How to get out there nowadays
How to get out there nowadays (Unedited) -
Im pretty sure this is probably the 2nd most asked question next to "How do I get placements".
Getting out there will inevitably get you more placements so i decided to breakdown how to do it.
- Show your Work (This changed the trajectory of my career)
The best way anyone can come up in this game is to show your work. Showing involves posting. What ever you working on post it. If you are working with someone new, tweet it. Have an unfinished beat, put it on your story. A hidden truth I dont feel people realize is that, people are always looking. A&rs, plugs, button pushers and artists. You can also show your work through email, beat events & to your friends. The one difficulty that you will have is knowing whether you're being consistent or spamming (Ig, Twitter, Fb, Soundcloud etc). Best way to figure it out is understanding your platform & audience. Find your lil community/ group, Typical these guys will help you go next level but i will dive deeper into it in a sec.
As you consistently post, what will happen is people will see you as a good "investment" or simply someone dope to work with. When I say work with Im not just talking about fellow producers. I mean managers, a&rs, artists etc. I urge all new producers to post like everyday, something new or related to music. This is how I was able to get notice by some of my favorite producers.
- Mobilize your peers/collaborators
This one is if you really want to challenge yourself. Mobilizing your peers is simply asking for recommendation for any future opportunities whether involving your peer or not. This is the one thing that lead to me meeting keanu, me landing my first placement with jaiden smith & going to bizness boi's house.
You have to develop a genuine relationship before in most cases. No one real likes a 'random' coming into their asking someone to send their shit to a next person (Happens to me alot but works for some).
To get THE BEST results dont ask.
I remember when i was struggling to get a placement or connects. One day I got a random and a dm from a Keanu telling me about he heard about me and wants to work. Little did I know Keanu was looking to expand with other sound designers and my homies Snapz & Vsn were talking about me to him since they thought I made some fire samples. Then not to long later Me, him and Ayo&Keyz ended up having a song together with Jaden Smith. I already been working hard to try and get a placement but I know that being "discovered" was what lead to my first placement.
Its hard to understand but trust me after awhile of putting of good work and staying consistent people will voluntarily want to help you out. Sometimes kindly asking isn't bad either, you will be surprised. As said before the best result come from you not asking but dont be shy to ask kindly the worst they can say is no. A personal story of how i was able to go to bizness boi's crib was after a long time of me working with keanu beats I told him I was leaving to LA. I asked him that, if he could that i would be super helpful if he put in contact with someone dope in LA. He told me he knows bizness boi which was one of my favorite rnb producers & put me in contact with him a week later. You got to keep in mind this wont work for everyone not everyone like that but it never hurts to try in a respectable way.
- Put more time in Quality Work
This is the secret sauce. Even though music is subjective, we all can still tell when & when not we hear quality music. Quality music got that je ne sais quoi but you can still know how to develop quality according to your taste & the people you look up to. Everyone loves quality work, labels, artists, producers, listeners etc. Quality music sells so if you are consistently making dope work people will want to invest in you. You will notice that people will call you to studio sessions, pass you opportunities & recommend you to important people.
Quality music is the end all be all.
-
Be at the right PLACE at the right TIME
Being at the right place at the right time means that you are at a certain time of which you and your blessings meet perfectly. This one is a personal point that will always stick with me. That happen through one conversation I had with my guy 5ive beatz. This is metro camping out of the studio to catching mike will’s attention & Big sean meeting Kanye at the radio station. Your blessing doesn’t always mean a thing but also a person. The tricky part about this is knowing when you are at the right time. The best advice I can give you is that things take time to formulate so don’t always go for the big move. Another way to try to be at the right time is consistent being at the right place. Go to LA, go to those networking events in your city, go to book signnings what ever. One good story is Friyie a toronto artist who is signed to Floyd mayweathers TMT. Metro was at an event in toronto, Friyie knew this was a good time to try and get his attention. The toronto rapper being smart then left his music with metro’s driver to play it for him. Despite metro not really doing much with the music, the driver had actually went to get Floyd. The boxer heard it and was a fan then the rest was history. Don’t think this can’t happen to you, if I can tell you how many people I know who got random blessings that basically changed their lives you wouldn’t believe me.
Just make sure that you show up. That’s it. Timing is beyond hard but showing up isn’t, the return of investment for showing up is beyond ridiculous. I’m not saying turn into a road man but just be where everyone you want to work with or be like is. Try instagram (‘Cough..cough’)
These are just a few I can tell you but with the basics you should be able to make a noticeable difference in your progress. I really believe you will grow by a 2 fold no doubt.