We invited Adex to talk to us about how he made it in the music business and you can too. His words really inspired us, so we've collected some of his top tips from the night:
- Be inquisitive. The best way to discover what you want to do is to surround yourself with likeminded people. Be around artists, musicians, managers, and you might find you actually want to be something you hadn’t considered. Find an artist you believe in or shadow a current artist manager – I put myself around people that were involved in music and other projects that put me closer to more industry people.
- Be open to the unexpected. A lot of times you might have an idea but end up going somewhere totally different. The most life-changing things are the ones you can’t predict, but if you’re not open to them, if you’d stayed in your house – they might never have happened. It’s important to be able to recognise opportunities around you that you can take advantage of.
- Be passionate. To be truly successful you’ve just got to want to do it. Things will change and evolve, opportunities will open up, and they’ll come from the people who didn’t listen to the ‘you can’t do this, you can’t do that’. Half the time there isn’t a way, but if it’s your life, your passion, you’ll carry on regardless.
- Be reliable. Make sure you’re always efficient with your work. The worst thing with companies or freelancers that an artist might hire for a job is reliability. If you’re commissioned for a job, remain professional and on time at all times – this will help your reputation, which in turn should help you to get more clients.
- Believe that it will get better. The music industry may go through turbulent times similar to what the live industry is facing tight now – so the key is to be able to adapt and add value in other roles. History also shows us that the greatest things come from times of adversity, so we have to believe that what we’re going through right now won’t be forever. You have to think different, adapt to the environment. And think about content: in lockdown explore some of your other interests, like gaming or cooking, showcase that to your audience, and that will help you connect with your fans on a deeper level.
- Be true to yourself. Find your audience rather than try to fit into a specific category. Make sure that the music you are releasing is true to you and is at the highest level as possible. Sometimes it may make sense to release a certain type of music at a certain time to expand your audience, but it’s important to always remain true to your core audience and expand on that.
Michael Adex is a creative entrepreneur, businessman, and founder of Manchester-based 360 degree talent and entertainment company, NQ. As manager of local hero Aitch, Adex has brokered the career of Manchester’s first rap superhero, a platinum-selling, award-winning household name. Adex was recently bestowed MMF’s Entrepreneur Award, nominated for ‘Manager of the Year’ at this year’s Music Week Awards and he also sits on the prestigious Ivor Novello’s panel and BRITS Voting Academy. NQ is a Record Label, Publishing House, and Talent Management Company, currently expanding its creative ambitions into Film/TV Production and Media.
You can check out the full video of our chat with Adex on our youtube channel now.
