Does Your Music Have Value?
This week's question from our Q&A portal "Francis Freedom Fighters: Ask Roxie + Lucas" and comes from someone who attended our live training this week on how to grow your fanbase and profitable music biz.
“I love creating and sharing music with my fans, but I don’t feel like I can ask my fans to buy from me. I just don’t see why anyone would want to buy my music, especially during this time when money’s so tight for people?”
For centuries musicians have been fed “the starving artist” mentality by their parents, teachers, society and even friends! The proof that this is not true is all around us!
To start, all you have to do is look at all the countless major label artists every year who’ve created multi-million empires around their music.
But this also holds true at the indie label level AND for totally independent artists who are making MILLIONS on their own... And this continues to hold true during the quarantine.
WHY do people spend so much on music?
Because it has ENORMOUS value.
As musicians and artists, we transform people’s mindsets and hearts. We change their beliefs and feelings about who they are and what is possible for them. We are alchemists: in a moment we can transform a space and the people in it--whether IRL or virtually--through our vibration, lyrics, message, presence and passion.
We bring people hope, inspiration, empowerment, confidence, courage, determination, joy, and closure. We save lives.
These are some of the most valuable, truly priceless offerings in humanity. This is why people will pay $50 for a t-shirt at a concert!
We as musicians and lightworkers must take our worth and our power back.
The only difference for so many of the artists we’ve spoken and worked with for 20 years is that YOU don’t think YOUR music has value.
To change this, you need to connect with your own value you bring.
Ask yourself: “why don’t I think my music has value or I deserve to be paid for creating it?”
On a deeper level, this often ties into a belief that you don’t DESERVE to be paid. You may believe that other artists who are successful deserve it, but you don’t.
The only difference between successful artists and you is that they made a decision to be successful and to claim their worth--which means being able to receive by being paid for the value they offer.
Your purpose during your time on the planet is to be visible and consistent in your niche so you can be SEEN by your fans who are meant to discover you. Then create from a space of love and service to your tribe of megafans who need what only you uniquely give them.
The truth is, until you claim your worth and your birthright to be successful by having a career that makes the impact on the people you’re meant to, you won’t be able to confidently offer your services knowing that the value your music brings is far beyond any dollar amount.
And if you don’t CREATE opportunities for your fans to buy from you and ASK them to, you won’t be able to fund your career, and instead will have to keep another job you hate that takes your best time and energy away from the one thing you’re put here to do.
Fund your music biz with your music so you can grow it and make a bigger impact. You cannot make your impact without funds, time and energy.
And with covid, #blacklivesmatter and everything else going on in 2020, people need inspiration, joy and hope more than ever.
You can choose to agree with everyone else that music doesn’t have a value and not put yourself out there.
OR you can change your beliefs, create your own success and change the narrative for other musicians and artists that music has value that’s worth paying for.
It’s time to change the “Starving Musician” myth once and for all. Are you ready to prove them wrong?
If you’d like to submit a question, email us at info@iheartmyvoice.com.