10 Steps To Building A Career As a Full-Time DIY Musician

Like many of the artists who've leveraged the web to build a DIY career, Kellee Maize has created her own lane in the industry. And, like others, she and her team are putting things together in a way that may or may not fit now established assumptions about building independently. But she's earning a full-time living, now has a Toyota Hybrid sponsorship and, if she goes the signing route, she'll be in a much better position than those who aren't able to negotiate from a position of strength.

People that don't slot into an industry template, like Lindsey Stirling, are finding unique ways to build DIY careers that position them to keep building independently and, potentially, to negotiate a much better record deal than they would based on being talented but pliable.

Team Kellee Maize has been taking such a route and now Maize is passing on her secrets in an article titled:

"How I 'Made It' in the Music Industry: My Top 10 Tips"

1. Don't Do Free Shows

2. Don't Contact Music Blogs

3. Don't Worry About "Getting Signed"

4. Give Your Music Away For Free – The Legal Way

5. Submit Your Music to Jamendo, Frostwire & Free Music Archive

6. Charge For Your Music

7. Let Others Make Money Off Of Your Music

8. Use Social Media To Turn Your "Followers" Into Friends

9. Make sure you have an AWESOME EPK

10. Email is the Holy Grail

Hey, wait a minute!

This doesn't look like it makes any sense. Don't do free shows but give your music away? Don't contact music blogs?

Guess you'll have to read the full article to figure out the details and how they fit together.

Maize is an excellent example of an integrated approach to building that succeeds because it's all tied together through accumulated knowledge, trial and error, pursuing what works and not following rules set by others who don't necessarily have your best interests at heart.

[The above thumbnail is the cover of Kellee Maize's fifth studio album, "The 5th Element."

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Hypebot Senior Contributor Clyde Smith (Twitter/Facebook) is currently relaunching All World Dance. To suggest topics about music tech, DIY music biz or music marketing for Hypebot, contact: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.

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