How to Set Foot in the Music Industry

got this e-mail from this virgin soul today asking about what it was like starting out in music. hope my reply is insightful to some at least!

they say:

Hi, I’ve been producing electronic music since I was 13, now 17 - it’s been an obsession for a while but I’ve always felt lost in the promotion side of things. I got the idea to learn from people who’ve succeeded in the scene, and since I’ve enjoyed your electro house releases, (the genre I’m interested in producing!) I would love if you could answer some questions!

From looking online at your older projects, the earliest I found was Isqa which seems to have some independent releases without a label? (According to Discogs). How did you go about releasing these projects, and was there anything in these couple of years that led to a burst of success? 

Having singles released on Mau5trap seems like a massive achievement. I know virtually nothing about working with labels, so how did you get in contact with them? Had you contacted labels in the past?

From what I’ve seen, DJing seems to be a pretty big part of being an electronic musician. I saw two mixes on RYM that were credited to No Mana, but was DJing important in your earlier career?

Finally, since this is the first time I’ve reached out to someone, and since I’m not super familiar with the EDM scene, do you have any recommendations for some new / upcoming producers that I could try and follow in the footsteps of? I’m particularly interested in new electrohouse releases, mostly due to the new Ninajirachi album which was very very good!

Thank you so much for reading these questions! Sorry if I got anything wrong.

my reply:

Hey Taeo, nice to meet! Here's some pointers.

• Networking is very important. You're doing great reaching out to people. Collaborate with as many people as you can, if not share your music with colleagues and start forming your circle of music people. Interact with your favorite artists on Instagram, maybe send a DM or two (but treat them like friends, not idols - be yourself).

• Being independent is a necessary stage starting out - labels are certainly optional and no one ever needs to rush into one. It's better to focus on releasing independently at least once a month. Post your music on SoundCloud/Instagram/Tiktok, share it on forums or groups, and grow your listener base organically. Algorithms like consistency.

• Labels are cool for the namesake/clout and that definitely helped me get on my feet a bit faster. I got on mau5trap because my first manager introduced my music to the label- that all came from networking, so I can't stress the first point enough. Labels are just one of many ways to boost your career, but it's not the only thing. The path to music success is just a series of many opportunities (most you would never think of) that come to you because you were consistent at your craft and you made friends along the way. Also to answer your question I did not bother submitting to labels without prior relationship building. Regardless of if there was a connection there or not, it wasn't a priority - I was grateful to put out music regardless of where it went.

• DJing was not important in my early career. I was producing for 4 years before I played a show. I never saw shows as a source of exposure unless it was Shambhala or EDC where they would record my set and stream it online - which you can do yourself, you just won't be able to say it was from some big show.

• As far as who to reach out to, it could be anyone you're a fan of. Doesn't have to be new/upcoming cuz some might bite but some may not, but treat networking like having to take baby steps. It's best to network with people who may be closer to you instead of going straight to Taylor Swift for example. Talking to deadmau5 took me a few degrees of connections - I met a friend on Facebook who later snuck backstage to a festival, then met my manager, then connected me to the label and the rest is history. I think it's just more natural that way instead of forcing your way to the source.

• It's also important to note that labels, shows, and connections are just byproducts of consistent creative output and just generally being authentic and yourself, as opposed to having a clear systematic method like going to college then submitting a resume to an employer (that's why people are often lost at when first setting foot in the music industry).