How to Network Effectively in the Music Industry

If you have a Social Media account, you surely would have received at least one or possibly hundreds of spammy messages from Artists or Producers with nothing but a link to their music without even having the decency to say “Hi”

Or maybe you accepted a friend request recently and the first thing the person did was invite you to like their Artist page? How did it make you feel? I know for a fact it annoys the hell out of me! It’s a terrible way to network.

My goal is to inspire you to rethink the way you approach networking to focus on building long-lasting successful relationships in the industry.

Here are some tips on how to Network Effectively:

GIVE VALUE WITHOUT EXPECTATION

One of the most effective ways to network is to show genuine interest in others without expecting anything in return. Some of the strongest relationships were built upon a regular conversation about a mutual interest where your music, or music, in general, was not mentioned.

I’ve had amazing conversations with people in the industry and ended up as great friends because I didn’t send them a link to my music! We started chatting about their cat or something random that they were really passionate about and it just took off from there, leading to opportunities I never thought were possible. Everyone loves to feel special so it’s important to always offer value or at the very least a positive and genuine compliment. 

It’s a very rewarding feeling to be able to connect with people and share a mutual interest before you even think about sending your music over.

Trust me, if you do this the right way, they will ask to hear your music. Make sure your focus is on the person you’re communicating with, make them feel good, be genuine and don’t expect people to help you if you haven’t offered them anything of value. 

Remember, there is no rush in building a genuine relationship. Treat people with respect and think about how you would like someone to approach you and how you would respond back to them.

Show genuine interest in others and find something relatable to discuss

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF EMAILS

Emailing was the number 1 way I got to build all the incredible relationships I have today. Email is my go-to.

Emails are professional and if you curate your emails in a way that is unique to you but also simple and to-the-point, you should be successful in getting a response. 

I still remember my first Independent release as a Producer and Artist back in 2015. I sat at my laptop for 10 hours straight emailing hundreds of blogs. I made some incredible connections through those emails and the song I released after that ended up in the hands of music curators for ZARA, H&M, even landing a feature on BBC Radio 1 and thousands of playlists on streaming platforms which led me to land many Spotify & Apple Music Editorials. My song was playing in stores and radio stations all around the world.

Now, four years later I’m great friends with the bloggers and radio hosts and they’ve introduced me to so many incredible people. None of this would have happened if I hadn’t spent so much time sending out emails.

WORK ON YOUR COMMUNICATION SKILLS

We communicate every day and we all have unique ways to get our voice heard. You’d be surprised at how far you can get in life by being a great communicator.

Authentic communication is in demand now more than ever!

This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to be a great “speaker.” Not all of us are gifted with the ability or passion to talk to anyone and everyone. Communication can be via email or the way you engage and respond or even initiate conversation in person or online with others.

Always be respectful, understanding and polite. I get pressured via messages to respond to people within a certain time frame and I find it really rude, especially when someone messages me asking me to listen to a track and I haven’t had a chance to listen to yet and they say “Have you listened !!!!?????”

I will always get back to everyone as soon as I possibly can, but please understand that not everyone has plenty of free time.

If you have asked someone to do you a favour, at least be patient and wait for them to reply, understand that people have busy lives and will respond when they can.

If you have sent someone a friend request and they accept, send them a quick msg to thank them for accepting.

If someone comments on your work, always respond to as many people as you possibly can and say thank you! This is also really important to do across all social platforms including Instagram, it’s important to let your followers know that you value them and their engagement with you.

Make sure you treat each person you come across in the industry with respect, you never know what opportunities can arise from a great conversation.

Sometimes it really does just take ONE person to catapult your career into the right direction

Always be kind, you never know who is watching.

About the Author

Noella Nix is a Music Producer, Songwriter & Artist from Australia. She teaches Sound Production, Music Business & Social Media Marketing at University and has written 4 Music Industry eBooks. Connect on Instagram