Category: Music

  • How You Can Turn Your Musical Hobby Into A Career

    Photo via Pexels

    If you love music and you’re good at playing a musical instrument, singing, or DJing, chances are you’ve thought about quitting your day job and turning your musical hobby into a career. The truth is that making serious money that’s enough to live on with music can be difficult: however, for a lucky few, it is possible. Here are some tips on how you could make your dream a reality.

    Ask Yourself Some Questions

    First of all, ask yourself what exactly you want from this enterprise. If your only goal is to sell out stadiums, you may have to take a deep breath and get more realistic. If you’d like to chip away at making a career from singing or DJing and you’re happy to play local gigs, at parties, and you’re not completely sold on giving up your day job just yet, you’ve got a much bigger chance of achieving your goals. Figure out what exactly you want from turning professional. If you want to be on a stage entertaining people, this is very possible. If you want to become a millionaire, you need to think again: are you doing this because you love music, or because it seems like a pathway to fame and fortune?

    Photo via Pexels

    Improve Your Skills

    It may sound simple, but it’s important to make sure that you’re as good as you possibly can be. If you sing, go to a singing teacher to learn techniques that will ensure that you don’t injure your vocal cords. If you play an instrument, keep practising and studying so that you’re as good as you possibly can be. There will be a lot of competition out there, so you need to ensure that you’re at the absolute top of your game.

    Build Yourself A Team

    If you think of yourself as a creative, you may not be great at aspects of your job like booking gigs, booking travel and hotels, publicising yourself, and the general nitty-gritty logistics of making sure that you’re making money. If you have the spare cash, it’s a good idea to hire a manager who will be able to help you make smart business decisions and who can make your life a lot easier.

    Photo via Pexels

    Consider Branding

    It’s time to start thinking of yourself as a brand rather than a person. You are turning your hobby into a business, which means that you need to think like a businessperson as well as an artist. If you have a good team around you, they will be able to help with this. But you need to think about what exactly you’re providing for audiences that other people can’t provide. If you’re doing local gigs, how can you provide a better service than other local musicians? A lot of musicians who have made it big have onstage quirks that have helped them to stand out from the rest. For example, Ed Sheeran played huge venues by himself with a loop pedal that helped him create a big sound that filled the whole room, and that also enabled him to save money on paying a band. Hire a graphic designer to sort out a logo for yourself, and make sure that you have CDs that you can sell at the end of each show. Companies like Pure Music can ensure that your CDs look professional so that people want to buy them – you don’t want to have a product that looks like you made it yourself in your garage!

    Beyond artwork and design, think about the practical side of producing and delivering those CDs or other physical formats. Working with specialists in packaged media production can help you select appropriate formats, finishes and secure replication methods so your merchandise looks and feels professional. Many providers offer short-run options and reliable fulfillment, which means you won’t need excessive inventory yet can still get stock to gigs quickly. Factoring these production and distribution choices into your merchandise planning will protect your investment and improve fan experience.

     

    Be A Professional

    If music is your hobby, you can take it up whenever you feel like, and when the muse doesn’t strike, it’s perfectly okay to leave the songwriting for another day or to put your guitar back into its case. But if you have decided to go pro, this is no longer an option. Your music is your job and what pays your bills, so even if you can’t think of any ideas or you don’t feel like making any music, you need to put your head down and get on with it.

    It’s important that you can adjust to knowing each genres. Each musician should begin with learning the evolution of music.

    Photo by Pexels

    Learn To Network

    No matter what freelance career you’re interested in, networking will almost certainly be a key part of it. Getting jobs is often about who you know – and how will you get work if people don’t know that you’re actively looking for it? Talk to people who run open mic nights, befriend other musicians who might be on the same bill as you, and use social media platforms to support people and talk to them. Don’t spam everyone with links to your music – rather, use sites like Twitter and Facebook to find out about local venues and performers and to interact with them so that you can gently promote yourself.

    Think About Money

    Being self-employed is a completely different way of living, particularly if you’re used to the company you work for taking your taxes out of your salary each month. Even if you haven’t given up that job just yet, you need to make sure that you’re paying taxes on the money that you’re earning from your music. If you can’t figure out how to pay your taxes at the end of the tax year, hire an accountant who will be able to help you out, because it’s vital that you pay the correct amount. Otherwise, you may have to pay a huge amount next year that you’re unprepared for, leaving you in a difficult financial situation. Put aside a suitable percentage of your income from your music career so that you won’t find yourself in a pickle when it comes to paying your taxes. You could also consider setting up a business bank account for yourself so that you can keep everything separate and your professional and personal funds don’t get confusingly mixed up. This also means that you won’t end up dipping too far into your own savings.

