You may not want to set goals. You may hate the idea. The best idea for you in this case is to look at the facts. EVERY successful band and/or musician has to make sacrifices. If you just sit back and let the course run, odds are high that you will never make it past the local bar. You will probably be no better off than you were before.
If you have ever written a song or gone into the studio to make a sample, you are setting goals then and there.
You had a good idea of what you were recording, and a good idea of HOW you wanted to record it. Why is that? It’s because you know what you want, and your music will speak THROUGH you by taking control of it.
When you set goals, you are rewarding yourself with time well spent. You can set the simplest goals to make you feel better. You don’t have to set a goal of “I’m gonna make a million in a day.” That’s not a logical goal. A logical goal would be, “I’m gonna make this song sound the best I can, with my heart and soul poured into it.”
That is a logical goal, right? It is attainable. It’s not a far-fetched concept.
Quick Guideline :
- Decide WHAT you want
- Think that you already have it in your grasp
- Write down these goals so you can check them off
- What YOU will gain from it
- Prepare for forks in the road
- Find your resources
So, what do you want out of your musical goal ?
Do you want to sell 100 units of your music or 1000? How many gigs a month would you like to achieve? HOW MUCH MONEY DO YOU WANT TO MAKE?
Do you have it in your grasp?
Are you able to produce as many songs as you would like? Is your band cohesive enough to work together efficiently? Are you a solo artist that wants to make it on your own?
What will YOU gain from it?
How can you benefit from getting your music across to the world? Is it money you want? Is it respect you want? Do you JUST want to be heard? If you don’t care about what’s in it from you, as we hear all the time, ( I just wanna rock man ! ) then maybe you should rethink what you are doing. This goes back to the attitude that the puzzle will come together by just looking at it. That’s not true. You have to WANT it.
What about the forks in the road?
There are many of these. You may find that some of your favorite songs are not others favorite songs. You may think you aren’t yourself because no one understands your approach. Look at the Dave Matthews Band and Nirvana. They were labeled immediately with songs like “Crash Into Me” and “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” It became their least favorite songs, according to them, because the song intentions got lost somewhere in the midst of everything. Are you ready for it? What if you don’t get the BIG gig? What if NO ONE likes your sound? This WILL happen.
Are you using the correct resources?
Gather information on people, tools, and information sources as much as you can. That could be bars, nightclubs, web sites, recording studios, music outlets, and producers.