As an artist, creating an album/EP is challenging and demands certain strategies in place to make it successful. In our benevolence, we have highlighted the things you need to know as an artist, before working on your next album/EP.
Team Set-Up
Unless you are so sure you want to experience an unbearable level of burnout, you need a proper team. While some artists use their already established management, some create an entirely new team for the sole purpose of making an album then disband afterwards. This is essential as it reduces the burden of work on you and makes room for creativity.
Understand Your Audience
If for the longest time, you have been a club banger kind of artist and garnered a large fanbase as a result, it might not be in your best interest to casually switch to making an R&B album. As an artist, you should pay close attention to your audience as it would help you create an album/EP that fits their preference.
Create Effective Strategies For Marketing and PR
Whether you decide to hilariously dance on tiktok, walk on the road with JBL Speakers playing your song, or any other pattern you decide to employ, you need to plan out an effective way to promote your album.
Most times, we wonder why artists with amazing vocals and beautiful songs go unnoticed for years but suddenly start to show up in our faces. Sometimes, that is the role of effective marketing. To create an album/EP, an artist needs to take into consideration effective marketing channels for their music and key into them.
Consider Collaborations
Just before you put out your album or EP, you need to take into consideration ideas on collaborations. Depending on your vision for a particular project, you might either decide to eliminate any form of collaboration or make it happen.
Budgeting
As an artist, regardless of how beautiful or perfectly arranged an idea seems, without the requisite financial aid, it is dead on arrival. Money needs to flow into areas like marketing, publicity, production and collaborations (if any), and this should be done with a specific budget, save for emergencies.
Otherwise, you might have solitary dinners with Sapa and proceed to eat healthy portions of garri — I mean, who are we to come between you and your eyesight?
On a final note, just before you go into work-mode for your album, ensure you consult other artists or do you guys say colleagues? Whatever the case may be, reach out to those you admire and are within your reach to guide you on what needs to be done to create a topnotch project that would advance your musical career.
Chukwuebuka Mgbemena is a writer focused on the Nigerian & African entertainment industry. He loves fashion, art and is a staunch chess player.
