The Art of Collaboration: Unlocking the Secrets to Extraordinary Music-Making
When gifted musicians and producers work together, they unlock the infinite potential of music’s expressivity. Collaboration is the key that lets you open the door to a world you’ve never seen before.
Let’s forget about all the poetic metaphors and concentrate on the benefits of music collabs.
We all know that most artists face two big problems:
1) Getting their music heard and seen by more people.
2) Always having to be creative and write and release new songs.
The solution to both problems is working with other creative people.
A successful collaboration results in the release of a song by both artists, introducing them to each other’s audiences.
Collaborations have driven the rise to prominence of many new musicians and the chart success of numerous songs, especially in the electronic dance music (EDM), pop, R&B, and hip-hop scenes.
So collaborating with other artists is one of the finest methods to develop your skills and build your career. Moreover, including others in your work can also be a lot of fun. But, if not organized properly, a musical collaboration can quickly become a disaster.
But don’t worry; we’ve put up a detailed guide to collaborating with other artists in this article. Get ready to discuss the essentials of forming musical collabs and find out several tips on how to get the best out of your work!
Main advantages of a music collaboration
- A successful collaboration will significantly increase the number of your fans
The first benefit of every collaboration is that it increases your exposure. “It’s not what you know; it’s who you know.” This is especially true in the music business. Building connections early on is essential for a beginner. In addition to expanding your social circle and establishing new acquaintances, networking can open doors for you in the long run. There are lots of benefits to creative cooperation, but here are three that stand out:
- For the sake of argument, let’s say you’re a rookie, and a “star” agrees to highlight you. When you work with a well-known musician, it stands to reason that some of that musician’s fans will also become your own. If the song is a smash hit, this is HUGE news.
- Second, you could hang out with a musician whose fan base is around the same size as yours. The audience of the artist you cooperate with is crucial in determining the value of a feature collaboration here. If you’re a rapper and you team up with a DJ, the DJ’s listeners will likely start listening to your music as well. Obviously, only some people who hear your feature will become new fans, but working with another musician will increase your exposure. Remember that if you team up with someone else in your “niche,” you both stand to expand your fan bases significantly.
- The third scenario is teaming up with a lesser-known artist, even when you’re just starting. You and your spouse have the potential to become the next big thing, but it bears repeating that there is no such thing as a bad audience. Everyone interested in hearing your music might one day become a fan. Don’t forget about anything or anyone.
- You will get more money
Let’s not overlook the obvious: when you guest on another musician’s song, you deliver a “service,” for which you should be compensated.
So how can we calculate the returns necessary to fund these initiatives? Here, we must take into account two factors:
- The first of these issues is royalties. This is the money from selling records and streaming services (all platforms included). Once the music has been released, you or the other artist involved must negotiate a share of the royalties. This number might vary widely based on the specifics of your contract. If the featured artist or you contribute more to the song, this figure might go up. Simply said, the more “labor” you put into the music, the more credit you should receive for it.
- The second part concerns the authors’ rights (the “publishing” part). You can request a larger share of the profits if the song has received widespread airplay on radio, television, at discos, or other public venues with sound systems.
Collaboration types
Everyone must work with other content creators to grow as a musician. Working alone might cause you to develop tunnel vision and neglect important details. You’ll get better at sharing creative and sometimes personal ideas with others as you work on your beats, an essential skill in the music business.
Also, the opportunity to reach new listeners is arguably the most compelling benefit of working with other musicians. It’s always exciting to open up a new avenue of exploration within your discographies, and every time you work together, you do just that.
But creating a collab with another artist doesn’t always mean you have to make a new track together. You can collaborate with others in many ways:
A Formal Collaboration
You and the artist share equal creative control over the music, or the artist is a guest performer. Before making music together, you should figure out who will do what and to what extent.
Remixes
One artist shares the original track’s stems with another to create a new song version.
Collaborating to Create New Material
You may collaborate with other musicians to write or produce the song’s melody. When the release comes out, these people will get writing credit, but they won’t necessarily be shown off as featured artists.
Creating Social Campaigns
Making social content requires little time or effort from both parties involved in the project. To promote each other, musicians can collaborate on material or simply choose to showcase each other on their own pages.
Casual Collabs
Social features like “duet” or “stitch” on TikTok and other short-form video platforms allow you to collaborate with other artists.
The best practical tips for a successful collaboration
Choosing Who To Collab With
As we’re getting down to the nitty-gritty of how to work with other artists, let’s begin with how to choose your collaboration partner.
1: First, work with people you have chemistry with.
The most neglected element of collaboration. Join forces with folks you like spending time with to increase your chances of success. Even if it’s online, you should be able to tell quickly if the vibe is good.
