INDIE INSIDER
BY JIM NORRIS
Many people spend more time planning their holidays than they do planning their careers & their lives . Don ’ t be one of them .
SETTING GOALS Generally speaking , musicians don ’ t have very solid plans . But you should always be working on your career plan . In other words , it is essential to do your research and make informed decisions . Set short-term and long-term goals and then , once you ’ ve done that , determine the steps to achieve your goals . Sometimes , goals are lofty and it ’ s easier if you can break them down into actions that you can do every week , or even every day . That gives you a sense of being able to achieve them and you can chart your progress as you go along .
Look at yourself and your skills and also look at the market that you ’ re focusing on . Sometimes it ’ s tough to be objective , but you can get feedback from people that you trust . Who are you , and what are the areas you ’ re most interested in ?
That ’ s where the research comes in . A really good place for exploration is going to live and virtual events - conferences like Canadian Music Week and Breakout West . Don ’ t be afraid to pick people ’ s brains . If you want to be a record producer , for instance , find the record producers that you respect , and ask them questions about what made them successful . You may be surprised how willing people are , even high-profile people , to share information and advice . The key is to focus in on a starting point . So even though you may want to accomplish a variety of projects down the road , find a good place to start and focus on that and gain experience .
SHOULD YOU WORK FOR FREE ? There are two reasons to work for free . One is the learning that ’ s associated with it . So obviously , doing something you haven ’ t done before is a learning experience . You can treat it as an extension of your training or your schooling . The second reason to work for free is that it is a promotional opportunity . If you get to intern at a record company , assuming you do a good job , you will be able to promote yourself to the people you ’ re working with and contacts in the music industry . But whenever you work for free ,
10 CANADIAN MUSICIAN