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Soho Radio and Jägermeister have teamed up with a bunch of industry experts for a playful six-episode podcast series exploring how to break into the music industry, so put those crowbars away.
I Just Bought Myself a Pocket Synth and I’m Gonna Sell My Beats to Drake is hosted by comedian Masud Milas and sees the likes of Primal Scream‘s Simone Marie, Metronomy‘s Anna Prior, BBC Radio 1 DJ Phil Taggart, R&B singer Terri Walker, Record label boss James Endeacott, The 2 Bears‘ Raf Rundell, folk singer Beans On Toast, producer Shawn Lee and DJ Jon More all offering tips, tricks and their experience to help you make it big.
We got a sneak preview of the show and have cherry picked a delicious nugget of advice from each episode to give you a head start.
Aim to be great, not famous
“I know loads of incredible working musicians that no one knows about but they’re making a fantastic living,” starts Marie in episode one, ‘What I’ll Do’. “Don’t chase fame; chase being good at what you do. One of the most important things is to have an amazing sound because if somebody comes to see you, it can change things overnight.”
Don’t move to London
In episode two, ‘Getting Started’, Endeacott explains how to get discovered. “Keep on playing, keep believing and become good in your own little world. A lot of the industry is centered in London, but don’t [move there] just yet. There are a hundred gigs on tonight in London, there are people everywhere and you won’t get noticed. Become big in your hometown instead. There are so many scouts out there so get your hometown talking about you because if you’re good enough, people will find you.”
It’s all about teamwork
“Getting a record off the ground is a hugely collaborative process. You need everyone to be on side. When the feeling’s right and everyone is pulling in the same direction, it’s a powerful thing and can go a long way,” promises Rundell in episode three, ‘Da Management’. “Get involved in gigs, put on nights and get involved (in what you’re interested in). Then when you need help, it’ll come to you.”
Believe in yourself
“Anything can be a hit,” says Walker in episode four, ‘Hooking Them In’. “You’ve got to trust what you make. I remember writing ‘Love Fool’ on the toilet and that’s the song that got me signed to Def Jam. No matter how many people told me that this isn’t going to happen, I always kept it moving because something in my heart told me that I’m going to get there, how I get there.”
Be persistent
“If you’re working in music, you need to have sent way more emails [than you’ve had replies].You need to build a tough skin.” Taggart explains in episode five, ‘Please Release Me’, which calls back to his advice in the second episode of “You gotta go out and make a lot of mistakes.”
And most importantly, enjoy what you do
“My key to longevity in the music industry is doing what I want, the way I want to do it. That’s the way forward. Do what feels right is the way forward,” says Lee in episode six, ‘The Bigtime’, echoing everyone else. “It’s fool-hardy to follow trends. It’s important to be authentic and you have to push yourself. If you’re in this for the long run, you have to aspire to personal greatness.”
The first instalment of ‘I Just Bought Myself a Pocket Synth and I’m Gonna Sell My Beats to Drake’ is out Monday, June 29th with the following five episodes arriving on a weekly basis, for free, via Spotify, iTunes, Google podcasts and more online platforms. The series comes from Jäger Soho, a partnership of Jägermeister and Soho Radio which aims to provide a platform for musicians, brands, projects and makers.
You can listen to a trailer here and follow @JagerUK on Twitter for further details.
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