Even independent artists need a team, be sure to keep a great group of friends and business partners around to help maximize your full potential.

For any musician looking to withstand time in this industry, building a strong team around your music should be a top priority as it could make a huge difference as you grow as an artist.

5 Key Players that will Help Develop Your Music Career

During the early stages of your career, you'll be a lone wolf, you'll be taking on responsibilities of being a self-promoter, manager, booking agent, and much more.

As you progress, it is key to relieve some of that pressure by adding some key individuals to rely on.

But what individuals should be apart of your team?

We have put together a list of the people that you should be working with to help build your team.

Just to be clear, the members that I recommend aren't necessarily all required, one person can fulfill multiple roles.

As you grow and progress more and work will need to be done to help get you to where you want to be.

MANAGER

A hard-working manager can help you maximize your full potential at a rapid rate.

This person will be responsible for every aspect of your artistic career, this person needs to be someone you trust and most importantly, this has to be someone that has faith in you and your work. A lot of young musicians are in a rush to find a manager, there is no need for this.

As an upcoming artist is it perfectly fine to manage yourself during the early stages before finding a manager or before one finds you. 

BOOKING AGENT

A booking agent has the responsibility of trying to land shows and appearances.

Their main role is to help you get booked and to coordinate live performances.

(Note: some individuals do require payment for these services, typically 10-15% of earnings).

These shows and appearances can be anything from festival slots, one-off shows, or even modeling opportunities.

It's pretty easy to find a booking agent by some simple googling, but typically if you're making some steam within your space or scene, a booking agent will find you. 

DISTRIBUTOR

This one is funny, in the old days a distributor used to be an actual person that would help you get your physical CDs into records stores.

Now, thanks to technology and streaming, that role has been replaced by software.

If you want to release your music to large digital stream platforms (aka DSPs) you need to sign up for music distribution.

These music distributors are the gatekeepers to getting your music to the ears of listeners. 

PUBLICIST

A publicist can be viewed as many different entities.

This person could be a member of a Public Relations (PR) company, a freelancer, or a playlist pitcher who handles contacts at large DSPs.

The job of a Publicist is to help gain more awareness and exposure for your music by reaching out to online blogs, playlist editors, and other types of the music press. 

Having a publicist that has a list of connections and a track record of reeling in big press and placements for artists.

This individual is KEY for brand development, your publicist makes contacts on your behalf and promotes your music to the right people. 

DESIGNER/PHOTOGRAPHER 

Maybe you are used to creatively handling all aspects of your career, designing your graphics, logos, posters, websites?

We sure we are all capable of creating some very dope stuff online, with tools like photoshop and online photo editors we can become pros with a little practice. 

When crafting a personal brand developing your artist image, bringing in designers can streamline the process and get you up to speed quickly. 

Same with having a designated photographer to snap those action shots at your shows and performances, this is a must.