How come you never see the title of this blog post as an ad on Craigslist or in major music publications? The answer seems obvious, but for some reason many artists feel like it should be that easy. Technically it can be that easy, but the truth is,there are millions of young artists being created every day. Some are going to be on a journey that takes them to the pinnacles of success and others will end up somewhere else.

What is your journey going to be? Are going to slow your journey down because you’re waiting for “the person who knows what your journey is supposed to look like” to show up? Or are you going to get started right now and create the journey for yourself?

If you’re confident in your abilities, and you really feel that your career is at a point that you require management, but can’t seem to find any, here are 6 things that I would suggest you do:

1. Work every single day somehow at sharing your gift with the world. That can mean write a song, listen to new music, look up some new venues, work on your social media or even just spending 5 minutes writing out a list of things to do this week. Do something every day. Keep your mission alive and focused for your subconscious to thrive on.

2. Gig. Regularly.  ‘Can’t find a gig’ should not be in your vocabulary. Getting your music in front of people should be your number one priority. Don’t worry about getting 50 gigs. Just get the next gig. Once you get that gig lined up , do that again. If you’ve tried every venue you can possibly imagine that is within driving distance and you still can’t find a gig, create one. Have a party, rent a hall.

3. Have a solid social media presence. Social Media is your megaphone to the world. At the absolute minimum you should have a FaceBook, Twitter and YouTube page. Getting your story in front of people should also be your number one priority. If you don’t know why Social Media is important follow @garyvee, watch this video from 2008 and read his bookCrush It.

4. Always be creating new material. It keeps the right side of your brain active, it keeps your shows and web content fresh and helps you grow as an artist. By doing this you are also simultaneously creating new music and a new story to get in front of people…which as we mentioned, happens to be your number one priority.

5. Hire a coach. < Cheap Plug. Seriously though, whether it’s me or someone else. The benefit of having a partner in your life and career whose sole objective is your personal growth and success cannot be overstated. For a pretty thorough list of other qualified coaches to choose from check out this site.

6. Enjoy the ride. Recognize that you are one of the few who is choosing to do exactly what you want to do in life. There is a voice inside of you that wants to not only create art, but share it with the world. If you’re going to listen to that voice, it’s ok for you to to have fun doing it. Don’t worry about the future. Decide what you want that future to be, but don’tworry about not getting there. Enjoy the present. Life is a great adventure.

If you do all of these things and don’t stop until you find management, most likely, management (along with a lot of fans) will find you. And Oh By The Way you’ll be creating a journey that you thought you needed a manager to create for you along the way.

Do Yourself and your future self a favor…

Pick a destination, start moving forwards towards that destination today, and most importantly…

Enjoy the ride!

RMS

For some other great insight on what management companies are looking for in prospective clients and a pretty complete directory of Artist Management Companies check out Paul Allen’s website artistmanagementonline.com.  You can also check out his book Artist Management for the Music Business.