    Do Some Research

    It sounds like a simple piece of advice. But it’s often overlooked. Never underestimate the power a bit of research can do.

    In our modern times, pretty much every question you have can be answered via a quick Google search. The same goes when turning your musical hobby into a career. You can seek advice from people who’ve made their hobby a career. You’ll be able to hear about people’s successes and their failures, so you avoid the same pitfalls they fell into. Plus, the internet is a great way to market yourself. So you can use this resource to research all the best ways to sell yourself as a fledgling musician online. Use blogs and news resources from companies or other creatives who work in the industry. Their advice is like gold dust. Head to www.singularsound.com/blogs/news as a start to your musical journey. 

    No matter how much you love music, it’s clear that there are lots of things that you’ll have to learn to do before you make it a career. Thankfully, if you’re business savvy and determined, it’s a very possible thing to do.

  • Raising Future Musicians – For a Future Generation

    Did you know that music has a profound effect on the brain? It can help with everything from memory to language skills. This is why it’s so important to start exposing your children to music at a young age. This blog post will discuss some of the best ways to raise future musicians. So please keep reading for tips and tricks on how to get your child interested in music and help them develop their musical abilities!

    1) Expose them to a variety of music:

    One of the best things you can do for your child is to expose them to a variety of music. Play different genres and artists for them to listen to. This will help them develop an appreciation for all types of music. If you’re not sure where to start, try making a playlist with some of your favourite songs. You can also find kids’ music stations on Pandora or Spotify.

    Via Pexels

    2) Expose them to concerts:

    Another great way to expose your child to music is by attending live concerts or shows. Seeing live music is a whole different experience than just listening to it on the radio or streaming it online. It’s an excellent way for kids to see how much fun people can have while playing or listening to music.

    If you have the opportunity, take your child to a music festival. There, they’ll be able to see a wide variety of artists and genres. They might even discover a new favourite band or singer!

    3) Take them to music lessons:

    If you want your child to develop their musical skills, you should sign them up for music lessons. There are a variety of instruments that your child can learn how to play. Piano and guitar are two of the most popular choices., with such a variety of bass guitar books available.

    Your child’s music teacher will be able to help them progress at their own pace. They’ll also be able to teach them proper techniques and how to read sheet music. If your child is serious about becoming a musician, this is an excellent option.

    4) Encourage them to practice:

    Of course, none of this will matter if your child doesn’t practice. Encourage them to set aside some time each day to play their instrument or sing. This will help them get better and better over time.

    You can also try setting up a practice schedule for them. This way, they’ll know exactly when they need to be practising. And if you’re really struggling to get them to practice, you can always offer rewards for when they do!

    5) Be supportive:

    Last but not least, it’s important to be supportive of your child’s musical journey. This means attending their concerts, helping them practice, and being there for them when they make mistakes. It can be a lot of work, but it’ll be worth it in the end!

    In conclusion, these are just a few tips on how to raise future musicians. If you follow these tips, you’ll be well on your way to helping your child develop their musical skills. Just remember to be patient and have fun!

  • 5 Ways Learning Music Positively Affects You

    We all look for things in life that benefit us. Life is fairly short, but there are stretches where it can feel quite long and we need something to give us a boost. It’s not profound to suggest that this little lull in our existence needs to be filled with something that can not only kill a bit of time but genuinely benefits us from them on in.

    That’s where music can come in. We all like listening to the stuff from time to time – even those that say they aren’t really music lovers. It makes us feel some kind of way. It can take us through tough times and it can make the great times even greater. Learning how it works, however, well that’s an entirely new kettle of fish. Taking on a new activity like this can help you improve yourself significantly. Let’s take a look at how. Click here for more information on the health benefits of music.

    It Unleashes Your Creativity

    A person’s creativity is more than just that sense of being expansive with art. Creativity happens when someone’s brain is trained enough to unlock new ideas. This can then be transferred into so many aspects of life. Almost every day, people need to use problem-solving skills to get a certain issue out of the way. The more creative people are able to conjure up new ideas and get things done smoothly. 

    It Opens Your Mind

    Living your life with a closed mind is often linked with bitterness and cynicism. Not being able to open up and accept something that you don’t like isn’t a healthy way to behave. You may have taken a particular viewpoint towards, say, a certain community of musicians in the past, but you may then gain a new appreciation for their effort and skill after attempting what they do. You may not like a particular band or genre and might’ve been stubborn in the past, but changed your mind after giving a few of their songs a go yourself. Nineties Britpop might be your worst enemy, but you could end up struggling to decide which is the best oasis album this time next year.  

