Being in the entertainment business as long as I have, not to mention writing a weekly blog and hosting a weekly podcast, plus with the number of events that I speak at, you can appreciate the volume of questions that I get asked, via email, face-to-face, through social media, and so on. Some of them repeat, some of them are, ahem, quite unique, and others deserve praise for their depth and/or quality.
However, one question in the first half of 2020 that stuck with me was from a performer who wanted to know if I felt they should be on LinkedIn.
At first, we can understand why this would be asked by someone in that capacity. After all, when you create music you think of getting the songs themselves on platforms ranging from iTunes to Spotify to SoundCloud and more. And then, of course, when you turn the focus away from the music and onto its creator – yourself – you start to envision your own website and certainly YouTube, eventually settling on one or more out of the Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram trio.
As I wrote last week, music creators are putting a ton of pressure on themselves to make a go of this. That blog of mine stressed that they want to make sure that they’re doing everything they can to make this their full-time job.
Of course, you can be a solo artist and literally do everything yourself at home – write, perform, and record – but there’s strength in numbers. Maybe you’re not ready to put an entire team around you, but you do know that there are people out there who can help you and who you’d love to pick the brain of if not get some level of assistance from.
It all adds up to another reminder that this is a business!
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When you talk about the connections you’d like to make – booking agents, publishers, A&R folks – and then you ask me about platforms that you should be on, I’m operating from the foundation of this being a business. Where online are people going to make connections to further their business? LinkedIn.
This is where I tell you that nobody is paying me to endorse LinkedIn. I’m not getting any kickback for referring people over there to sign up. There’s no incentive for me in pointing you their way other than what it is every week when I write my blog or publish a podcast episode – to help you get ahead.
I’m presently sitting at more than 1,000 connections on LinkedIn. Do I have an active relationship with each and every one of those folks? Of course not. Do I use the platform regularly? Absolutely. I aim for five days a week, between posting on my page and/or the Now Hear This company page, or searching for connections (those I’m seeking specifically or those that they – quite accurately – recommend for me), or sometimes I’m just flat out surfing the feed.
If you tell me, “Yeah, I actually am on LinkedIn and I’ve never seen any benefit,” then I will challenge you with, “How active are you? Is your profile optimized?” Like anything else, you get out of it exactly what you put into it.
Let me re-state. You are in the music business. LinkedIn is the app/online platform for doing business. So yes, you should be on there.
What other questions do you have for me about the entertainment industry? Take advantage of my more than 15 years in the business. Tweet at me to @NHT_tweets. Alternatively, use Facebook or – duh – LinkedIn (or even email) to get in touch.