How to Utilize the Power Of Collaborations in Your Music

Are you using collaborations to effectively advance your music career?

Author:: JoeySuki
Updated:: Apr 18, 2018
Original:: Apr 16, 2018

Do you find yourself wondering why so many of the songs in the charts are collaborations? Clean Bandit & Jess Glynne, Ariana Grande & Iggy Azalea, Robin Thicke, T.I. & Pharrell… and don’t get me started on David Guetta! The reason for this is simple…

Collaboration = Exposure!

There are so many reasons why a collaboration can add value to your artist career.

Here are six of them to get you motivated:

1. Different Perspective

We all know that feeling of hitting a wall in the studio. Not knowing which way to go or what to do. That’s the moment where your partner in the studio comes in handy! When you’re in the studio with someone else, you have four ears to listen and you have two brains to be creative instead of one.

When you find yourself in the studio with someone else you will instantly notice that this is a completely different way of working in comparison with working on your own. You will have to work with the other person’s opinion and taste which could be really refreshing and annoying at the same time. You will get insights that you would have never got by yourself and you won’t be experiencing as many roadblocks as you’ve had before because the other person will take over once you hit a wall.

2. Expand Your Network

If you've already found someone to collaborate with, then obviously you've already expanded your network. Besides working on a track, you will also start to create a relationship with each other when you’re in the studio. This might help you in the future when you need people to get you to the next step. The person sitting next to you might be a local DJ who has a residency in a local bar and who is able to invite you there on a monthly base. Or he might be really connected with a lot of label managers which could help you make it easier to reach out to them in the future.

You probably have heard of the sentence: ”You are who you know”. Well, that is correct, when it comes down to the music industry.

3. Gain Experience and Knowledge

You can’t do everything on your own in life. We learn from each other. We spread knowledge by talking to each other. This also happens in the studio! When you are working with someone else you will notice that everyone has his own habits and routines. Some things might work better and quicker than your used to, some may not.

Everyone knows something that the other person probably doesn’t know, so besides having a new track at the end of the day, you’ve also learned something.

4. Using Each Others Following

As an artist you probably have a following, even if it’s 10 people, it’s a following. Well, guess what? The guy sitting next to you in the studio also has a following, too. Maybe even a bigger one!

When you spent time in the studio together you will make a guest appearance on his social media. He will notify his followers about you and they will be interested in you. (read; more followers).

So by collaborating, you don’t only have a new release coming up (if the track is good enough), you also build your following online by promoting each other.

5. New Revenue Streams

When you collaborate with someone it doesn’t necessarily have to mean that you have be in the title as well. You can also decide to go in a different direction. Maybe you would like to co-produce, ghost produce, or write the lyrics for someone without being featured. By doing this you can still collaborate, build your network, create a bigger following and gain experience and knowledge. When you co-produce, ghost produce or co-write other tracks you create a different stream of income which is always great.

6. Experience Other Genres

Most artists spend a lot of time producing the same kind of music. Simply because they’ve built a fanbase which has expectations and to manage those expectations, they don’t really dare to try out new genres. The best way to experience new genres is by collaborating because then you're being creatively influenced by the person you're working with. If he or she produces a different genre then what you normally create, then you can gain great insight about how to produce for that genre and audience.

I don’t recommend that you are only producing music for your audience but it could be a smart idea to think outside of the box every now and then. Especially to keep your own creative juices flowing.

These are just a few tips to get you going. Collaborating is the perfect way to grow your following and awareness.

What are you waiting for? Go look for a partner to collaborate with!

ABOUT JOEYSUKI

JoeySuki is a former career DJ and producer who has released collaborations with the likes of Hardwell, Kill The Buzz and Firebeatz. Apart from releasing original tracks on labels such as Spinnin, Revealed, Toolroom, and Defected, JoeySuki has toured all over the world performing in front of fans. After ten years, JoeySuki decided to step back from touring to pursue his passion to be an artist coach.

JoeySuki's approach to creative coaching provides artists the support they need and the objectivity to help them pursue their career goals.