Your choice, who are you playing for? We know. You are playing your music for yourself because you enjoy it. You like it and that's all that matters. After all, you are an artist.

Hold on a minute. We are talking about 'Professional Musicians' now. They're the guys that make money out of playing their music. If you are going to be a Professional Musician, you have to start looking at your act from your customer's point of view instead of yours. Remember the golden rule: 'the person with the gold rules!'

All professionals love what they do and get heaps of satisfaction out of doing it. That's why they get into it in the first place, right? But, remember what we just said? If you want to be professional then you are going to make money out of it. And if you are going to make money, you must have customers. They are the people that give you some of their hard-earned money in exchange for what you give them.

Murray Raphel is a very switched on American businessman who works as a consultant, writes books , runs courses, and runs a very successful retail business. He says there are two secrets to a successful business. If you know them and use them, you will be successful. If you do not know them and or fail to use them, your business will fail. These secrets are just as applicable to the success of your band as to any other business. The secrets are quite simple: 1, Ask your customer what they want. 2, Give it to them. Whow! Read that again and think about it very carefully. Before you try and use this, you have to figure out who your customers are going to be! Then you can ask them what they want. Then you get to the giving it to them part!

Arrrrah! 'Was that a scream, I just heard?'

'Did I hear you right? "You said ask people what they want and play it for them?" No way, I play the sort of music I play because I like it!'

Let's put a couple of ideas together here. First up, the punters respond to what they want to and it is very unlikely you are going to change that (Don't believe us? Try and convince Bruce Willis to like Rap music). Second, if you want to go professional you have two choices:

1. Find an audience that likes what you want to play, and play it for them. They will be happy and you will get paid.

2. Find an audience, ask them what they want to hear, and play it for them. They will be happy and you will get paid.

In both cases the audience (the customers) get what they want, and that is what matters! You just work there!
 

GET PAID INDEX
The Get Paid section of the site is a guide to how you can make a living from your music. This is an index of the pages in the Get Paid section.
Want to be a professional musician? Be professional!

Who are your customers?

What do your customers want?

What is your bands brand?

How many potential customers do you have?

Promotion.

Find a role model.

Recommended books.

Up The Loyalty Ladder by Neil Raphel and Murray Raphel is an excellent book which could help you turn potetial customers into loyal advocates of your product. Click here for more details.
 

Who are your customers going to be and what do they want?  You will have several types of customers. Some of them will be the customers of your customers! One type of customer will be the people that book your act. They employ you to turn up at their place and play. Another type of customer is the person that comes to listen to you (and stays). Yet another type of customer is the one that will buy your CD's (if you're cutting them). You now have the chance to ask them what they want, and give it to them.

Another important idea is to realise your customers are not like you! They have different beliefs and values. Some have a lot more money than you, some have a lot less. Some value their time more than you, some less. Learn what you can about them. What do they have in common?