Networking & Why it is Important

With any line of business, networking is essential in order to further one’s career. However, depending on what industry you’re looking into pursuing, will depend on the level of difficulty. Networking within the music industry tends to lean more towards the difficult side but understanding what it is why it’s important will help make the process run smoothly. 

What is Networking:

Networking is defined as “a group of people who exchange information, contacts, and experiences for professional or social purposes” (The Oxford Dictionary). However, if you were to ask a group of people to define this term, not one answer would be the same since it depends upon their use of networking. It can be used to make new friends, explore future career opportunities, develop your current career, find referrals, or broaden your professional horizon. No matter what way you choose to use it, it is still important to focus on networking as an exchange of information, contacts, and/or experiences.   

The Importance of Music Industry Networking:

It’s rare that you will go somewhere and not be told how important networking in the music industry is. Like everything else, it’s not what you know, but instead, who you know. Although it can be a cliché thing to hear or even say, it’s still very much a true statement. Music often tends to be a very collaborative process. The majority of hits these days are created by multiple songwriters, and once the song is written a producer (sometimes more than one) is involved, as well as a manager, record label, and publisher in order to make your music known. Once that happens, and artists start to become well known within the industry, they’ll need fashion designers, event coordinators to work with their managers, and more. For example, I was fortunate enough to meet Dapper Dan (right), a well-known American fashion designer, and Jetson (left), Dababy’s music producer. Through these experiences, I now have the opportunity to reach out to these them if ever I were to need their help. The more connections you have, the more opportunities you have and gives you a chance for recommendations for jobs. But most importantly, it allows you access to their connections as well. 

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"Social skills can take you anywhere. It helps create a genuine connection."

#Networking #Podcast #Atlanta #MusicProduction #BrandImage #Branding