The Arrangers Podcast Ep. 10: 10 Ways to Break Into the Arranging Business

Aaron and Drew give 10 ideas for taking your music from your brain to the music community. Whether it's furthering your career as a writer or finding ways to improve or share with others, here are 10 ways that you can break into the scene.

• • 1. Write every Day!
    • It’s just like practicing, the more you do it the better you get
    • Even if it’s terrible, forcing yourself to write helps you overcome writers block
  • 2. Listen, expand your ear, always search for new sounds/genres/inspiration
    • Everything else below relies on your ability to be a good musician/have a skilled trade
    • Transcription and inspiration
    • Stay inspired and keep learning from other people’s music
    • Push your musical boundaries
  • 3. Study with a great Arranger/get a mentor
    • Go to college
    • Offer to be an assistant/help out
    • Buy lunch for someone (we won’t say no)
  • 4. Start your own band
    • Doesn’t have to be big band or 4tet - think creatively!
    • Write for the musicians you know, write to their strengths
    • Common thread in interviews is that at some point successful writers got a group together to play their music
  • 5. Record and share your creations
    • Don’t wait to write something, just do it and do it again.
    • YouTube and Soundcloud – worked for Jacob Collier
    • Social Media
    • People often hire those who they have recently interacted with or seen their work, so if you shared a video or recording, you’re putting yourself in people’s minds
  • 6. Website/Demo Reel
    • Mention that a website almost never gets you a gig.  Being referred TO a website from a friend/a tune they heard already helps establish your credibility/competence in the craft
  • 7. Network/Develop relationships - musicians/school directors/write for friends
    • Never underestimate the power of a good hang
    • Going into networking with something to show people is key
    • CD, website, youtube, soundcloud, business card, portfolio, just something to give them
    • Often times I’ll look up someone and they don’t have a website, and I have no way to gauge their music or who they are
  • 8. Enter competitions ie. Downbeat, Detroit Festival, ASCAP
    • Don’t expect to win, just realize it’s an opportunity to grow and enter the broader community/see where you stand in the global picture/get feedback
    • Also good to force you to write something
  • 9. Join music organizations (Composers Forum/ASCAP/BMI/Union/G.A.N.G.)
    • Grants, competitions, and social events are often set up through these types of organizations.
  • 10. Find your niche
    • No two people are identically talented, you have a musical skill set that will set you apart
    • Depending on your location or community you might have access to unique opportunities