When I work with producers and musicians, one question pops up quite often:

"How can I stand out (with my music) in this oversaturated industry?"

First, is the music industry oversaturated?

If you ask me... yes. But that applies to everything. To every other industry, market, or whatever. So what can we do about it?

Rewire our brains.

"Oversaturated" doesn't mean that there's nothing new—no new producer that successfully releases new music, no musician that gets signed, no more fans who invest a truckload of money in their favorite artists. It simply means we got quite a lot of all. Everywhere. 

But should this make you quit? No. If your excuse for not doing something fresh, innovative, and groundbreaking is because the music industry is oversaturated, you might wanna turn your back on a professional music career.

It is hard. Of course, it is. If it was easy, everyone would achieve their goals.

There's quite a lot of literature about this topic. One theme that's quite recurrent is that only 5% have what it takes to achieve success. Do you belong to the 5% of all people that have an aspiring career in the music industry?

(Take a few seconds and think about this. It's no shame to know exactly what you want in life. Quite the opposite. It is your biggest strength.)

I hope you said yes because then you are on the right mailing list. 🙂 My goal is to help musicians and producers actually achieve their goals. Not just dreaming of them without doing anything to get there.

So how can you stand out as an independent musician or music producer in 2019 and beyond?

Be innovative, clear, and know what you want.

There is always room for the best.

(And to be even more cheesy...)

Do not try to become the next "insert your favorite band here". Be the first you.

(Sorry for that, haha...)

Are there other musicians and producers with your type of music? Probably. So... Be better. Either with your songwriting, production, recording, performing, mixing and mastering. Or look for other differentiators. Maybe an interactive blog-like adventure story. Or a subscription-based membership where fans may submit suggestions to a given topic for your next release. Or a unique experience on your shows.

Maybe these ideas are awful. Maybe they aren't. I don't know. But as an artist in 2019, I would definitely try something authentic and innovative. Not sticking to the status quo. 

And if you have an idea, don't give up after a bunch of weeks trying. Be smart and win with hard work and consistency. It's a long journey.

Ultimately, you will find your own (hopefully profitable) niche. And that's all that you need. 

(Unless you want to become #1 in the world. But then I'm probably not the right guy to talk to anyway.)

What's your next plan to stand out?