Success Beyond The Score

The following group of episodes of the podcast Success Beyond the Score are all about how to market yourself. While the event discussed in episode 14 has long since past, the process described is a good example of what to expect when trying to get that sort of gigs. From episode 15 onwards, Millicent will talk you through the design of your Music Press Kit.

Have a listen:

14. How to perform in the Commonwealth Games 2022

Would you like to perform in the Commonwealth Games in 2022, which are being held in the city of Birmingham and the West Midlands region, United Kingdom? In today's episode, Millicent explains how to get yourself in.

15. What should you have in your Music Press Kit?

What is a Music Press Kit? Is it different from an Electronic Press Kit? What should be in it? Whether you are in the early stages of your music or performing regularly, a Press Kit is a must.

16. How to write an artist bio

What should you put in your music bio? How should it be written? What sho

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Performance art demands the better and the most from creatives. Our physical and mental capabilities are always being tested. We engage our memory to learn the parts of our act and be able to perform them on stage from beginning to end, and we need endurance to withstand it without losing our energy and presence. We require quick problem-solving skills to react accordingly if something goes wrong (and how many things can and will go wrong!), along with good stress and anxiety management. Our craft has an impact in different parts of our body: tendons and joints for dancers, vocal cords and respiratory system for singers, etc. For all of this, a health service specialised in the needs of performing artists is essential for the survival of our industry.

This is where BAPAM, the British Association of Performance Arts Medicine, comes into play. Established in 1984, it is now the largest provider of clinical services to the UK's performing arts sector, supporting everybody from students t...

In order to improve and diversify the offer for you in Success Beyond The Score, during autumn we conducted a survey about your preferences regarding short courses and coaching sessions. Your answers helped us understand what format, duration and prices are best for you. Now, we are developing our offer to welcome 2026 with new material to boost your career.

Your input is very valuable to us. Thank you for giving us the chance to tailor our products to your needs. Now, while we get ready to launch our new offers, let us remind you of the resources currently available on our website:

• Podcast: Three seasons packed with information about the music industry by Millicent and other professionals with decades of experience.
• Freebies: Get valuable insights on the music industry at no cost.
• E-learning opportunities: From stage craft to backing tracks production, these paid courses will equip you with everything you need to develop as a gigging musician or singer.
• Time For My Music: an on
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Every new app and website we visit asks the same question: "do you want to activate notifications?" The options come next: for news, for offers, for purchases, for chats. To your e-mail, through messages, or pushed directly to your device. Allow them all, or even a number of them, and you will soon find yourself flooded by pings and buzzes calling for you 24/7.

The currency of social media is your attention. Ultimately, all these digital service providers are after your time. They deploy different strategies to keep you looking at your screen, from presenting their content and tools as games where you lose points if you don't "play" every day, to linking themselves with notions like friendship or responsibility, so you feel guilty if you are not available at all hours.

The truth is that you are the owner of your time, and you are under no obligation of giving any part of it to the internet. As the companies behind social media and online platforms are actively seeking your attention,...

One of the things that I learned in the early stages of my music career is the importance of having a sound check.

In the early stages, I would turn in at the start time of the event with my instrument, put it together while I was in my seat, go on stage when my name was called, and play. This made it so I didn't normally get the sound experience I hoped. Fast forward to today, when I arrive 90 to 60 minutes before the starting time of the performance, depending on whether I’m bringing my own PA. I make sure that my sax mic is working, that my setup is correct and that my tracks work. Then, I walk around the stage in order to identify any zones where the signal of the radio mic may drop or stutter, or where feedback could be generated.

This is how I can guarantee a good sound and therefore a good experience for my audience. To illustrate, here is a little clip of me doing a sound check before playing Kingston Town at an event this summer:

As a musician, you may notice that, some times, parts of your body do not respond as quickly as they used to when delivering your music. If you are a singer, you may find that your vocal range has changed or diminished. As a violinist, you may experience pain in your neck and shoulders. Drummers may be familiar with stiffness and soreness on the knees and shins. Every instrument comes with particular challenges to the body and mind that can take a toll.

In Millicent's case, there was a moment when playing the piano brought her difficulties in her hands. She experienced pain on her fingers, and the knuckle joints would cramp or lock. At the time, she got an e-mail from the Musicians' Union, saying that a doctor specialised in musicians' ailments would visit Birmingham soon, and that members could book an appointment if needed. That's how she got in contact with the British Association for Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM).

The professionals at BAPAM corrected the diagnosis given by Mil...

Fair Score is a joint campaign between the Musicians’ Union and The Ivors Academy, which seeks to ensure fair commissioning in media composition. It fights against coercive buyouts, opaque pitching processes, and deals that violate composers’ rights.

In a first survey conducted during 2019, the predecessor of Fair Score found that 35% of the surveyed media composers had accepted buyouts or work-for-hire deals. This means that, instead of receiving a commissioning fee upfront and royalties over time, they got a one-off fee and nothing else. This endangers the livelihood of composers, as they are deprived of long term income sources.

The same survey revealed that 41% of the surveyed composers gave up more mechanical rights than they wanted to, and 64% affirmed they believed the commissioning environment is coercive. This is unsustainable and harmful for the industry, even more now that commissioners count on the threat of generative AI to put pressure on media composers.

It’s importan...

Today is World’s Menopause Day, when people around the world raise awareness and share their experiences in regard to this natural stage of human life. For the occasion, this year, the International Menopause Society published the 2025 White Paper, The Role of Lifestyle Medicine in Menopausal Health: A Review of Non-Pharmacologic Interventions. There, they show strong evidence, gathered across multiple studies, that point at how healthy habits in daily life can make a real difference in the well-being of menopausal individuals.

This idea aligns neatly with Millicent's own experience as a menopausal musician. When I joined the Smarter Change 12 weeks programme with Pamela Windle, we focused in making healthy lifestyle changes tailored to the specific needs and workings of my body. That’s why I wore a blood sugar monitor for weeks, in order to learn exactly which foods favour my metabolism, and what is the best time to eat for me. We looked at how to optimise my sleep patterns within th...