It’s time to stop paying for playlist pitching.

To clarify, if you’re an artist, it’s in your best interest to never pay for a company to pitch your music to third party Spotify Playlists again.

Simply put, there is no longer a viable path for success when hiring these services. It can only either damage your data or your pocket book.

Venture Music has a deep history when it comes to playlisting that has led us to this conclusion. A conclusion we’ve been whispering into as many ears as possible. Well, we’re tired of whispering.

With life as we know it coming to a screeching halt this year - livestream concerts have turned out to be one of only a few ways the music industry has maintained some semblance of normalcy in 2020. It’s exciting to see light at the end of the tunnel with COVID vaccines already in production. It has also been fun to see innovative new limited capacity live show concepts.

For now though - anyone that performs for a living needs to remember: it’s unrealistic to think 2021 will be a return to business as usual. The good news is that we’ve seen from experience this year - livestreams have the potential to create up to 5 different layers of value for artists. Like with anything else it just takes some experimentation, hard work, and patience to figure out the formula for success.

As the holiday season approaches, it might be difficult for a lot of people to find the right gifts to get the musician in their life. Luckily, the Venture staff help put together a list that’ll be sure to make the music-lover in your life happy, no matter the price.

There comes a time for every artist when they make the decision to transition from viewing music as a hobby to trying to make an actual career for themselves. As with all industries, the independent artist’s success is highly dependent on the team they surround themselves with. While the size, composition and complexity of each team varies from artist to artist, the fact remains that knowing when and how to effectively build your team is one of the most important steps in ensuring a successful career in music. 

A few months ago my life’s work was finally realized. One random weekday afternoon just driving down the highway. Out of nowhere I realized… holy shit, I’m successful. Just like that. A life-changing realization as boring and meaningless as it sounds.  After more than 10 years of hard work, focus, and uncertainty. There was no big check. No contract or deal. No eureka moment I’d always envisioned. Still, the same feeling of relief was there. 

As a creative, it makes sense that you’d want to focus all of your efforts on your art. Learning the business side of the industry may not seem as important as learning to hone your craft. But if you want a career, especially a robust one, then you need to understand the flip side of the coin. Talent is the foundation of an artist’s success, but marketing, networking and branding is what not only builds careers, but empires. Just take a look at Jay-Z. That’s why we recommend you treat yourself not only as a musician, but also as a business.

I want you to take a minute to give yourself some credit. If I had to guess, you probably don’t do that very often. Probably because you’re too busy focusing on what’s ahead. Stop for a second, though, and remember something very important. You are a rare breed.

When faced with the critical decision: “What am I going to do with my life?,” you made a choice very few make. You trusted your gut and followed your passion. Maybe against the advice of people you respect. You understood pursuing a career in the entertainment business was risky. But in the end, you believe more than anything that loving what you do is important.

No one pursues a career in following their dreams because it’s a safe bet. It takes a serious degree of confidence and fearlessness to take the plunge and do what you’ve already done. Do yourself a favor, don’t forget that.

Along with almost every industry feeling the impact of 2020, the entertainment industry is reeling from an especially hard hit this year. We’re being forced to find new solutions to new problems almost daily -- but it’s not all bad.

Partnerships between musicians and social media influencers have created some of the most popular and impactful forms of marketing over the past few years. While there’s endless opportunities of engaging the new and exciting approach, it can also come across as an expensive investment that seems too overwhelming to include in your next campaign. 

Before you completely scratch a social media influencer partnership off your list, let’s go over some creative and effective ways you can plan to build your social media influencer collaborations.