Collaborating with other musicians can be one of the most enjoyable ways to create music. It’s a great way to build your network, grow within the music industry, develop your existing skills and more. You can find people to collaborate with on your music projects in multiple ways. Let’s explore some of the different ways that you can make that initial connection to then collaborate with musicians and producers.
Social media
The modern-day networking platforms on social media are absolute game changers for music collaboration. The choices are endless. Here are a few ways you could use this tool to find potential collaborators.
Contact them directly
You can use social media to your advantage by reaching out to whoever you would want to work with. This could be an artist, music producer, DJ or sound engineer. By doing this, you may get a response, which could lead to you being able to collaborate with them.
There are a few ways that you can grab their attention. If you have written a song that you think might suit a certain artist, message them directly stating that you think this song would suit them, with a SoundCloud link so they can listen to your idea.
You could also remix one of their tracks, put your spin on it, and show what you could add to their work. They may be impressed and then ask to work with you on their upcoming projects.
Message their manager
Alternatively, you could find the artist's manager and get in touch with them, expressing your interest to collaborate with their artist. Remember, don’t be a cold caller. Show up with the intention of why you would want to work with them, not just a copy-and-paste message that could easily be sent to anyone.
Music Blogs and Educational Pages
You can interact with other musicians on social media pages like music blogs. Find pages that speak to your niche and the genre you’re working in. Use this to your advantage by looking at who is interacting with the post and then going one step further and messaging them about a potential collaboration.
This should work well, because if they have commented then they might well be open to working on music together. Just be sure to do your homework first to see if they are a good match for your direction in music. If you both have different directions musically, the collaboration may not be successful. However, it is good to be open to collaborating with musicians from different genres.
Spotify Credits
This is a great tool, which not many musicians use. If there is a certain artist you like the writing style or the production on the track you can find out everyone who has worked on that track from artists, writers, producers and the label by clicking the three dots on Spotify and pressing show credits.
Networking events
You can also forge connections at networking events. These are like collaboration platforms in real life. You can get to know people within the industry, talk about your upcoming projects and see if you click to work on a project moving forward. Just being seen at these types of events is great, as it shows you are eager and open to working with others.
Writing Camps
Contacting publishers directly, showing them your work and asking them to include you in upcoming writing camps could work. They may see some potential in your work and think of who might work well with you. These writing camps can either be online via a platform like Zoom or they can be in a real location.
Music apps
Have you ever thought of Tinder for Musicians? If you’re looking for an easy way to match up with fellow producers, songwriters and musicians from the comfort of your phone, this could be the solution for you. There’s a new app called Vampr that allows musicians from around the world to connect based on their musical influences and their interests in music. Places like this can be a great place to easily meet like-minded artists from across the globe and you know for sure that they’ll be looking for collabs.
Online forums
Online forums can be a great area to find musicians that are in a similar field to you. This can be for your favourite audio editing software, DAW or style of music – just have a google for forums for whatever specific style floats your boat and you’ll be sure to find plenty of people who share your passion. Through problem-solving and asking questions on these forums, can find potential collaborators. You can post specifying what you are currently working on and who you would ideally like to collaborate with. From the interaction that you get on the post, you can then contact the musicians to work with them.
Joining Online Music Communities
There are multiple online music communities that you can join to help you expand your connections with like-minded musicians. Not only do these organisations teach you more about music, but they also allow you to connect with others in your field.
These are a similar style to online forums, but with a slightly more modern approach, as many of these communities have moved to other corners of the internet. One popular place to look is Reddit - communities like r/WeAreTheMusicMakers, r/edmproduction or r/MusicInTheMaking are full of like-minded musicians who share tips and might be open to collab. You might also want to look for something a bit more specific. For example, if techno’s your thing, you’ll want to check out r/TechnoProduction.
Latest Releases
If there is a certain record label that you are aiming to release on, you could think of collaborating with someone who has recently released on that label. You could also message the A&R directly from that label to ask if they have anyone that they would recommend collaborating with.
Why is collaboration important?
Collaboration with other musicians is a very important part of your music career. It helps to expand your credibility in your given genre, allows you to explore new genres, work on your music project and get involved in other musicians' projects.
It also allows you to expand on your knowledge, if there is something that you are struggling with, someone else that you are working with might be able to give you some guidance. You may also forge connections that could result in them becoming one of your team members one day.
If you're ready to upgrade your music career, check out our amazing video courses and live sessions from today's best electronic artists and industry pros here at Virtuoso.
