How to progress your career as a young musician in Australia
Written by Robert Baxter
Ten inspiring, practical and useful bits of advice as told by industry experts from across our Music Industry Masterclasses.
Progressing your career as an emerging artist in the Australian music industry can sometimes feel daunting and overwhelming, but by sharing our knowledge, information and resources, we can break some of this down.
After hearing many amazing artists and practitioners talk at our Music Industry Masterclasses, we’ve collated ten helpful insights for young Australian musicians looking to progress their careers in music.
1.
For a pre-show ritual and as a way to build confidence, Tanya George (The Voice 2021, singer/songwriter, vocal looping street performance legend, and Push Workshop Facilitator) said:
“Do you see a copy of yourself in this room? No. You’re unique. No one can do what you do. You’re a human doing something you love and care about. That’s all that matters at the end of the day.”
2.
For when you’re emailing venues to get booked for a gig, Bridget Bovezza (Festival programmer and previous booker of The Gasometer) said:
“Short and sweet please! When you’re emailing just tell me what you’ve previously played: Social links are handy, a Spotify link, [A video] of you playing live, potential line-ups, [and don’t forget] diversity please!”
3.
Uploading your songs to triple j Unearthed is one of the best things you can do as an emerging artist. Claire Mooney (triple j Assistant Music Director) said to upload your tracks three weeks in advance, and that:
“One of the great things about [triple j] Unearthed is that every track gets listened to so you’re not just uploading into a black hole”
4.
When it comes to working out when to start getting paid, Beatrice Lewis (Haiku Hands, songwriter, performer and producer) said:
“If you want the practice, you want the connection, you want to put something on your social media, if you are going to benefit from it, and they’re just offering food, I would say ‘Cool! Just take the food!’ but at a certain point when you’re not benefiting from it say, ‘I’d love to. I’m a hundred bucks an hour.’”
5.
On meeting people in music, Suzi (singer, songwriter, @suzisangthis on TikTok) said some sweet things about The Push and its value to connecting with your music community:
“Any chance I could, I would make it to a Push show or summit or masterclass or panel. I met some of my closest friends and some really instrumental people just coming to these things. We’re all young and shy – but I think you attract the weirdness that you are, right?”
6.
Showing off your personality at your shows and in person is fundamental to building a fan base. Cara Williams (project, campaign and artist manager – Private Function, Gut Health) backed this up:
“Authenticity, emotion and storytelling builds connection between fans and the artist.”
7.
When and how should you go about getting management? Genna Alexopoulos (Founder of Super Duper PR, Artist Manager) recommends consulting sessions:
“Self-managing at the start is really valuable, because you get an understanding of how everything works, and once things start to become a bit much… there are a number of artist managers that
do consulting.”
8.
For getting better traction on streaming services, Nathaniel Peacock (A&R at Ditto Music until 2023) explained people following you and adding your songs to playlists is recognised by services more than pre-saves:
“Spotify doesn’t actually see these pre-saves… it sees activity on your Spotify page.”
9.
In terms of paying other creatives and ownership of your work, Kim Williamson (artist manager, grant writer and music strategist) pinpointed where the value is for us as artists:
“I think it’s really good to note, that often if you’re the artist driving a project… often you’re the last one to get paid… at the end of the day you’re the one who has that under your name, who has that permanent piece of artistic output.”
10.
To close up this list, we all have a bit of perfectionist in us, and Jaguar Jonze (singer, songwriter and visual artist) recommends setting a limit to not hold yourself back:
“If your goal is to release two songs this year and your perfectionism is stopping you that’s when you have to reel it back and be like I’ve done my best and these singles are ready to go out into the world.”
Music Industry Masterclasses
Want to learn more top advice from legends of the music industry?
Register for our Music Industry Masterclasses! They’re FREE workshops from The Push designed for young people. These workshops give you an opportunity to up-skill with practical skills and knowledge to develop your careers in music. Held in-person in Melbourne, but also available online, you can register now for the next workshop through our events page.
Stay in the know
Be amongst the first to hear about opportunities for young people in music
Sign up to The Push Newsletter. Each month we’ll send out a newsletter with opportunities, advice and news from the music industry. Sign up here.
You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok and YouTube!