Why Every Upcoming Artist Must Start Living in Music to Succeed (Even With a Small Budget)

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If you're an upcoming artist trying to grow your music career, you've probably asked yourself questions like:

"How do I promote my music without money?"
"What should I be doing every day as an independent artist?"
"How do I grow my fanbase from scratch?"

The truth is, to become a successful independent artist, you must stop seeing music as something you do once in a while — you must start living in music.

This blog post will break down what that means, why it's crucial, and exactly how to do it daily, even with a small or no budget. Whether you’re into Afrobeats, Hip-hop, Gospel, or Dancehall, this applies to you.

What Does “Living in Music” Really Mean?

Living in music means making music your lifestyle and business, not just your hobby. It means waking up each day with a plan and treating your career like a brand — because it is.

If you’re serious about making it as an artist, your everyday actions must reflect your goals.

It means:

Structuring your daily routine around music-related tasks
Growing your online presence consistently
Building and managing your network of fans and industry contacts
Creating and following a strategy for your content, messaging, and releases
Being intentional with how and when you promote your music

Let’s dive into what this lifestyle looks like in practice.

1. Set a Daily Music Routine

You can’t grow your music career by doing things randomly. Consistency and structure are everything. As an independent artist, your time is your greatest resource. You must use it wisely.

Here’s what your daily or weekly routine should include:

Content creation: Spend time daily or weekly creating short videos, song snippets, behind-the-scenes content, and graphics.
Engagement: Reply to comments, DM fans, engage with your followers on social media.
Learning: Watch YouTube tutorials on music marketing, branding, or production. Read music blogs. Stay informed.
Pitching: Send professional messages to DJs, bloggers, playlist curators, and influencers.
Planning: Review your strategy, plan your posts, and set clear goals for the week.

Tip: Use Google Calendar or a simple notebook to create a weekly timetable.

2. Use Social Media Like a Music Business Tool

One of the biggest mistakes upcoming artists make is using social media only for fun. If you're serious about music, your Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter must reflect your brand and mission.

Here’s how to do it:

Post consistently: At least 3–5 times a week. Use reels, carousels, photos, and videos.
Show your journey: Let people into your process — studio sessions, rehearsals, songwriting, your hustle.
Engage your audience: Ask questions, do polls, respond to comments, and use hashtags like #upcomingartist, #afrobeats, #musicpromo.
Be searchable: Use keywords in your bio like “Afrobeats Artist | Singer | Songwriter” to help new fans discover you.
Use the right tools: Apps like Canva, CapCut, and InShot can help you create professional content on your phone.

Remember, you’re not just posting — you’re building a brand.

3. Grow and Manage Your Network

Your contacts are your net worth. As an independent artist, you must intentionally grow your network of fans, DJs, bloggers, promoters, producers, and influencers.

Here’s how to do it:

Build a contact list: Use Google Sheets or a notepad to collect names, phone numbers, emails, and social media handles.
Send personalized messages: Don’t spam. Send polite, professional messages that add value, like exclusive listening invites or behind-the-scenes previews.
Follow up: Consistency in following up can open doors. Don’t assume someone’s ignoring you; they might just be busy.
Join communities: Look for music groups on Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Instagram where you can connect with like-minded artists.

Bonus Tip: Always be polite and professional. The music industry is built on relationships.

4. Create a Content Strategy (Not Just Random Posts)

Without a strategy, you're just making noise. You must plan the kind of content you want to create and the goals behind each post.

Use this simple structure:

Educational: Teach your audience something — maybe a behind-the-scenes of how you write your songs.
Entertaining: Post freestyles, challenges, or funny skits related to your music.
Promotional: Promote your latest release, music video, or event.
Engagement-based: Ask your followers questions, run a poll, or ask for feedback.

Use a content calendar to plan your posts for each week. This way, you stay consistent without feeling confused or overwhelmed.

5. Send Professional Messages (DMs, Emails, WhatsApp)

How you communicate about your music matters a lot.

Here’s what to do:

Be respectful: Start with a greeting. Introduce yourself briefly.
Be clear: Say why you’re reaching out (e.g., "I would love to have my song considered for your playlist/blog.")
Attach links and artwork: Make it easy for them to check out your work.
Use templates: Have a few message templates saved for pitching your song, asking for feedback, or sharing new releases.

Never beg or spam. Instead, present yourself as an artist worth paying attention to.

6. Budget or No Budget — Success is Still Possible

You might think, “I don’t have money to promote my music.” But guess what? Consistency beats money when you’re starting out.

Here’s what you can do with little or no money:

Use free tools (like Canva for graphics, CapCut for videos)
Distribute your music through free or affordable platforms like DistroKid, Tunecore, or Boomplay
Post consistently on social media
Ask your fans to share your songs
Submit your music to free blogs and playlist curators
Use WhatsApp status, Facebook stories, and groups for promotion

Even if you had ₦5 million to spend, without structure and consistency, it would be wasted. Start with what you have and build step by step.

7. Treat Your Music Like a Business

This is the ultimate mindset shift. You are not just a singer or rapper — you are a brand, a business, a product.

Businesses have:

A vision and mission
A marketing strategy
Target customers (for you, that’s your fans)
Content, campaigns, and promotions
A product (your music)

Start thinking like that.

Ask yourself:

What kind of artist am I becoming?
Who am I trying to reach?
What kind of content best shows who I am?
How can I grow and convert followers into loyal fans?

Final Thoughts: This Is the Only Way

There’s no shortcut. There’s no magic. Every successful artist you admire has done the work behind the scenes. They didn’t just “drop songs” — they lived in music. They showed up every day, built their brand, grew their fanbase, and networked like their life depended on it.

So from this Monday onward, decide to do the same.

Set your goals.
Make a schedule.
Show up daily.
Live your music.

Because if you don’t live in music, your dream of making it in music may never happen.

The good news? You can start today.

Author: Africvibes

Helping upcoming artists build their brand, get heard, and grow globally.

Monday, June 16, 2025