🎵 You are not struggling to get booked because you are not good enough.
You’re struggling because no one knows what you’re the best at.
If people can’t associate you with a specific idea, you’re forgettable.
As musicians, standing out isn’t just about talent, it’s about clarity.
What makes you different becomes your strength.
There are two things that turn a hobbyist into an entrepreneur-artist.
When you combine them, everything starts to change.
1️⃣ Be radically authentic, and learn to shape that authenticity for your audience
A few days ago, I asked Juliana Kopp (on my linkedIn), a Berklee College of Music graduate and artist based in LA, what she thought was the biggest mistake young musicians make today.
Her answer deeply resonated with me:
“When musicians aren’t being authentic to themselves and their sound. I think it’s important to find your own sound and niche and not try to sound like other artists.”
That insight hit me hard, because it’s true.
Too many artists spend their early years trying to sound or look like someone else, hoping it will make them more “marketable”.
But in reality, the most powerful connection you can build comes from being unmistakably you.
And yet… authenticity in music isn’t just self-expression.
It’s also about understanding the people who connect with what you do.
Being authentic doesn’t mean creating in a vacuum, it means expressing your truth in a way that resonates with their needs and emotions.
That’s why I encourage every serious musician today to track how people interact with their website:
- Which songs do they replay the most?
- Which pages do they linger on?
- What makes them subscribe or buy tickets?
Because today, information is gold.
Social platforms already know it, that’s why they make money off musicians’ audiences every single day by selling ads.
They don’t just host your content… they own the relationship with your fans.
You build the audience, they monetize it.
In other words: they profit from your work, using your data, while you stay dependent on their ever-changing algorithms.
But when you collect and understand that data, through your own website, email list, or simple tracking tools, you take back control.
Suddenly, you know:
- Who your real fans are
- What kind of music moves them
- When they’re most likely to buy or book
- What messaging actually converts
And with that knowledge, you can:
✅ Communicate more meaningfully (no more guessing)
✅ Segment your audience (send the right message to the right people)
✅ Personalize offers (a student needs something different than a wedding planner)
…all while staying 100% true to your sound and vision.
That’s not just marketing, It’s artistic sovereignty.
That’s being both authentic and strategic.
2️⃣ Find your niche, and own it
Juliana also stressed something crucial: finding your niche. And she’s right,
a niche isn’t a limitation. It’s a growth amplifier.
When you focus on a specific audience or need, you stop blending in, and start standing out as the obvious choice.
For example:
A musician who serves only Christian events (weddings, baptisms, worship) shows up clearly for searches like “Christian musician for wedding”, with less competition and higher booking rates.
A vocal coach who teaches only kids appears for “vocal coach for children”, attracting parents who aren’t browsing… they’re ready to pay.
That’s the power of Google vs. social media:
- Social = entertainment.
- Google = intent to hire or buy.
Combine authenticity with a clear niche, and you stop being “just another musician online.”
You become the one people search for, remember, and trust.
That’s when your art becomes your business.
In business, success isn’t about what you want to offer,it’s about what your audience is ready to receive.