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13 Networking Tips for Drummers
Practical Guide
Introduction:
Networking is essential if you want to make it far in the music industry. It refers to the relationships you build, and those relationships bring out opportunities for gigging, recording, and teaching.
If you want to make a living from playing the drums, you’ll need to develop several networking skills. It may seem difficult at first, but the more active you are about building connections, the more opportunities will come your way.
Here are some tips for networking as a drummer.
13 Networking Tips for Drummers
1. Be a Great Person
The most important thing you can do is be a good person to people. If you’re unpleasant, no one is going to want to work with you, so you won’t be recommended for gigs.
Some of the best drummers in the world have missed out on opportunities because they had reputations for being unpleasant.
Be sure to smile, laugh, and enjoy every moment of what you’re doing when you’re with other musicians.
2. Be Easy to Work With
Riding on the last point, being easy to work with is also essential. When you’re playing drums at a gig, try your best to make the jobs of everyone around you easy. Be open to criticism as well. No one likes a stubborn drummer who doesn’t want to take direction.
The best way of being easy to work with is knowing your stuff. Ensure that you’re practicing and learning all the song parts that you need. Be the drummer that only needs two or three practice sessions instead of ten.
3. Maintain Professionalism
Always be on time for gigs, and make sure to dress the part when you need to. If you approach things too casually, you may be hurting your chances of getting more opportunities.
There are plenty of stories where jazz drummers are incredibly gifted musicians, but they never arrive at gigs on time. When you have that kind of reputation, not too many bands are going to want to work with you.
Being a professional in the music industry should be approached the same way as in the business world.
4. Make Genuine Friends and Acquaintances
While you’re playing in bands and attending gigs, try to develop as many genuine connections as possible. When people learn to know who you are as a person, they’ll trust you more and be more open to suggesting you for other potential gigs.
Making like-minded friends is a great way to boost your standing in the music industry. Just be sure to actually love those friends and not use them for your own personal gain. When drummers do that, people tend to notice.
5. Build a Strong Social Media Presence
Nothing is more important in the 21st century than building a strong social media presence. This is how everyone who isn’t at your gigs will be able to see you. It will act as your drumming portfolio.
Bands, musicians, and music gear companies will find you on these platforms, and they’ll assume things based on the content you’ve posted and the engagement you get.
The top platforms to post on are YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. You can post on Facebook as well, but it’s not as popular for musicians as the other three platforms.
6. Attend as Many Gigs as You Can
The best place to find connections is at live gigs. When you attend many of them, you’ll get opportunities to develop relationships with people in the music industry.
You can approach members of the band after they’ve played and have conversations with them. That could turn into something special if you do it just right. You’ll also meet people in the crowd who may be looking for their next drummer.
7. Master Your Craft
Getting better at the drums is just as important as networking. Always try to improve so that you’ll be a better musician when you’re hired. Having better drumming abilities will make you easier to work with.
Also, people will be more likely to hire you when they know that you can play very well. However, don’t let your playing ability be the deciding factor. Being a team player is more important when it comes to getting hired by musicians.
8. Establish a Pitch
When someone asks you what you can offer them, you’re going to need to know what to say. Some artists will simply ask if you’re available to play drums for them, while others will ask you why they should hire you instead of another drummer.
Always be ready to promote yourself, explain how your skills will benefit the artist, and be ready to send links to your social media pages.
You can also cold pitch to people to see if they’d be interested in hiring you.
9. Respond to Messages and Calls Quickly
This relates to being a professional, but always be sure to answer messages quickly. If you leave messages unanswered for days, the chances are higher that someone else will be hired for the gig.
Be punctual in your playing and with your communication skills too. One phone call could change your life, so do your best to answer the phone when it rings.
10. Tag People on Social Media
When you’ve been hanging out at gigs with other musicians, tag them in any pictures or videos that you post on social media. This will build your community, and it will allow people from their pages to see who you are.
They could follow the link to your page and be highly interested in your drumming abilities.
Another great strategy to build connections is to make content that will interest musicians that you want to work with and then tag them in those posts.
11. Accept as Many Opportunities as Possible
In the early days of drumming, you should be a yes-man to all the opportunities that come your way. This will help you build connections fast, and it will also give you experience that will boost your drumming career forward.
Has someone asked you to play a country gig? Try it out, even if you don’t like country music. You may find that country music is something profitable for your drumming career.
12. Set Goals
Setting goals is important in any industry, but we’re reminding you of it here as it has a lot of power. Establish how many connections you want to make and who you want to meet.
You’ll feel motivated when you reach those goals, and you’ll start setting bigger ones from there. This is a great way of intentionally growing. Building your networking skills is a goal in itself.
13. Always Be Confident in Yourself
Our last tip to offer is that you should always be confident in your drumming and your social skills. A top-quality drummer will exuded confidence, so practice until you get to that point.
A social person will naturally fit in well with new people, and that’s what you need if you want to build a strong network in the music industry.
FAQ:
How do drummers get noticed?
Drummers get noticed when they play well and exude a sense of professionalism along with plenty of musicality. When people love your drumming, they’ll start to follow you and recommend you to their friends.
This recognition can either come from playing gigs, or it can come from having a large following on social media.
How do you network as a drummer?
Drummers should network the same way as every other type of musician. You need to build connections and maintain relationships. Those will spark opportunities that can push you forward in the future.
It’s vital for drummers to network with band leaders and other musicians. If you only network with drummers, they probably won’t have gigs to hire you for since they’re the drummers themselves.
How do drummers get more gigs?
The best way to get lots of gigs is to move to a city or town where live music is abundant. In the USA, the three busiest cities are Nashville, New York, and Los Angeles.
Once you’re in a busy city, you need to make connections and find opportunities where you can play. Some bands put out advertising for drummers, while others will allow you to sit in for a few sets. When people see you play drums, the chances are high that you’ll be approached by someone eventually.
How can I promote myself as a drummer?
The best way to promote yourself as a drummer is to build a presence on social media. This is how people will be able to see you, so focus on gaining followers and getting interaction on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
Conclusion
To wrap things up, the most important things you can do to build a strong network are to establish authentic connections with people, be a professional in everything you do and have a strong social media presence where you remain active with your community.
If you do these things, opportunities will come, and you’ll get to play many gigs. If you want the process to work a bit faster, you should move to a city where live music is a big focus.