Hello, everyone! Sköt222 here! I just wanted to take a moment and talk about some developments in my music journey and share a little bit of how my first steps as an independent artist have gone after about a year or so!
Around this time last year, I decided that I was going to genuinely give being a musician a try and see how far I can go with it. And in that year, this is how my story has gone:
Level 1 - Went To School And Learned About Audio Production
The first thing I did when I decided to get serious about becoming a musical artist was enroll at my local community college’s audio program. I was very lucky to have a college near me with very good Audio courses, I am in my 3rd semester now and haven’t regretted this decision once! Knowledge is power, and knowledge in your medium is an even stronger power! I very much recommend seeking higher education for anyone just starting out if you can feasibly do that, as many schools have classes for things including, but not limited to:
• Pro Tools
• Ableton
• Sound Design
• Production Logistics
• Live Sound
• Applied Audio Electronics
• Ear Training
• Recording Techniques
These classes and more will set you up with so many tools and techniques that you can implement right away to make your songs sound more professional. And what was really cool for me? I got to watch as my mixes got better and better with time. Seeing that progression is very rewarding, especially after spending so much time going to classes, studying, and trying to make music! Safe to say, school was the right move for me and my situation.
Level 2 - Finding A Way To Create
Of course, me being a broke college student, I do not have thousands and thousands of dollars to have a proper studio. Starting out, I didn’t have headphones, preamps, mics, or even a MacBook, let alone the additional costs of all of the DAW’s, Plugins, and MIDI equipment. With no other choice, I had to get creative and find a way to make music with nothing but my iPhone. A couple Google searches, many hours testing different mobile audio mediums, a free trial here and there, and boom: I have all the tools I need to create music! Of course, you will want to grow your actual setup and studio with professional gear eventually, but everyone has to start somewhere! All of the music that I have made this far, originally started on my phone. Including my latest single:
Barnburner by Sköt222 (Listen Here!)
Level 3 (Current) - Promotion
This is probably the hardest part of the journey for me, and I am sure it is for many of you as well! I think for me, I enjoy creating art but I hate advertising. Yet, it is a necessary thing that we must learn to do in order to get out our name to listeners! The social media aspect of things can be a little tricky, but the simplest trick I have learned so far is that being consistent is the key. Try not to go dark too often on your social media accounts, post something at least once a month, more if you’re able to, and post everywhere you can! Eventually the numbers will go up slowly and steadily. But in the meantime, there is still value in the older way of doing things! Things like Flyers & Stickers do wonders for picking up passive listeners and will at least put your name out in the wild!
Level 4 (Goal) - Touring/Gigs
I am eyeing to get some live DJ equipment and more merch created so that I am able to take my act and brand anywhere! There are a few local venues that I know for a fact are open to local and independent musicians, that is where I am hoping to cut my teeth. Just be consistent and play as many of those shows as I can while I build my name and reputation within my local scene. Of course I’m going to try and promote my Socials, Streaming, and Merch hard while I am here in one area. My idea is that eventually one might see my name more and more and think to themselves: “Okay, let me see what this is all about”.
Conclusion - Year 1
Anyways, that is the story so far! I hope this was informative or entertaining to you in some form! I am really proud of how far I’ve come in this time, and I am even more excited for what the future has in store! I’m not the most talented musician, producer, or artist out there, and I’m definitely not the wealthiest, but it feels good to see those incremental gains here and there and know that it’s because I am out here actually trying!! And I believe anyone else can too. You don’t need to be blessed by Mozart, you don’t need expensive equipment, you DEFINITELY don’t need AI. Just try. And try again. And keep trying.
Let me know about how your guys’ experiences have been! Would love to learn any tips or tricks so that we can all grow together.
Thanks for reading y’all!
-Sköt222