I work with ambitious young musicians in a sixth-form college on a daily basis and have done for over two years. It’s great to be able to help them navigate the challenges of being a young musician, as not too long ago, I was in exactly the same position.

A lot of experienced musicians make the mistake of giving ‘adult’ advice to young musicians, when sometimes it simply doesn’t apply. It can be really frustrating when you follow this advice, but it doesn’t elicit the results you expected. This is because what works for an adult doesn’t always work for an 18-year-old. For example, to ‘build a network’ in order to secure regular work. As a young person, the connections most abundant to you are people your own age, who don’t have money to spend or the need to hire a music professional. On top of this, experienced professionals or paying clients won’t necessarily trust an 18-year-old to carry out paid music work. So, with all these factors against you, what should you do as a young person pursuing a career in music? Continue to follow the advice given by experienced professionals, because it’s fundamentally correct, but don’t be discouraged when the result isn’t what you hoped for, as this is largely out of your control at the present moment.

You have to benefit in some way from providing your service, if there is no benefit, there is no point. Some key benefits to look out for are: The chance to learn, potential for further opportunities, money and fun. I would argue that there is some benefit to be had in most musical opportunities in your early career. However, there are some people out there who just want to take advantage of free labour, so it’s important to be vigilant of this. You should be mindful of the expectations placed on you when doing voluntary work, and that these are not unreasonably high or stressful.

When it comes to paid work, how do you ask for money? Firstly, you need to understand what the client wants and be confident that you can fulfil this. Then you can give the client a price and a timeframe in which they can expect the work to be completed by. Bear in mind any costs you may incur, such as bus fare or food if travelling. You may want to include a few cheaper variations to accommodate for various price points. For example, when someone asks me to produce a track, I give them the full price for a production but also a cheaper option, such as just a mix. As a performer, you may want to quote per 45 minute set. It’s very important to have the details of your agreement written down somewhere, such as a DM or email so that you can refer back to them at any time. If the initial conversation happens verbally or over the phone, then you should follow up with an email or message to re-cap what you discussed.

How do you begin to put yourself in the position where people want to pay you? Firstly, have a ‘thing’. This should be what you are good at now or a discipline that you’re committed to improving; it could be playing guitar, it could be making beats, it could be recording. This doesn’t mean you’re committing to a lifetime of it, but it’s great to have a starting point and you will probably find various other avenues along the way. Once you’ve found your thing, let people know about it! Social media is obviously a great way to do this, but being present and visible by using your talents in your community or school is a great way to get noticed and make new meaningful connections. In my opinion, using your online presence to centralise and document everything you do in the real world is the best way forward.

If you are consistently working hard, are persistent in your efforts and are genuinely open to feedback, you are already building the foundations for your career. If not, then now is the time to start. Keep going and eventually it will work out.