The Hard Truth About Music Discovery in 2024

Read Time: 4 minutes

Author

Brenmar
September 05, 2024

After making music obsessively from age 15 to 31, I finally took my first real break.

A break that lasted nearly five years, the longest I’ve ever taken.

During that time, I learned how to invest in real estate because I wanted a more reliable source of income.

But earlier this year I decided to get back into making music.

I can’t help it, I love making beats.

But this time, I wasn’t going to approach it the same way I did before.

This time it was going to be social first.

Why?

Because in 2024…

Making music is easy.

Getting it discovered is hard.

And where is most music discovery happening nowadays?

Yup…you guessed it.

On social media.

Whether or not you love that idea is besides the point.

Around here, we don’t complain, we adapt.

Check out my Instagram stats from the last 30 days: ⬇️ 

That’s a lot of eyeballs and attention!

Now I’ll admit, converting that attention into people caring about your music is easier said than done…

But step one is getting in front of them or you don’t even stand a chance.

My Content Creation Toolkit.

Everything I use to make short form video content. ⬇️ 

Planning and initial ideas: Notion

At first glance, Notion can seem a bit intimidating.

But in the beginning don’t worry about being perfect or keeping everything nice and tidy…just use it!

I specifically use it for brainstorming, writing, and as a digital 2nd brain.

Whenever I find something useful or interesting online like an article, video, etc…

I just put into Notion and I know it’s safe and easily found.

In a world overflowing with information, the ability to make sense of it all is a real superpower.

Recording video: Iphone 15

I use my Iphone 15 to record most things but I also have an Iphone 12 that I use for BTS footage.

The 2nd Iphone is nice but not a necessity.

I also have a nice Sony ZV-1 that I bought for social content, but with the short battery life and annoying transferring of files, I never use it.​

Pro tip: The best camera is the easiest and most convenient one to use.

Editing video: Capcut

Capcut is amazing and easy to use.

I pay for all the features because it’s very affordable and totally worth it.

Bonus tip: Although the mobile app is really good, learning how to use the desktop version is a major unlock. I also subscribe to their cloud which allows me to start editing on my phone but finish on my desktop.

Stationary tripod: GEEKOTO 58” DSLR Tripod

This tripod is aluminum but lightweight and allows you grab footage from pretty much any angle you could think of.

Although technically mobile if packed up, it rarely leaves my house.

Mobile tripod: ULANZI MT-44

This Ulanzi tripod is small but heavy duty.

Not much to say here other than it works as advertised.

This is my microphone of choice, it’s not cheap but since I’m a bit of an audio nerd I opted for a higher quality mic.

That being said, you can pick up something much cheaper if you are just starting out.

But please use a mic!

If your video sounds like ass it won’t perform as well as it could.

People might put up with low-quality video, but bad audio gets skipped every time.

Recording audio: IK Multimedia iRig Stream

For recording audio from my soundcard or from my CDJs, I use the iRig Stream.

It’s really simple to set up and it’s very affordable.

Next time you play your beats from Ableton, use this for high fidelity digital sound with no room ambiance.

That’s pretty much it!

Keep this in mind…

The tools you use to film and edit matter less than the strength of your ideas.

Think deeply and make unique connections first…

Then figure out the best way to share those ideas in a way that feels authentic to you.

Talk next Thursday!

Brenmar

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