Music for Fun Versus Music Business

When most people start making music, they are usually not sure whether they are making music for fun or looking to make a career out of music. There are, of course, the few that are either born into musical families and understand the business or from the very beginning, are intentional about making a career out of music. Luckily, it is possible to have fun and make a business out of music. To do so, however, one must understand how the music business works.

Those who do music for fun do not intend to make a living from music but begin their musical journey out of an interest to play an instrument, sing in a band, or begin producing. This discovery stage in a musician is very important because it allows them to experiment and find their sound before deciding the path they would like to follow. Once an artist or producer gains confidence in their craft, the next step is for them to share their music with family and friends who can give them feedback. Feedback is a critical point of an artist’s journey as it is what reveals to an artist whether their music is relatable and good in the ears of others, as well as letting an artist know whether they have any talent or possible fans.

To be in the music business means to earn a living from music. For an artist to earn from their music, an artist’s music has a product which is their music and an audience or fan base that is willing to pay for this music, whether through purchasing albums or purchasing tickets to see the music performed live. You cannot be in the music business if you do not have a product that you are selling. Sales are a critical component of the music business.

In today’s music industry, with the advent of the internet and streaming. Many musicians who make music for fun can share their music online and earn money from their works shared. Because it is easy for anyone to do this, it has become even more difficult to get noticed as an artist because you are competing for people’s attention on a global level, sometimes without the know-how or a marketing budget. That is why, even though it has become easier to break into the music industry, it has become more difficult to have a long-lasting career.

Our advice to artists as Radio 254 is to make sure that you are having fun and getting better at your craft. There are plenty of opportunities to make money as an artist, but the most important thing to remember is that you must have an indistinguishable product that is unique and different from everyone else in the industry. Rather than focusing on making money, we encourage artists to have fun while making music, and the money will come. This might be easier said than done, as making music requires money, but as an artist, you must find cheap or free ways to make music until you can afford to invest in the music. Use free software, cheap microphones, collaborate with friends, and utilize what you have until you are at the point where you are ready to invest in your music (business). If you have to spend 15,000 or 30,000 to make a song, you will have to spend a lot of money before you make a good song, and you are not going to have fun making music.

As with any business, make sure to do your research before getting into any business. The music business is fun once you figure out the business, but not everyone that finds music fun should make music their business. The future of the music industry is going to be very interesting, and we hope to see more Kenyan artists experiment and have fun as well as see Kenyan artists be intentional about making a living and doing music as a business. Nobody says you can’t do both, have fun and make a business out of music.