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In case you missed it, a few weeks back I released a YouTube video in preparation for my Composing Career Bootcamp.
In it, you’ll get a feel for the four key aspects I focused on in the 16 years it took me to go full-time.
(Spoiler alert: Only one of them was my music )
I’ll tag on one more point to this:
These things always seem obvious in hindsight, but rarely are in the present....
I Surveyed Composers Just Like You
I asked composers on the Composing Career Bootcamp Wait List to fill out a brief survey which you can check out here.
Of those composers, over 50% of them had landed paid work, but were still struggling to do it full-time.
So getting paid something for composing is pretty common, but transitioning to doing it...
If you’re trying to make composing a full-time profession, your practice routine needs to change.
Think of it like exercise.
The left side of your body is your craft...
- Composing
- Orchestrating
- Mockups
- Scoring
... and the right side of your body is your business:
- Networking
- Marketing
- Pitching
- Negotiation
- Communication
- Project...
Sometimes we’re offered opportunities that feel too good to be true.
They usually are.
It’s not that people mean to mislead or deceive you (always).
It’s that they don’t always know what they want.
Here’s how to navigate common obstacles when an “exciting opportunity” comes your way:
The WHAT
False opportunities are abstract and undefined.
...
For today’s video, I wanted to share a huge win from one of my awesome students, Vasiko Machabeli.
Vasiko recently had the opportunity to score his first client project, which was a huge win. But even cooler was that the client found him through his YouTube channel!
I’m a huge believer in the power of social media and an online presence to bring clients and collaborators to...
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:
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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...