297 – How to Build a Magnetic Reputation as a Musician

The New Music Industry Podcast | MusicEntrepreneurHQ.com | with David Andrew Wiebe

Does it seem like everyone else is getting the gigs? Are you insecure about that drummer who’s far better than you? Do you often compare yourself unfavorably to others on the road to building the life you love through music?

In this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast, David shares how you can be like the select few who always seem to get the call, get the gig, and get the guy or girl too. Discover how to build a magnetic reputation as a musician.

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Podcast Highlights:

• 00:23 – The Music Entrepreneur Companion Guide
• 00:43 – How David built his reputation in Calgary
• 01:57 – How to position yourself in the music business
• 02:36 – In the long run you can diversify, but in the short term, focus
• 03:10 – Closing thoughts

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• The Music Entrepreneur Companion Guide: Get the official definitive companion guide to The Music Entrepreneur Code covering, in clarity and detail, secrets to making it in the new music business.
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Transcription:

What’s up, Elite Players? It’s David Andrew Wiebe here, and today we get to talk about how to build a magnetic reputation as a musician. This is an exciting topic.

But first, don’t forget, you can still get your free copy or so I’m told of my awesome book, The Music Entrepreneur Companion Guide at MusicEntrepreneurHQ.com/FreeBook.

Getting Established as a Session Guitarist in Calgary

I used to be based out of Calgary, Alberta. I no longer live there, but when I was living there, a lot of my activity as a musician, live performance, producing, making music, and jamming, all took place primarily around Calgary and Airdrie.

It got to the point that in Airdrie I couldn’t walk the streets without someone yelling out, “Hey Dave!”

And the number one thing that I became known for was my lead guitar playing skills. Now, let’s keep in mind, I can do a lot of other stuff. I can play rhythm guitar, I can play bass, I can play ukulele, I can play a little bit of mandolin. I can play a little bit of keyboards. I can produce music; I can compose music. I can mix and master and engineer and edit music.

But if I had spent a lot of time promoting all those other skills, the product would’ve become diluted, and soon people would’ve been confused about what it is that I offer as a musician. So, I decided the best thing that I could do, instead of telling people about all the other things that I could provide them in terms of graphics and websites and writing and blogging, that I would primarily focus on, “Hey, I’m a guitarist and I can play lead on your songs, whether it’s live, or in the studio.” Which is what I ended up doing. So, before I knew it, I was an in-demand session guitarist in Calgary and the area.

Setting Up Your Magnetic Reputation

If you’re great at writing songs and that’s something that you want to become known for and you could see yourself doing long-term, then it would be best to position yourself primarily as a songwriter.

You’re a creative person. You probably do a lot of other things well, but the main thing that you want people to know about you is that you write songs and that makes it easy for other people to refer you.

If you’re a mastering engineer, same thing. I know mastering engineers that do very well, and that’s the main thing. They promote themselves as that. They can do a lot of other things well, of course, but they primarily share the fact that they are mastering engineers so that they can get more mastering gigs.

Now, I get it. We’re creative people and we like to do a lot of different things and we might have a lot of different skills but think long term. In the long run, you can diversify once you become known for one thing. And start sharing all the other things that you can offer, and you can do for people.

But until then, it’s best to stay focused on becoming known in your network and beyond for just one thing. And that will help you get established faster in the specific area in which you want to excel and provide services. Dig a mile deep and an inch wide, not a mile wide and an inch deep.

Closing Segment

So, if you enjoyed this insight from The Music Entrepreneur Companion Guide, don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe, and as we like to say around here, do all the things.

I’ll see you next time.

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