2: Try to work with more successful artists
The goal is to team up with those who already have a greater fan base than you do. Monthly Spotify listeners and Instagram/Facebook likes are two ways to keep tabs on this.
Indeed, this is not obligatory, but it is nice to “give back” by working with “lesser-known” artists. So don’t be afraid to approach folks who you think are “out of your league;” you could be pleasantly surprised by the responses you receive.
You can also check out the person’s social media accounts. Is there a lot of interaction between the artist and its audience? As a result, more people will be interested in checking out your track when it’s released.
Contact people directly
Now, the question is: how does one artist approach another artist with the idea of collaborating? There is no use in paying an artist to feature on your track. Even if this is the case for a few musicians, it’s not a good idea for the industry as a whole. Although some artists have firm pricing points they won’t budge on, most creative partnerships don’t cost anything. The decision to participate is solely with the artist. So, the best way to increase your chances of getting included is to contact an artist’s team or them directly, present your idea, and wait for feedback. Everything comes down to the strategy you use.
Now, make sure you contact them professionally and respectfully.
Don’t be “that guy” who comments on their most recent profile image. Be personable and demonstrate a genuine interest in working together on a project.
It helps if you and the other person are already familiar with one another. Doing so will make your request for cooperation seem far more relaxed.
If this is your first contact with them, making a good impression is essential. The phrase “Hey broo, wanna collab??!” will not be used.
Describe the benefits of working together and offer suggestions for getting started.
Or, better yet, introduce yourself first and bring up the topic of working together later in the conversation.
Create a Contract in advance
Never take someone’s word as gospel. A written agreement is still necessary even if you’ve known one another forever. How will we share the royalties? What part does each person play in the song? Make sure you and your partner are on the same page by drawing out a simple contract. The contract is there in case you need it, but we hope you never do.
Give an idea to start with
In the “collab-world,” there is an unspoken rule that the person who reaches out must know where to start. This is basic etiquette, after all. If you want to work together, it’s only fair that you lay out some ground rules and come up with some ideas.
Also, If you have something in your mind, they are more likely to accept your offer. If the person agrees to work together, you should prepare some ideas. They shouldn’t be skimpy but rather provide a solid framework for the rest of the song. A decent intro and a catchy drop are key foundational elements.
Always give honest feedback and be open to suggestions
Remember that any time you work with another artist, it reflects on you as an artist. So, being as forthright as possible while commenting or offering suggestions is crucial. It’s possible to avoid being rude and still get your message through to your peers.
While it’s okay to have different points of view, always be truthful to keep the door open to creative compromise.
Set up deadlines
Creative professionals, including musicians, are infamously unreliable. To avoid this, it’s important to plan ahead and create a schedule you and your partner can stick to. Plan out many checkpoints for the creation, release, and post-release phases to ensure that you stay on track.
Develop a marketing strategy together
Making sure you’re both committed to promoting your new track as much as you are to the music itself is an essential part of the creative process. If the work you did together is something you’re proud of, this shouldn’t matter.
The music release requires both parties to announce it to their respective fan groups. Figure out how to make the most of your social media presence.
Create a Playlist on Spotify featuring other artists as well
Artists may use Spotify to their advantage by curating playlists for their audience.
They will appreciate the opportunity to hear the music that motivates you. If you want to get the most out of Spotify’s collaborative features, you should make a playlist with music from more than one artist.
You’ll get more followers, gain favor with Spotify’s algorithm, and boost views on both playlists.
Write reviews of other musicians’ work
Reviewing is a simple way to connect with others. They don’t have to be profound or analytical. All they have to do is be encouraging and engaging. Everyone enjoys reading lists like “The Top 5 Albums of 2022”. This is something that you should try too.
Make sure you tag the other artist in your post.
Swap Gigs
It is a time-honored custom for independent musicians to trade performances with one another.
You may reach a larger, more receptive audience in a market you wouldn’t otherwise be able to break into by participating in a gig exchange.
You put up a gig, advertise it, get a lot of people out to watch your band and have the other band begin the night by inviting them to play in your city.
Then, they pay it forward in their hometown or a market where they are doing well.
When both artists are roughly at the same positions in their careers, have comparable local pull, and, most crucially, their audiences are receptive, a gig exchange may be extremely fruitful for both parties involved.
Wrapping up
When artists work together, great things can happen. They push each other to greater heights of originality and creativity. Working together, they can create a deeper, richer, and more distinctive sound than they could on their own.
The best music results from a collaborative effort between musicians who bring unique perspectives, ideas, and enthusiasm to the table.
In this post, we’ve discussed the ins and outs of working together musically, revealing the techniques for productive collaboration.
Thus, if you’re a musician, a producer, or someone who recognizes the value of a group effort, jump at the chance to collaborate. With each other’s help, we can keep making groundbreaking music that changes lives.