Before You Read...
π© Get Composing & Career Tips Sent to Your Inbox Every Tuesday
Join overΒ 3,500 composersΒ readingΒ myΒ πΒ Compose & ConquerΒ Newsletter, and every week I'll send you free resources and strategies to help you master your composing craft and get paid to do it.
It's tough to make money making music.
Here's some harsh truths about why you might not be getting hired (yet):
#1: You're not skilled enough.
Ask people who you trust for their honest opinions on where you're at. Be receptive to their feedback, and continue studying and practicing your craft.
Never stop being a student.
#2: No one knows you exist.
Stop waiting to be "discovered". Start...
I've been making YouTube videos for over 15 years. I started my channel in 2006, beginning with piano covers and slowly shifting to educative content for composers.
So after all that time and effort, has YouTube finally paid off?
Well... yes and no.
On paper last year, I made less than $1900 in revenue from YouTube ads. At 1 video per week, with each video taking 5 hours, that's a grand total...
A common struggle I see from aspiring composers is how to go about finding work and building relationships.
Most start off the same way:
“Let me Google ‘film composer jobs’ and see what shows up. Oh, or maybe I should apply to this Indeed job posting… or should I send out a bunch of emails to directors to boost my odds?”
Here’s the truth:
...Composer Geoff Zanelli drops some difficult truths in his recent Twitter post:
| |
While I don’t feel quite as strongly on all points, I do agree that cold emailing a composer with your music is not likely to get you hired.
(If you’ve done that, don’t worry—we’ve all been there.)
The key is to build a real...
In a recent interview with Canvas Rebel, I was asked how I built my audience on social media.
Whether you’re into social media or not, finding success as a professional creator is about one thing:
Providing VALUE.
That might seem obvious...
But we often we confuse OUR wants and needs with the wants/needs of our audience.
We think to ourselves:
- “I want...