As an artist, you are constantly looking for ways to develop your art and expand your audience and fan base. This can look like a lot of different factors all happening at once. If your music doesn’t support your financial needs, then it means finding employment that makes strategic sense to support you toward your goals. It also means having a realistic road map to success with goals that can scale into the ultimate accomplishment that you want to see.
One common goal that a lot of artists share is the desire to release a music video to their growing fan base. A music video presents a lot of unique opportunities for musicians and artists alike. While an artist’s most impactful connection to their fans is through music, a music video provides a unique opportunity to do this on the visual plane.
This means that you have the chance to let your community of followers and fans into the world of your art in a very special way. Allowing a visual connection to be established with your music can set the tone for your art in impactful and appreciable ways that your fans will like. Not only that, but music videos can be incredible tools for reaching new fans and expanding your audience.
If you have been thinking about producing your first music videos, here are some quick dos and don’ts to keep in mind!
1. Do – Story Board
This is very important, and a step that protects your investment in this kind of project. While there are cost-effective means of making a music video, the truth is they take a lot of work and talent to create. They can also represent a significant financial investment that needs to be taken seriously. That’s why conceptualizing the music video through panel-by-panel storyboarding is such a good thing to do.
This step is tedious and time-consuming, but it helps you and your team think critically about every aspect of the music video before time and resources get poured into its production. This is a stage to dream big but it also helps you get real and actually map out what you are able to really pull off. If you are new to the process of storyboarding, there are online resources like Youtube videos that you can watch that better explain and prepare you for this stage.
2. Don’t – Cut a Video Distribution Service From the Budget
Okay, so chances are that if you are putting out a music video as an independent artist the budget might be an area of special concern and attention. Truth be told, even most DIY music videos typically still represent some kind of cost, and you can invest quite a bit of financial capital into the creation of a music video depending on the level of production you want. With that being the case, it’s completely normal to look for every opportunity that you possibly can to save money. Because of this, you may think that cutting out a music video distribution service could be a financially wise move – however, this may affect the impact of your video’s release in a negative way.
After all, why make a video if it won’t have the best chance possible of reaching as large an audience as possible? A music video distribution service helps you and your team accomplish this in a couple of important ways. First, a music video distribution service can upload your music video to every major streaming service that you care about. While it’s free for anyone to upload a music video to Youtube, the process of getting a video on Spotify or Apple Music is not nearly as user-friendly.
Not only that, but it streamlines and automates the entire process so that you and your team can focus on other important details like the social media build-up for the release itself.
3. Do – Make Sure You Have a Team
This is very important – it may seem romantic, but solo-riding the creation of a music video can have some negative outcomes. Not only can you benefit from using a team of creatives that you trust to produce a better product, but you can also lean on them in areas in which you may not feel confident. When you put together your team, make sure you are comfortable and confident in every person who is fulfilling a role – from the cinematographer to the director and post-production editor.
Conclusion
There are a lot of factors to seriously take into consideration when producing a music video – the good news is that with the right people, and planning you can do this! While it will take a good amount of work and effort, a music video can be well worth your time and investment in the end!
