So You Want To Make It As A Musician

Drumming up an audience for your music isn't impossible, but it takes a lot of hard work and dedication. The pros offer their advice. 

By Angie Balata

  You've got talent, passion and a burning desire to be a star one day. And when that happens, you want it to be because of your music, not because you’re another pretty face. You’re not interested in following a formula dictated by a big-name commercial label. What’s the secret? Commit to Music as a Career, Not a Hobby. It’s a 24-hour job, with lots of competition and obstacles, and very little advantages. You have to be completely dedicated so ask yourself if this is what you really want. Know the Scene. Listen to lots of music and attend every musical event possible. Musician Hany Mustafa advises that it is not only important to listen to what’s going on in Egypt, but also what’s happening internationally. The independent scene, specifically, is a big scene and many now legendary artists — think Mahmoud Refaat, Yehya Khalil, and Fathy Salama — began in small bands. Create Your Own Identity. Figure out what you want from the world. As PanSTARRS musician Youssef Abou Zeid says, “The universe is not about fame and money. See what it wants from you and what you want from it.” Then, choose a name that reflects your musical identity, not just because it sounds good. Create a logo reflects the image you want to portray. Remember the logo and name are part of the process, work on them as you work on the music. Be Unique. Avoid genres like ‘Oriental Fusion’ or ‘Contemporary Arabic,’ which paste Arabic lyrics into English melodies or vice versa. Don’t copy others: What’s going to get you heard is your own sound. So let yourself be influenced by the scene but don’t be a follower. Don’t rely on lyrics from café poets or friends — write your own stuff. And of course, don’t ever steal music. If you want to use a piece of music or a lyric, ask permission and give credit where it’s due. Network, Network, Network. Get online, specifically Facebook, and find out who’s doing what and where. There are pages to connect artists with each other and with different opportunities. This industry is full of people who are kind enough to help and give advice. If they like your work, some may even share their spotlight or promote your music. Some of the bigger bands like Arabian Knightz or Masar Egbari are keen on reaching out to younger musicians with new music. Figure Out Your Sound. You can be a great musician, but if you don’t know how you want your music to sound technically, then you’re never going to impact your audience. A good sound engineer is only as good as the musicians, and a successful musician understands how sound engineering works. At Sonic studio, Essam El Seherty and Hussein Sammi, two of the best sound engineers in this country, give workshops in sound production. Epic 101 also helps up and coming musicians connect with the experts. Never Stop Practicing. It’s time to jam. Established musicians will tell you that they are learning every day, even after years of playing. Find workshops and jam sessions that will help you work on your music. Most of the studios — including 100 copies, Epic 101, Studio Emad Eddin, and Vibe — have educational programs and some of the cultural centers give specialized workshops. Some of the musicians from the bigger bands like Fathy Salama also offer workshops or music lessons on the side. Record Your Music. Mahmoud Refaat of the 100 Copies record label says all you need is a mic and sound card for the computer. “I record and in one click it goes online and lots of people will be listening to it. […] If the music is good, after [you put]it online, someone will call and say, ‘Hey I have a stage, come and play’.” Recording your music also lets you listen to your own work and learn from your mistakes. Share it and have other musicians give feedback. Criticism is a good thing. Promote Yourself. You don’t need TV and radio for your big break, you need to know how to promote yourself. Step one: create a Facebook page and link it to your Soundcloud, MySpace and BandCamp pages. Upload your music and share it with all your friends and with other big sites like Reverbnation, Mideast Tunes, etc. Create a media portfolio, with an engaging band profile in both English and Arabic, a set of print- and web-quality professional photos of your band in action and publicity poses, and footage of live shows. Send your music and portfolio to publications to see if they’ll review your work. Hussein Sherbini says The Wetrobots’ press pack landed them airtime on BBC Radio. “We’d send this to 200 places every single day — labels and blogs. There was this site called Hypem, and you choose a blog that suits your music and sent to them. So we sent to the presenters on BBC and one called us for an interview. Our strong press pack then made us seem organized, which was interesting for them.” Play Gigs. In addition to the usual venues, talk to your local studio: they may help set up gigs. Reach out to local cultural centers to see if they have slots open at festivals and other concerts. Egypt is more than just Cairo, so find out which cities have active cultural centers, introduce yourself to them and ask about playing there. Refaat advises musicians to play everywhere including clubs, bars, pubs and private parties. This is not only where you will be able to live off your music (in addition to the other venues and cultural centers), but, “all the musicians contribute to our culture and we all need them to. The diversity playing in bars and whatnot [lets] us hear different sounds and be exposed to different ideas and things.” That said, be careful when you’re setting up your gigs. Venues and promoters are not always so honorable. Sherbini cautions, “Most of us artists will play for free. Never play for free. If you are going play for free, do it once and never twice. And understand bargaining. If you ask for 3000, he’s going to want to give you 1500. But be reasonable.” Make an Album. There are pros and cons to recording a CD. For one, it’s a long, very hard and expensive process, and in Egypt, CDs don’t sell well because of piracy. The Epic 101 team also points out that physical CDs are no longer the big goal. But for a label, a CD shows their artists’ accomplishments and adds to their catalog (i.e. the music they own as a label) and it is in their benefit that you are properly promoted. For the artist, it is important for your CV, especially if you are sending your music around. Some bands, like PanSTARRS and Mashrou3 Leila release their albums for free download, while others try to sell their work through iTunes, Amazon or other online outlets. Whether released digitally or as a CD, an album is a sign of your musical accomplishments. To create a great album, you need to have a solid idea of what the album is about, what track fits the story you are trying to tell, how you are going to tell that story, and the artwork. Ultimately, doing an album is important for your career. et