This is one of my favourite topics! Some people say - well music shouldn’t be about the money - and I agree, good music is made from a place of passion and talent. But why should you not earn an income from your IP? The music industry is set up as a business - a very profitable one. Without the music, there would be no business. Get yours.
This is the first one in the series - follow them all, make notes, brainstorm and make yourself a to do list. Set yourself some SMART goals and have fun achieving them!
Brand partnerships
Brand Partnerships can range from sponsorship deals to arrangements with record companies and developing artists. Land yourself a good partnership and you could have a relationship that is long term. Some artists become synonymous with the brands they work with and can become ambassadors.
With digital playing such a huge role in our lives, brands are having to come up with savvy ways of reaching new audiences. Powerful influencers can come in the shape of artists. Think about it - more brands than ever are doing partnerships with artists and ohline brands have made their presence felt - and seen - through strategic collaborations.
Think Boohoo Man and Quavo - who would have seen that coming? It made me look at Boohoo differently, I must admit! Also, Adidas and Stormzy, Puma and Nipsey, Skoda and Lady Leshurr - the list goes on.
So how can you get a piece of the brand pie? First and foremost you need to work on your own brand. You really need to be clear about this before going forward with approaching a company for a partnership, especially if you would like a long lasting relationship. Let’s assume you have done this step! Think about the following:
Who would you like to work with?
This doesn’t need to be a huge brand, it could be a local brand or new startup company. It’s easy to contact the founders of new companies and you can have conversations with the person in charge as opposed to going through a load of gatekeepers.
A great place to find startups is accelerators and incubators. There are loads! You could try Y Combinator, Ignite Accelerator, Natwest Accelerator, local Innovation Hubs, Founders Factory, Foundervine - once you find one, you will definitely find more. This way, you can quickly start conversations with founders and build relationships - even if it isn't right away - it's a connection you can nurture for future collaboration.
What are your values?
Do you have a set of brand values? What are they? For example - maybe you’re vegan or abstain from alcohol. Maybe you care about the environment, are keen to give back to the community or work with young people.
What are the values of your audience?
This is really important - does your audience have the same values as you? The likelihood is that they will at least have some values in common with yours. You need to leverage your audience to your advantage when pitching to brands. It’s important to know who they are.
What can the brand offer you? (not just money!)
Think about what the brand can offer you - it doesn’t have to be a financial reward. Is it goods or services? Maybe it’s access to a new audience - which will be very valuable if your brand values are aligned. It could also be support or advice. It’s up to you to figure out where you are on your journey, your needs and who can help you fulfill them. Remember it’s a two way relationship so you need to put as much thought into what you are offering to the brand.
What brands do you fit with?
Do some research into the different brands you match with. Check their audience size, their position in the market, their developmental needs, the type of posts they have on their socials - make notes. Spend some time studying them for a few days - is there anything happening at the moment that you could help with or get involved in?
Prep your pitch
Now you are sure of what you want to gain as well as what you can offer, you can prepare your pitch. It’s a good idea to break the ice with a conversation on social media before moving to a further conversation on email. Your pitch should be no longer than one page, easy to read and clear about your offering. Make it visually appealing and representative of your brand. You can create a one page powerpoint slide and convert it into a pdf. This shows professionalism as well as creativity. Make sure you have some text in your email - don’t just attach your document and send!
Some example text could be:
Hi (name)
Thanks for giving me your email - it was great to chat with you on (insert platform) earlier, I’ve attached a bit more info about what it is I do. I have a couple of ideas on how we could work together - let me know your thoughts and we could arrange a day and time to chat?
Thanks and look forward to hearing from you.
Have you tried pitching to brands before? How did you get on? Let me know in the comments!
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