Music has been around in various forms since the beginning of man. Certain people have crafted amazing pieces of music while others play around on a guitar in hopes of getting better. What separates an amateur musician, a hobbyist, and a professional? Is the time they put into mastering a musical instrument or a unique set of genetic traits they inherited or something else? We’ll be highlighting six traits that make up a. professional musician below.
Patience
No one becomes a successful musician overnight, so it’s important that you cultivate patience throughout your career. Honing your skills and building a loyal fanbase takes time, sometimes decades to accomplish. Try to focus on improving your skills day by day and putting in the work. Remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day so keep your expectations balanced. Everyone doesn’t amass millions of streams in a day or secure a lucrative record deal after releasing five songs or one album.
Releasing Music
The willingness to share your music with the world is what differentiates the gap between a professional musician and a hobbyist. It’s essential to a musician’s career and livelihood to release music so they can get paid. You might wonder how to upload music to Spotify, Apple, Tidal, and other streaming services. To make this happen, you have to sign up for digital music distribution services such as DistroKid, Tunecore, or CD Baby.
How to upload music to Spotify: You can upload your music by first creating a DistroKid account on their website and selecting a subscription plan. Then you upload your music by filling out the upload form and selecting Spotify from the list of partners. After this step, you just wait for your music to be approved and go live on Spotify for the world to hear.
Practicing Your Craft
This might seem like a no-brainer, but professional musicians don’t come out of the womb with breathtaking vocals or mastery of an instrument. Instead, professional musicians put in countless hours working on their craft. It’s important to practice your songs, especially if you have a performance coming up. Growing complacent could potentially lead to stagnation. Practicing can help a musician take their skills to the next level and constant dedication to your craft will help you maintain a successful music career.
Confidence
An often-overlooked trait of professional musicians is confidence. Many people might try to deter you from pursuing a music career because it isn’t the most secure path. However, if you believe in yourself and your skillset, there’s a chance you could make a living as a professional musician. Be bold and take a leap of faith. No one wants to see someone scared or anxious on stage. People are attracted to confidence and this attitude could open up doors you never knew existed in the first place. m
Embracing Creativity
Every professional musician possesses an ample amount of creativity when it comes to their craft, but it’s important to apply this trait in every way possible. Getting people to see and listen to your music is highly important with some much competition in the game. You have to think of creative ways to market yourself in person as well as on the internet to become successful in this space. Think outside of the box when it comes to album art, music videos, color schemes, clothing, etc. This creative line of thinking will help you stand out from other artists in your genre and help you find your true fanbase overtime.
Be Open to Criticism
Another essential trait of a professional musician is being open to criticism. You might start out writing and recording countless songs on your own in your bedroom, but at some point this will change. You’ll eventually work with an engineer, a producer, a band, a music manager, or even a major label at some point. All of these people will give you input and criticism to help you grow and succeed in the industry. Taking in criticism can help you see your weaknesses as well as your strengths and help you craft something much more impactful in the end.
Conclusion
According to zippia.com, there are more than 15,844 professional musicians currently working in the U.S. This is a massive amount of people making a living as a musician and who also make up your competition. It’s important to go the extra mile, so you can stand out among these people. In order to do this you have to cultivate a patient mindset, release your music to the world, and practice your craft constantly. You also want to be confident in all arenas, embrace creativity, and be open to criticism from peers in the music industry. If you pursue these six traits within your music career, there’s a good chance you’ll be well on your way to becoming a professional musician in no time.
