Identifying Your Unique Selling Point as a Musician

Credit: RobStone/Flickr

Unless you were immediately snapped up by a manager and/or huge agency after graduating, the business of building your image as a freelance professional rests fairly and squarely on your shoulders alone. Please remember that image without talent is like a violin minus a string. Equally, an awesome artistic gift is severely limited in potential if you fail to develop an appropriate image to accompany it.

As a freelance musician, I’ve seen individual careers dominated by the image the musician cultivates. So what is image? In simple terms, your image is how you are perceived by others. This can refer to your public persona, private life or both.

The Traditional View

In the freelance music world, classic music marketing will advise you to break down that definition into “public” and “private.” In practice, this means it doesn’t matter that you have the personality and style of Lady Gaga; on the concert platform, traditionalists’ claim that you are seen as a professional only if you maintain the impression of an uncomfortable stuffed penguin.

Frankly, I’m not surprised that classical music has become an irrelevance to the majority of the populace, especially the younger generation. Neither does it come as a shock to learn that audiences are dwindling and average age increasing.

The academics in their scholastic towers seem largely unsupportive as they cling to their own educated egos, emphasis on paper qualifications and argument that classical music is “high art” which should not be “popularised and therefore debased.”

I argue that the industry is well overdue for an overhaul in the image department and I’m not alone.

The Innovative Approach

Mercifully for the general public, growing numbers of musicians are embracing the Internet buzz words “authenticity” and “transparency.”

Human beings are curious by nature – consider the popularity of TV soap operas. Dare to be different and assume for one moment that audiences are not only fascinated by the music you produce but even more interested in discovering more about the person behind the art – what makes you tick; your story.

Have you ever wondered why so many artists fall too easily into a life of alcohol and drugs? Unless you would prefer a recipe for potentially developing a damaging psychological disorder, I strongly suggest that your image is based on the real you. To my mind, it’s sheer folly to try and separate your character and life experiences from your craft. Your music reflects you; you are your music; ergo your image.

Discovery Exercises:

• Work through a few on-line personality type tests
• Ask your family describe your character in 100 words or less
• Look through your wardrobe as if you were a stranger. What sort of person do you see?
• What are your interests outside music?
• What emotional challenges have you had to face and how do you draw on these when making decisions on interpretation?

Your USP

USP is marketing speak for Unique Selling Point. You might like to think of this as your “X-Factor” – that additional “something” you can offer that enables you to shine above the thousands of others vying for attention in the marketplace.

Try these questions:

• What can you offer your industry that is unique to you?
• List the reasons why people should pay good money to come and hear you play as opposed to better known musicians.
• Define the demographics and composition of the type of audience you aim to attract.
• Can you offer an experience as opposed to a recital?
• Do you mix art forms in one event e.g., music, photography and food?

Working through these exercises, be sure to keep the answers safe. Your findings will become very important when considering branding – a topic I’ll discuss in a future post.

Photo credit: Some rights reserved by RobStone on Flickr