There’s an adage in life that the more you gain the more you grow. We all want more of something, be it money, opportunities, fan/followers, happiness, etc.
The idea of more=more is built on the notion that as you increase exposure of your music and your unique offering, you add fans. With added fans comes the increased opportunity to perform which leads to a larger amount of income from your musical endeavors. This is the more that you want.
More=MORE
We know but aren’t always prepared to experience the more than we don’t want. This is increased competition, a growth in the amount of doors to go through or hoops to jump through to get to the people we want to reach. There is an unspecified amount of time and repetition of endeavors that is required to convert someone from just knowing about you into following you, then more time and effort to convert the follower into the fan who attends gigs and buys music. It’s more time. With time comes the increase in opportunities to be frustrated and potentially give up. This happens far too often.
To compensate for that negative variation of more, artists will throw money at the issue, hoping that will turn the tide. Sometimes it does, but other times it just creates even more of the thing we don’t want: the state we are in. It also creates a hole we feel we can’t get out of.
We spend a lot of time comparing our success (or failure) to other people we know who we think are in the same boat we are. It could be a solo performer in your city who started performing around the same time you did, maybe even in the same venues. You’ve built up a friendship with this artist and enjoy what they do. You even like their music. But they seem to be more successful at getting other people’s attention and showing up to gigs, and it appears that they sell more music that you do. They’re getting the more that you want. Why aren’t you?
If it turns out that they’re doing some of the same things that you are doing to attract new fans and followers, promoting your gigs and shows, and also putting your music out to the world, but not seeing the same results, that more aspect of frustration comes in. What gives? How can one thing work perfectly well for one person but not for you? I’ve been there, and it is very frustrating.
The key thing to realize is that the “secret” to getting the more you want and eliminating the more you don’t isn’t this elusive item that is only accessible to some people, but not to you. The secret doesn’t actually exist, meaning that there isn’t a one-way formula for success in all aspects of your music that once you discover, all of your worries will disappear and you’ll find gold at every turn.
The keys to having the more of what you want is to be constantly learning and adapting to changes. Nothing stays the same, so when you find something that works, continue to work at it and cultivate it. Doing so will make what works, work better. Instead of asking what your music network is doing to grow their fan base and get people to their show, try asking if you can play a show with them and watch what they do in action. Maybe there are some behind-the-scenes things they’re doing to engage with their fan base that you can try out. You could even ask them what they would do to get more people to attend shows if they were in your shoes. That personal application can make a really big difference.
That one-on-one insight is actually one of the main so-called secrets to achieving the good version of more. A generic plan or series of suggestions that anyone can do to produce results will only take you so far. This is the real value of coaching and mentoring. With someone who has experience in the realms that you want to grow in, helping you navigate through that process is the real key to achieving the growth that you’re looking for.
Do you really want more of the good growth? Let me know how I can help you.
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