stage rn im making skits with my music in it and also posting skraight up rap clips yeeee we outchear

[@aezakmi047]

Can you tell us about the distributor you use? And what advice can you give when choosing it?

[@cblanchhiphop]

Watching this in-between making short-form content. Definitely tough and time consuming but it'll pay off! Good video Nic

[@jacobmyers0615]

Nick, can your jalapeño peanut butter sandwich be Christian songs? a worship song? I saw that Jesus tattoo on your left hand. Just a thought bro, love your vids man they are truly informative and easy to watch. love it bro

[@clint2nx12]

Thank you so much bro I am an aspiring artist and this helps fr❤

[@allenhayesmusic]

And also imagine 100,000 other burger joints pop up everyday along with yours…

[@frdiforartists]

Facts

[@ParrisCrockett]

can't wait for the new book, i appreciate you as always nic !

[@carlosmingeli]

When will the new book be available?

[@megantossi]

Love this! Def plan to cop the book when it’s out!

[@FrancescaFarah]

I agree with you Megan! Nice music too!

[@garretloporto8676]

That jalapeño peanut butter burger does sound good

[@owenaltonbrown]

Thank you!!!

[@mortalmyth]

Hey there Nic! I love this, thank you. I don't understand it completely yet though.

[@ovrthro]

Absolutely love your videos bro. Could you do a case study on how you’d come up with your promo ideas for a new song?

[@dijonjaxn9714]

So I create a lot and post alot , but it doesn’t convert to streams. Love your videos, would enjoy your thoughts on how go from 100 listeners to enough listeners to transition into loving off my our music.

[@Mainzeption]

Amazing video again, as always. Would you ever do like filmed consultations for this or song/content feedback? I’ve been grinding as Lasse Mainz for 2 years and i feel so stuck atm. 30 songs released and over 1000 pieces of content. Nothing really sticking and i don’t know what to do or where to go 😅

[@patrickgarrity5529]

Jalapeño peanut butter burger is fire homie

[@ZNDRMUSICOFFICIAL]

It sounds incredible

[@IsaacTurnerMusic]

Dude been watching all these videos. My question do you recommend doing cover songs?

[@fabioromagnoli1248]

Completely true, I solve the peanut butter burger problem by creating aliases that put out music without making a living

[@TangentMoon]

I'm still trying to figure out exactly what my audience (or potential audience) wants.

[@Big_Tough_Guy]

Are you talking about the music? That's absolutely the wrong way to go about it IMO. That's why some artists start to suck after finding success, because they submit to the audience. Not to say you should be impervious to critique or opinions of others, but absolutely you should be the one deciding what it sounds like. That's why you're the one doing it.

[@TangentMoon]

@@Big_Tough_Guy Oh, no I'm not talking about the music, I meant the content! I know what music I enjoy making, I just don't know what content works with it.

[@itsMakeMusic]

How did you get that good at making melodies, singing and lyrics?

[@NicBam]

I just came across you and your work. Great music. I managed Moka Only for seven years. The business I know. I am still trying to figure out how to make good music. I try; I love making music, it's why I learned the business side in the first place, but learning the business side took away my time from developing as an artist and, so I successfully created a residual income to retire with by having points on more than 130+ albums., I fail to make my music because I can't make it good enough. I have a lot of free time now, so it'll get better, but the management/label/publishing/placement side of me will always be stronger because I spent 15 years at it and treated my love for music as a side thing. I'm amazing at making other artists successful though, lol.

[@ZNDRMUSICOFFICIAL]

You got this bro!

[@ThirdWorldBeatz]

Do you rap?

[@Moises-Junior]

When the new book is coming?

[@rayantenna]

Let me ad to this. If you really want a career you need to stop hoping people like you or wanna collab with you because if you have not made it yet you could be wasting valuable energy. Meaning if you don’t have a catalog then wtf are you waiting for. That’s exactly where I’m at and why I’m following Nicks advice of dropping weekly. Much love yo!

[@ButterflyLullabyLtd]

Hi Nick, is your book on Audio? I like to research by listening to people whilst doing the boring jobs in the kitchen. There are also a lot of Dyslexic Artists that find reading boring as they would rather create. They are visual/audio learners, so audio is a great option. My children's audio story is coming out soon. Happy to share knowledge❣️ I live with two singer/musicians (daughter and her Dad). They both have lots of songs that are gathering dust. I want to help them get their music heard, if left to them nobody would hear anything . I wish I could sing I would be making so much content. I've cracked the code on Dyslexia, so excited. 😊👍🇬🇧

[@frdiforartists]

It is! The download includes a PDF, an audiobook, an exclusive podcast, and a workbook 🤝

[@jpk.mp3]

question nic: do you have any advice now that instagram has taken away the option to post backend reels?

[@BobbyCrane]

Hey! QUESTION: do you think one distro company is better than the other? I am currently with distrokid, but I have people telling me I should switch to Tunecore. What are your thoughts? Also, would love to see you cover how to collect your money, including the BMI/ASCAP side of things of how-to. I feel like no one covers this topic well. I’ve been in music for a while now and still feel completely lost with how to collect payments for all parts of one song. Thank you!

[@jewelthompson4210]

Nic, what do you think about the waterfall release method when putting music on the DSPS?

[@aezakmi047]

What distributor are you using?

[@Morali-D]

Thank you for the insights into considering the consumer more. Happy Birthday to the little man 🎉. Now starting this journey, how many singles do you recommend releasing before making consistent content?

