Mr Bill: 6 Steps to Music Mastery
Emanate co-founder Jimi Frew sat down with Mr Bill for an AMA hosted on the emanate Discord. Those lucky enough to tune in live gained a valuable insight into the music industry from an artist who has essentially set the blueprint for independent artists everywhere.
The producer turned entrepreneur has made a name for himself, not just for producing great music, but as a teacher; pulling back the curtain and sharing his knowledge with other producers. This has become a valuable revenue stream for an artist determined to do things his way.
We played back the tape to find some of the most noteworthy tips so you wouldn’t forget them!
1. Building a Community
Building a community is one of the most challenging hurdles facing artists today. When there are so many platforms available to us, getting in touch with your fans should be easy, but with so much noise — cutting through becomes a real struggle.
Mr Bill says that platforms like Patreon are great, but encourages creators to have their own dedicated platforms to connect with and show off their work. What does that mean exactly? A website.
Build one, drive people to it and make sure your content is educational or entertaining enough to keep them there!
2. Labels
For many artists, getting signed to a label is the goal. Once you’re in the safe harbour of a label, you’re set. Right?
Well maybe, but Mr Bill doesn’t agree. He thinks that labels are no longer necessary; that the internet has made them all but obsolete. Rather than paying labels attention, Mr Bill thinks artist should produce, release and market themselves on their own. You’ll keep full creative control and be free to do whatever you want, however you want to do it.
That’s all that matters.
3. Income Streams
Want to be a full time musician but aren’t earning enough from your music streaming? Diversify your income streams! Mr Bill has dedicated a huge amount of time into his educational content; teaching other producers how to use the tools to create the best music they can. It includes hours of video tutorials, sample packs and instructional content to turn anyone into an ‘Abletoneer’ — a master of Ableton.
This huge database has become a great income stream for Mr Bill who then uses that money for studio time. Basically, don’t put all your eggs in one basket!
Music is a vast landscape, explore it.
4. Growing a Fanbase
This one is simple: Content. More of it.
Put out more content than the person next to you. Put out more content than the labels do. More than that, find other artists that are in your niche and collaborate with them! This will open you up to a like-minded audience and be mutually beneficial to everyone.
When creating content, explore the options available to you and recycle content across different platforms — this will free you up from having to make platform specific content for hours and hours.
For example, a Twitch livestream can be turned into a great ten minute YouTube video. That video can then be cut into thirty smaller TikTok videos.
5. Don’t Limit Yourself
This applies to just about everything within music. No genre is off limits, no aesthetic too weird; no instrument too obscure. There is an entire musical universe out there waiting to be explored and no one has the map.
6. Balance
Mr Bill stressed the importance of balance when going on this musical journey. When it comes to mental and physical health, balance is key. Don’t overwork yourself. Instead, make sure to split your time between work and pleasure — and try get away from your computer for the pleasure part. Go outside, read, talk to a friend. Time away from your desk is not time wasted.
A community that instantly rewards artists and music lovers for their creative expression and dedication to music.