The dance music industry is an industry with a high level of uncertainty and volatility. Independent artists and freelance music industry workers in particular face a lot of insecurity about finances, what their next opportunity will be, and when that will happen.

In times of crisis, it’s important to be resilient so that you can bounce back more easily when life throws you a curveball.

Can you really make a living in electronic music?
When you enter the dance music industry, you have a lot of passion, love for music, and big dreams. Unfortunately, all that can quickly cripple. The competitive nature of the beast, the pressure to be and stay relevant, the fast-paced trends, and no cookie-cutter roadmap to a steady paycheck.
You start to wonder if it’s actually possible for you to make a living in electronic music.

There isn't really a steady salary like a full-time job, nor are there specific hours. The money can be good but only if you're fully committed. Being active in electronic music comes with a lot of uncertainty. You need to be able to find ways to still thrive even during those moments.

If that sounds daunting to you, don’t worry, because it’s absolutely possible to make a living if you can train yourself to think like an entrepreneur. That means, creating a vision, a strategy, a clear action plan, and having the willingness to take action consistently.

Start by doing things for free?
There’s a common idea in the dance music industry that if you want to be successful in this industry these days, then you should just offer free services, make some connections and build relationships with people who you think have what it takes. After all, you should be lucky to be given an opportunity at all!

Here’s the thing, don’t let anybody fool you that this is the only way to go. If you decide it’s a good idea to play a few gigs or put in some hours into a project for free just because you want to build the experience, then, by all means, do that. However, don’t let anybody take advantage, or don’t ever take advantage of anybody in this way! At some point, you need to put a number to your value. You deserve that. Treat resources with respect and care, and that doesn't only relate to money, but definitely to your time, energy, focus, and attention!

Is it luck that defines “making it” in electronic music?
Do you just need to be in the right place at the right time? What is 'luck' in the business anyway? What is luck, period?

In this case, it's not luck, it's opportunity.

If an outcome involves exceptional luck, your success will be unsustainable. You won’t know what has worked for you because you weren’t involved enough and aware of the process that got you there, so you won’t know what to do to replicate that success, over and over again.

So don’t let it depend on luck! Instead, look at the things you can control so that you can take action with effect and not spread yourself too thin trying to do all the things.

This will be different for everybody obviously. Focusing on what you can control will help you play into your own strengths, understand where there’s room for improvement, and work on those specific things.

Relax, nothing is under control.
Uncertainty and circumstances beyond your control amplify feelings that were already there. Focus on what you can do right now and how you will prime yourself for when the uncertainty blows over. You can still troop on! In fact, in this video, I’m using a great example of how you can keep achieving success even in periods of uncertainty.

Focus on what you CAN control
Making a living in electronic music can happen for you if you focus on the below things - things you can always go back to no matter what the circumstances are. These are the things that you can control. several things.

Soul searching aka figuring out what you want to do and why you want to do it.
This will bring you clarity and will help you take purposeful action. Look at it as having an elevator pitch ready. Whenever you talk to someone and they ask you what you do,
For example, when you say you want to make it big, what does making it big even mean and why do you want that? What need is that going to fulfill for you? How is that going to help you in your life?

Having a clear vision
This will help you to identify the right opportunities for you and actually recognize them as they come along. This includes building relationships with other producers and people in the industry and knowing who exactly to connect with, in a way that makes sense to you. Not just because you think they are in key positions and you might need that person just because of their position. That’s disingenuous and quite frankly, that attitude of power play in this industry is getting old AF.
Network
Building genuine, authentic relationships is something you should do irrespective of whether you want to make a living in electronic music, mainly because the opportunities that come from simply knowing people are invaluable. It also helps you to build a genuine following. People who feel an emotional connection to you are more likely to support you, listen to your music, share it and buy your work.
Making a plan
It’s really simple. When you have a plan, you’ll know exactly what to do every day in order to achieve your goals. When you don’t, you’ll wonder every day what you have to do to achieve your goals.
Taking action aka showing up for your plan consistently.
Taking action even when you feel like you don’t have every piece of the puzzle in place yet. If you wait until it’s perfect, then you’ll wait forever.

Taking consistent action on your clear plan can get you results quicker than you think!
As the example in my video demonstrates, it’s important because it’s effective.

Do you want to learn what being successful in electronic music that can look like for you and understand how to thrive even in uncertainty?

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How To Thrive In Electronic Music During Periods Of Uncertainty

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