    It Improves Your Patience

    It’s a skill that all human beings need and, unfortunately, a lot of human beings will never have. Learning a musical instrument is a fairly simple thing to do, but for the most part, it’s basically just trial and error. You keep on making mistakes until you stop making them. That takes some patience. Some are born with it and some can develop it over time – learning an instrument a great way of doing that.

    Your Memory Is Enhanced

    You have to learn a fair bit of information and keep it locked in your head. Notes, chords, lyrics, progressions, etc. They aren’t the easiest piece of info to burn into your brain. Fortunately, as we said before, it’s a slow process, so as long as you’re constantly practicing, your memory will unconsciously improve.

    Relieves Stress

    Finally, playing the music that you’ve learned feels good. The learning process may be a little tricky at times, but then so are most of these kinds of tasks. Sitting at a piano bench or with a guitar and creating lovely sounds can really cool you down after, say, a long day of work.

     

  • Radio Cascabel Walk & Listen

    Radio Cascabel Walk & Listen

    We recently talked about Radio Cascabel, a musical and visual project run by Estefi Panizza and Diego Jalfen, curating the most exciting Latin American sounds. Radio Cascabel are presenting their first Walk & Listen event in London in partnership with Flau Records and with artist Ulises Conti – one of Argentina’s most exciting young composers.

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    Image by Otero Galería

    Walk and Listen is a silent group walk through the city, the aim of which is to focus concentration on listening to the sounds that surround us. Ulises says: “This project came about as a result of my interest in sound and how through sound we relate to each other in all aspects of life. We could start our sound search by leaving behind all kinds of prejudices, considering all sounds as potential musical material, listening to sonorities that we have never before listened to attentively.”

    After two successful events in Bremen, Germany and Buenos Aires, Argentina, this free event will take place in London on June 2nd. You can find more information in the flyer below and on Radio Cascabel’s website:

    www.radiocascabel.com

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  • Radio Cascabel

    Radio Cascabel

    Radio Cascabel is a musical and visual project started by Argentines Estefi Panizza and Diego Jalfen. Curating the most exciting Latin American sounds, Radio Cascabel offers playlists, sound design, live DJ sets and other musical and visual services. We talked to its two founders to find out more about how this project started, their recent move to London and the Latin American bands we should be listening to right now.

    www.radiocascabel.com

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    How did you meet and how did Radio Cascabel start?

    We met on a night out when we both went to see a cool DJ play at a bar in Buenos Aires. It was love at first sight 🙂

    Diego worked for a big radio station in Buenos Aires and in advertisement. I, Stefi, was working as a psychologist and was also starting to show my work as a photographer.

    Spring of 2013 marks an inflection point for us. The idea and concept behind Cascabel was born when we were living in Barcelona. We were at a party and we took a microphone which was on the stage, and started dancing and singing over the music. Everyone at the party was very excited and the day after that, our musical project started.

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    Tell us a little bit about all the different things you do with Radio Cascabel.

    Have you ever imagined a platform that curates emerging Latin-American music and visual art? A Radio that spreads local sounds with a global spirit and timeless sounds? A radio that could provide a space for experimental music? These questions inspire us to keep on developing our project.

    We search for new sounds and emerging visual artists all around Latin America. We develop an archive of the new, undiscovered and the impossible. We schedule all this music and broadcast a fresh streaming where new stuff can be listened to and artworks that have no place in traditional broadcasting can be enjoyed.

    Cascabel is our world – the way we live, think and feel. It is also a lab for music experimentation.

    You’ve recently moved to London to open a second office. What made you expand to the UK?

    We wanted to have the opportunity to show all the new Latin American music we work with and to experience living in another country. London is a really musical city and it’s giving us the chance to connect countries, people, and languages through music. We’d like to change some stereotypical ideas of the music of our region. We love to offer an unexpected selection of music where listeners can discover new sounds.

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    What Latin American musicians should we be listening to right now?

    We recommend all the artists we broadcast in Radio Cascabel. This is just a small selection: Bahía Inútil (Chile), Lucrecia Dalt (Colombia), Little Jesus (Mexico), Candelaria Zamar (Argentina), Nicolas Melmann (Argentina), Salt Cathedral (Colombia), Sobrenadar (Argentina) and Helado Negro (Ecuador/US).

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    What are your plans for the upcoming months?

    We’re starting a monthly show on NTS Radio with some of the best tracks from our selection. Also, some others radio stations have shown interest in having the most exciting sounds from Latin American and the Southern Cone. We are so happy to find Londoners interested in our curated music playlists.

    We also expect to increase our own audience on Radiocascabel.com and visit some friends in Ibiza and Madrid for New Year’s Eve.