How To Become A Music Ghostwriter In 2023

The Music Industry is full of opportunities and sideline jobs that pay well and help musicians do what they love, even if they don't become global superstars.

Becoming a Music Ghostwriter can be a lucrative means for musicians to make money and expand their reach in the music industry. After all, some surprising Stars out there started off on the sidelines.

What Is A Music Ghostwriter?

Music Ghostwriting is a rather basic concept. You write songs for other musicians. What? Did you think that all musicians write their own hits?

The reality is, Ghostwriters are far more common than you'd think. As a Ghostwriter, you can provide a variety of different creative products to your clients, not just lyrics for songs. And as the music industry continues to grow and new genres hit the scene, you can guarantee there will be a host of niches to Ghostwrite for.

While it comes with its downsides (which we'll cover briefly), it can be a rewarding job to have.

How To Become A Music Ghostwriter

Find Your Niche

As we mentioned, there are plenty of different niches to Ghostwrite for.

One of the most common niches is being a lyricist, a loved and hated part of the profession. It isn't easy and requires a lot of patience and creativity, especially if you want to produce something "real" and organic.

Then comes Beat Producing, which is really overlooked. Most people don't realize that some of the beats that back our favorite tracks were written by an anonymous musician.

And finally, you can even "ghostwrite" your vocals which is, again, reasonably common yet severely overlooked.

Continiously Grow And Develop Your Skills

Practice makes perfect. Don't stop working on your skills even once you land the job. As we've mentioned, the music industry is constantly changing. There's no excuse to stop learning as an artist (even an anonymous one).

The more adapted your skills are, the better it is for your career; your versatility makes you attractive to all kinds of potential clients.

Boost Your Credibility: Make Some KILLER Demos

Your clients need to see what you're capable of. Nobody wants to hire a doctor who's never picked up a scalpal; the same reality extends to the music industry.

Clients want to know that they're getting someone who knows what they're doing and can produce music that interests them. By creating demos, you're giving your potential clients a taste of your talents and are also building a cache of music you can easily finetune later on.

Build Your Presence

Building your presence is a pinnacle part of getting noticed. And this part is tedious but crucial to building a career as a ghostwriter.

It's easier now with the use of Social Media as a self-marketing tool. Still, because of the saturated market, you need to go the extra mile.

So don't forget the good old-fashioned means of building a presence. Attend those open-mic nights, book yourself into that cafe. Nothing speaks better for your talents than clients seeing you and creating an organic presence through your growing fan base.

Popularity speaks wonders for your skills and gets you noticed more.

Expand Your Network

Networking is essential for any career. After all, as the saying goes, "It's not what you know but who you know.". Therefore, it's crucial to build a contact list. This process can start slowly. Maybe getting to know a few VIP access club owners eventually blossoms into meeting big-shot producers. Or, collaborating with a TikTok artist, get your song noticed by a couple of different corporations.

Building a network requires patience and intelligent decisions, don't get desperate. Let it happen naturally.

Copyright Your Music

Something important to note is that while you may be the anonymous benefactor behind that Top 10 Pop hit, this doesn't absolve all your rights.

In fact, you can copyright your music and still withhold rights to gain royalties. Depending on your contract, you'd essentially be selling a license for use while still maintaining ownership of your sound.

Build Lucrative Relationships

Relationship building can mean walking a thin line. Still, you must maintain a great relationship with your clients, whomever they may be. You want to be trusted, respectable and well-liked in the industry because it helps build lucrative relationships that could blossom into further opportunities.

If you keep your head down and put in the hard work, you may find doors opening for you. This is the pinnacle for your success, and who doesn't love to be successful?

Meet those deadlines, be collaborative, and keep on pumping out quality ghostwriting.

The Downsides Of Ghostwriting

Unfortunately, as with any career, there are some downsides that need to be considered. If you're choosing to become a Ghostwriter, you need to expect the kind of shortfalls that come along with it. And while it's not an easy career, once you've done your research and built your success, you can absolutely reap the rewards of your hard work.

Success Involves Sacrifice

It can be extremely hard to see the fruits of your labor be credited to somebody else. But that is the unfortunate reality ghostwriters face all the time. You must come to terms with the fact that your name won't be credited.  

Instead, you'll be actively allowing the music industry to make use of your creativity. It can be tough knowing that you won't be reaping all the rewards if your work takes off. But success demands sacrifice, regardless of the job you choose and if you're passionate about it.

Your Creativity Is Limited By Other People

As a ghostwriter, you work under other people and out of the limelight. Your creativity will be dictated by the sounds of other people. It will have to mimic a certain vibe to seem authentic and organic. So be prepared to adapt to many opinions you might disagree with.

The Stressful, High-Stakes Industry

The Music Industry is definitely not for the faint of heart. You need to be prepared for the high-stakes, stressful environment it can bring. It's competitive and constantly changing, so you must be open to change and ready to take on just about ANY challenge to stay in the game.

Conclusion

So you're making the brave decision to become a ghostwriter; let's be honest, it can be intimidating. But we have something to help; once you've developed your demos, you can use GetPlaylisted as another great way to help get noticed.

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