How to Become a Famous Musician: The Ultimate Guide

Did you know that the recording industry had a value estimated at nearly $15 billion in 2015? The top 1% of musical artists earn approximately 80% of this income and the overall figure is expected to increase in the upcoming years.

But if you want to make a lot of money from music, first you need to learn how to become a famous musician. Becoming a musician is simple, but achieving a "rock-star" status is not that easy. Still, it can be done by an ambitious person with a lot of musical talent. Keep reading to find out how you can become a famous musician in the upcoming years!

Improve Your Skills Constantly

The music industry is continuously expanding and there's no such thing as knowing everything. Even famous musicians with decades of experience learn something new every day. If you want to make it to the top, make sure that you improve your musical skills constantly. If you're a singer, work on your voice and do vocalizations on a regular basis. If you play instruments, practice almost every day to refine your craft.

Also, don't see expanding your musical skills as a chore. If you want to become a famous musician, chances are that this is your passion. Therefore, make sure that you practice as often as possible to keep your creative juices flowing. Even people who work regular jobs can still find 30 minutes to play the guitar every day, so it's not that hard to do it.

Promote Yourself Everywhere

Working on your brand is another important thing if you want to become a world-renowned musician. The more exposure you get, the better. To do that, make sure that you promote yourself everywhere. Take small gigs in your local town to let yourself known to people. Sign up to more appearances every month and you'll slowly gather a small fanbase that will grow larger and larger in the future.

On top of that, make sure that you promote yourself online as well. For example, you might want to create a YouTube channel and show off your musical skills on the internet. If you're a performer, Amber Curtis from AMW Music Promotion says that one of the easiest ways to grow brand awareness is to upload videos of you performing to YouTube. Uploading one or two videos every week will definitely increase your audience and help you get fans all over the world.

Accept That Some People Might Not Like You

No matter how talented you are and how well you perform, there will be some naysayers that will not accept your music. You don't have to do anything about it, you just have to acknowledge that there will be some people like this out there and you just have to ignore them.

When people give you constructive criticism, say thanks and use it to refine your musical performance. When people try to discourage you, simply neglect them and focus on your skills. It's impossible to satisfy everyone out there.

Connect With Other Musicians and Singers

A good way to receive constructive criticism and encouragement would be to surround yourself with people who have the same interests as you. Try to connect with other musicians, record producers, and signers online and/or from your city. You can find them on Facebook groups or concert halls in your area.

If you take singing lessons, you can also ask your teacher for guidance on finding more music-oriented people. The more connections you develop, the easier it will be for you to get to the top quickly and you should focus on making new relationships throughout your entire musical career.

Visualize the Desired Outcome

Most famous athletes, actors, and singers visualize different important moments in their careers. Whether it's a big concert, movie or sporting event, visualization can help you train your mind to reach an objective. You can start visualizing yourself singing and performing in front of large audiences to get a "feel" of what it's like to be a famous musician.

You can also visualize yourself traveling the world and attending concerts, giving interviews, and signing T-shirts. The more vivid your visualization process, the better. If you do this every day, you'll eventually get energized to pursue your dreams with a greater passion and you'll bring into your life the type of musical career you want to have!

Be Unique

You might not make it to the top if you sound just like everybody else. One of the most important parts of developing a successful musical career is to have a unique selling point. For some people it can be their voice, the way they strum the guitar chords, their image, appearance, dancing moves, hair color, etc.

Make sure that you craft your unique selling point carefully. You should find something that makes you stand out from the crowd, but also feels natural for you. Trying to imitate a famous musician or not being authentic will definitely hinder your progress as a musician.

Never Give up No Matter What

Remember that there are thousands of musicians out there trying to get to the top, just like you. The competition is fierce because the rewards are huge. Therefore, make sure that you always stay motivated and don't give up. For some people, it might take years to be recognized by a famous recording studio, so you need to have a lot of patience. Consistency is key in this game and if you stick to your path, you will eventually make it to the top.

Now You Know How to Become a Famous Musician!

Hopefully, this article answered your original question - how to become a famous musician. It's up to you now to follow the steps mentioned above and be consistent. Remember that the longer you are in the game, the greater are your chances to make it to the top, so don't quit until you get what you want!

In the meantime, make sure that you check out the other articles on our website to learn more about how to improve your musical skills, how to promote yourself better, and speed up your progress towards a successful musical career!