[@DarkshadeMusic]

I think you haven't been watching his videos cause he's definitely touched on this. Watch a few of them to get the answer to this. PS: it might not be what you think it is.

[@Morali-D]

@@DarkshadeMusic thanks, I'll keep searching for answers.

[@caerpackage7417]

NIC FAM!!! I fw the songs? But your bars are underrated bro 😭💪🏽 I’m working on a budget right now but I would love to get a verse from you if you’re up to it!

[@ThirdWorldBeatz]

I think it is. Everything else just an excuse for ppl to feel better if they fail.

[@itsMakeMusic]

How would you aproach making it as a anonymous artist?

[@GwizProducer84]

Respectfully the people that make what everyone asks of them end up hopping from trend to trend genre to genre there’s nothing authentic about that You’ll garner listeners but not true fans U gotta make music you love IMO

[@frdiforartists]

I didn't say follow trends, I said pay attention to the interests of your consumers. If your consumers/listeners are interested in the side of you that makes pop music, give them more pop music while you sprinkle in other stuff as well. (just an example) You can give the people what they want and still be authentic at the same time.

[@ItsFraze]

Hey Nic D! ...big question I can't find much on... Filming content in public, what is the legality / use rights / right way to go about it. I think you can film a crowd or passer by without getting their permision but what about a specific person? Like if you are holding a sign and someone comes over and chooses to sit down in your video. Would you find a person / people to be in your content first or wait until someone naturally decides to interact with you and then ask them afterwords if it's ok and tell them you were filming them? .....would it be easier to just "stage" public content with your friends every time? Would you go into a space / business first and ask if you can film - or just walk in with your camera? Sorry for the long question, Best - Fraze

[@ZNDRMUSICOFFICIAL]

Hey Nic! Thanks for making these! My name is Cayden and I am a 15 year old Independent artist and producer. I am starting to get more placements as a producer as of recent, and I have a lot of questions! Is there anyway I can DM or email you? I am willing to put in the work to make this career work, and I have been studying you, connor, graham, ndpndnt, frdi for artists, and your book! I have been implementing these concepts to the best of my abilities and it has helped a lot! If not, the questions Ive been wrestling with most are related to tge business aspects. What is the differwnce between master, publishing, etc. How do i set up my llc? How do I make sure taxes are good? I would love to get connected knowing that the people who you have taught are seeing real success. I really rock with your stuff and your willingness to teach has helped me so much!

[@ReidGrahamVisuals]

Starting an LLC is mad easy - it's different from state to state but you probs want a sole proprietorship llc. Getting a business bank acct after forming the LLC is also easy. Just little steps that take a small amount of time, but I'd guess you probs don't need an LLC this early on (unless you're making some solid money from it). However, it's a fun thing to do in it's own right so do your thing. Taxes are also not as difficult as they sound. I've used both an accountant and done it myself and they're both great options. TurboTax is the move for me, they break down everything for you - the only 'difficult' part is going through all your accounts - Venmo, PayPal, personal checks, W2s, credit cards, debit cards - and having to add up amounts. It's time consuming but really not that hard. For master and publishing quetions - best thing to do is to watch a youtube video or google it. Russ has some great videos on it somewhere!! I remember him mentioning it and diving into it a bunch which then caused me to go down a rabbit hole about it and learn lots more. Also, another OG Independent Musician and Educator is named Ari Herstand. I've learned a tooooon from him as well. He also has a book (which is a great read but I wouldn't call it necessary) but his blog (aristake.com) is incredible. Has tons of answers for the weird questions like 'How do I make my publishing money' or 'what is the difference in master and publishing'. If you're tryna get placements as a producer, pull the Graham and start dm'ing small-mid sized artists saying 'hey I made 5 beats for you that fit your sound - can I send them your way?' It can be tough but artists certainly respond - I used to send out my songs to much bigger artists and a few of them would always listen and message back.

[@ZNDRMUSICOFFICIAL]

@@ReidGrahamVisuals dude, that is actually so helpful! Thank you a million bro!

[@ReidGrahamVisuals]

@@ZNDRMUSICOFFICIAL fa sho man, I see you commenting on all nic's vids and such and figured I could give you just a small part of what's helped me

[@ZNDRMUSICOFFICIAL]

@@ReidGrahamVisuals dude, that means so much! Nic has taught us all so much 😁 I appreciate the support!

[@Matt.McDermottespa]

I just started releasing music in English & Spanish. Should I make 2 separate accounts? I'm worried the algorithm won't know what to do with my content/audience.

[@louierubio]

What does he use for a mic? Thanks

[@MotionGifts]

I would like to understand a little more when you say "give the people what they want". Are you saying if you're in the beginning stage do you just create performance videos until you start seeing comments of a follower saying what they want?

[@officialWWM]

So what you’re saying is, you have to sell out?

[@InPhasesOfficial]

Another super valuable video. Thanks, Nic. I had a question as far as content promotion. Do you think boosting or paying to have your reels or Tik Toks is worth it? Have you seen any success doing so? Or just posting consistently organically the best way? Cheers! Alex

[@YEOTTI]

Just want 10k a month. Smh. 🤦🏽‍♂️

[@AdamLee866]

Just trying to make a living off of music doing what I love I just have no idea how to?

[@officialWWM]

This is my problem. I’m not a good business person :/

[@vikopresto1749]

I dont agree with giving people what they want, cause you can never know what they wnat. If i like it, they will probably too. BY making music that people want, thats how bands and musicains crash