"Getting On"

I was at the SCMC Music Conference in Phoenix, Arizona representing Lisa Davis Music Management when I was asked the question, “How do I get on”.  In starting my new position as an A&R Consultant, I have been asked that question several times over and honestly I don’t think there is one way to answer that question. Anyone who has made a career in music will tell you that there is no clear path to success in the industry; everyone has to go through his or her own journey.

My journey started on May 9, 2010 when I graduated from Hampton University with my Bachelor’s in Music Engineering Technology. Like many graduates out there, I was faced with the question of, “What’s next?”  I was working part-time as an associate at Old Navy and though I was good at my job, I didn’t enjoy it. I ‘played’ with the idea of going to Law School, but that didn’t last long. I spent countless hours filling out job applications and sending out my resume and cover letter.  I was given the opportunity to go to Los Angeles to pursue my career as an engineer.  And so it began. I spent countless hours in the studio, working and recording with songwriters. I have assisted in the programming of shows for artists like Chris Brown and Nicki Minaj. But as an intern, you forgo a check for the opportunity.

So while I continued to engineer, I started to look for other ways I could start generating some income for myself. While in college I worked with two artists by the name of Blake Kelly and JoSTunnAH. In working with them I was exposed to the beginning stages of Artist Development and Branding as well as Social Media Marketing. I decided to take things a step further and I enrolled in Full Sail University’s Master’s of Entertainment program. While on twitter, I saw Lisa Davis of Lisa Davis Music Management, tweet that she was looking for interns in the Los Angeles area and of course I sent my resume and cover letter and now I’m an A&R Consultant with her company.  Even in my new position, I am still working and developing new opportunities for my career and myself.

Here are my tips for “Getting On”:

1. Evaluate your skills. Maybe you’re an artist who writes, so look for opportunities were you can write for other artists, or songs for tv/movie placement.
2. Evaluate your strategy. You can’t do the same things over and over looking for a different result.
3.   Be prepared. Don’t wait until your going to an event like the SCMC Music Conference to have your material together. Always a professionally put together press kit or EPK handy, you never know when you need it.
4. Networking is key. You have that business card, now what do you do with it? Don’t wait until you have a new song out to reach out to that new contact. I say email them within 2-3 days of the event and check-in with them from time to time. Do NOT wait until you need something to reach out! You follow executives, producers, artists on twitter, but you don’t interact with them. That defeats the purpose of a social networking website!