I get it… Creativity comes and goes. If you’re stuck in a rut, collaborating with other musicians is a great way to get the creative juices flowing. In addition to boosting creativity, collaborating with others expands your network and helps to grow your reach to new audiences you may not have been able to reach alone. When it comes to collaborating successfully, there are a couple things you can do to make the experience as fruitful as possible. Here are some easy tips to help you out…
5 Tips For Collaborating With Other Musicians
Reach Out To Similar Artists
Although it can be cool to see collabs from people you’d never expect, those types of pairings can be difficult to cultivate. Not everyone is going to get along, personalities clash, and creative visions don’t always align. However, you can rectify this by reaching out to artists with similar taste as you do.
Consider reaching out to local artists in your area within your genre or hitting up other artists you may already follow on social media. The best relationships are built on genuine interaction, so just be yourself! Compliment their work and find some common ground. Collaborating creatively is so much easier when you actually enjoy the person’s company.
Send A Direct Message
Be respectful of other artists’s time and skills by reaching out to them as directly as you can. Commenting on someones Instagram post is impersonal and often overlooked. Either send a DM, email their team, or anything that can be delivered directly rather than a simple like or comment. Making it personal goes a long way.
Be Prepared Yet Open
Now, you don’t want to show up completely unprepared. You should have an idea of what kind of song you want to create with your new collab buddy. However, you have to be open to constructive criticism. Open communication is the key to masterful collaboration.
Sorry to break it to you, but just because you’re super attached to an idea doesn’t mean it’s good. (Don’t kill the messenger.) If you can’t take criticism, you’re holding yourself back from an even better idea down the line. Remember, two heads are better than one. The whole point is to work together!
Have a “Yes, and” Mentality
The improv pros got it right. The “Yes, and” mentality is an amazing way to keep the ideas coming. Keep in mind, your first idea most likely isn’t the best one. Coming from the professional writing standpoint myself, the first draft is always shit. It’s going to take work to get to a final product you’re both proud of. Even if you don’t like one of their ideas, try and roll with it. If you don’t like it after you try it out, cross it off the list and keep it moving.
Remix An Original Song
If you’re an EDM junkie like me, you already know how exciting it is to see a remix with two of your favorite artists on a track you already know and love. Most artists love to hear that you liked their track enough to want to remix it yourself. Of course, always get permission from the OG artist before you start anything. But once you get the green light, you’re ready to dive in.
There are even tons of innovative online tools to help you work with your peers on your next banger without ever having to meet in person. Whether you need a vocalist, producer, guitarist or sound engineer, these platforms can connect you with creatives from all over the world.
In Conclusion…
When it comes to joint songwriting, it’s important to decipher who will get credit for what before the song ever comes out. Even artists with the best relationships have experienced drama when it comes to splitting the profits at the end of the day. Luckily, you can avoid these issues by adhering to a couple best practices along the way.
In the meantime, we hope these tips help improve your collaboration skills! We’re excited to see all the great music you create.
Good luck!
