The Riff

Medium’s premier music publication

Member-only story

5 Ways to Build Momentum as a New Musician

Stanley C.
The Riff
Published in
10 min readFeb 14, 2025

--

Source: The Travel Addict

Last year, when visiting Flagstaff, I saw a musician friend. She showed me around the town and introduced me to several musicians, small business owners, and coffee shop staff that she had befriended since her time moving there. Not only were they her friends, but they were also connections she made to play live shows at their venues.

It was a brilliant networking strategy to boost her presence in the town and her visibility in the local music scene.

When I interviewed Julia Kirk earlier this year, we talked in depth about her series of live performances at bars and private events throughout the tri-state area. From befriending a local musician to getting invited to a writing group, Kirk expanded her reach as a musician and was let through doors to tour more extensively around the area.

If you are a budding musician looking for a place to start, this piece is for you. In it, I describe five ways to improve your touring strategy to develop and sustain a fanbase. For each tip, I will provide an example of a modern artist who applied it early in their career.

Tip #1: Hire A Booking Agent

--

--

Stanley C.
Stanley C.

Written by Stanley C.

Hi there 👋🏾 I'm a music writer that posts weekly essays about albums, genres, songs, and other novel topics in the music world that span across time.