Using kindness to aid your success in the music industry

Kindness is undoubtedly one of the most important traits in the music industry if you are looking to achieve success. After all, a lot of achievements are in-part due to the connections and relationships that we have. For example, getting a million Spotify streams on your song would be due to the strong relationships with curators. In this article, we’re going to discuss how you can use kindness to progress your career, and why It’s an extremely important trait if you wish to be successful.

99% of the time, people within the music industry give with a clear expectation of receiving something in return. For example, if a blogger writes up your song, they’ll often expect social media posts based on the article across your Facebook and Instagram. However, it is this exact style of thinking that often stifles many people from achieving their ambitions. If they are simply able to generate positive relationships with people across the EDM industry, it gives them leverage in the future when they actually need something. For example, an artist could constantly invite bloggers to their shows (without the clear expectation of a write up every time) just to build a relationship. Then, when the time comes in which they release new music, the artist has extremely strong relationships to guarantee a great presence across multiple blogs.

As previously stated, just simple acts of kindness can go an extremely long way in the future. A writer at an EDM blog may go on to be the CEO of an extremely successful media company, or that artist who DM’d you on Instagram could go onto become the next Martin Garrix. That dude who asks for a selfie together after your set could go on to purchase every single piece of merchandise that you put out. You simply don’t know where people are going to end up in the future. Therefore, being kind is an extremely good business strategy for long-term success.

Something you should understand is that a lot of people are fighting their own battle within their lives. For example, the Spotify playlist owner who promised to feature your song may be struggling through their own issues, and thus unable to add your song for a few days. Just a simple act of being kind and being there for them as a genuine friend can go a long way in the future, and make them more likely to reciprocate the action by helping you out. But also, it simply feels good to be a kind human being. Within the EDM industry, a lot of people strive for a great legacy and fame. If you’re kind (and thus everyone likes you), there is a higher probability of your dreams coming true due to the idea of people wanting to help you reach success because of your kindness.

Another way that you can use kindness to be successful in the industry is that by realizing people are always watching you. Across social media, and in real life, people are watching your actions and judging you as a person. The next generation of music producers is most likely looking up to you in order to understand how they should be treating other people within the electronic music industry. If you are kind and respectful to everyone else, it certainly shows that you’re creating a very good example for them.

Also, being kind helps strengthen the relationships between yourself and your team (which is extremely important). When on a tour or simply with somebody constantly, you have to be on the lookout for each other. It’s tough out there. The music industry can be brutal. If you’re completely selfish and only have your own interests at heart, there’s a probable chance of relationships with your management etc deteriorating. Instead, you should be constantly liaising with them in order to understand each other’s needs and desires when it comes to being on the road. Sometimes you just have to put up with people’s habits – despite them bothering you for a short period of time.

If you’re stuck on ideas of how you can practically be kind to other people within the music industry, here are a couple of ideas to get you started:

• Offer to take a friend out for lunch to talk about music. It will help to generate a more personal connection between you both.
• Find a way to help someone out and get them closer to their ambitions. Karma is always practical.
• Simply thank them for following their passion and dreams. Something as simple as this will give your friends/peers a motivation boost – and will most likely reciprocate in the future.
• Create an intro that allows them to network with other people.

Also, 9 times out of 10, kindness is always rewarded. Of course, it may not be immediately (as many people within the music industry would hope). However, if you are kind to people, there is often a strong probability of them being kind to you as well. In order to kickstart your career, start generating relationships with the likes of Spotify playlist curators and booking agents. The reality is that genuinely kind people within the industry almost always end up being successful due to their ability to communicate with people and establish amazing relationships in many different niches. If you are able to give without expectation, people will start doing the same to you.