How to launch your artist career like a start up in 2019

The Reboot conference, a music business education event, held at ICMP in June saw the great and the good from the sector debate and discuss the latest music industry topics. 

Among the speakers was our Music Business alumna, Nina Rubesa. Nina has enjoyed an exciting career to date, working with companies including CAA, Universal Music, ATC Management and Talent Republic. She’s also launched her own music industry podcast, Dauntless and her own stage show. 

So we were delighted she agreed to come and give a lively presentation at Reboot. 

Check out the essential advice from her talk and read her more extensive guide here… 

Who are you as an artist? 

All artists say they want to be mysterious - but it’s not you. We want authenticity. 

And how do you be authentic? Draw a timeline of your life and look at the key events. 

Don’t just be a country singer. Be a country singer with a story. Perhaps you stand for body positivity or something else that makes you stand out." 

Create your world 

Use content to create your own universe. Develop a six to 12 month content strategy whether that be through podcast, blogs or whatever else you enjoy. It should be fun and help you create a community around you. Once this is in place, then you can monetise. But be strategic. Social media is about more than just putting a photo on Facebook or Instagram. 

For example, last year I created a podcast. I got to go into offices and speak with music industry folk about their hopes and fears… 

I don’t care about your generic PR

Generic doesn’t work. We need a story and one which is unique to you. This will give you so much more power as an artist. Don’t pay £2k a month to send an email to get a feature in Clash Mag. People will see through it. Create a great PR story yourself, then use a virtual assistant to get them to do the heavy lifting of sourcing email addresses or relevant events. 

Develop your mindset

In sport resilience is extremely important and it’s the same with music artists. They need to take this seriously. A number of artists in the creative industries are suffering from mental health issues. You need to develop resilience so, in the social media age, you're not fazed by a mean comment. 

Whether it be a BBC Introducing play or a Clash premiere, try and be different and think about how you build your career.  

It’s not rock and roll. I get up early, do yoga, figure out how to raise funds to keep myself going. But I’m driving my career, sailing the ship. It means I need to be clear about where I’m going."  

Stand for something

It matters now more than ever. In this world as it currently is, artists have the power to make us listen and they’re the only ones who can make us care… 

Visit ninarubesa.co to find out more.