Success Beyond The Score

Happy new year 2023! I wish this new beginning brings you a lot of energy to continue with your projects, and also the motivation to start those others that you've been storing as dreams in the backburner.

As I've mentioned before, I tend to write my yearly music business plan around this time. While planning an entire year sounds daunting, I've found that doing it helps me achieve more without compromising my health or wellbeing. It allows me to distinguish between the urgent and the important, and know which actions take time because they need to and which do because I'm not being efficient. With a plan, I can also tell what opportunities align with my goals, which prevents distractions.

If you don't know where to start with your own yearly plan, have a quick model I use to write mine: 

1. Find the time:  We often think there is not enough time in our day to plan, but there is when we decide something is a priority. Time will present itself for us to get it done. Obviously, we have
...

As a musician, having a presence on YouTube can make all the difference. Every year, the platform adds new ways of interaction that benefit music creators, like the brand new "YouTube Recap", a customised summary where users can check the musicians and songs they listened to the most during the year and share them with their friends.

Managing online platforms and social media websites can look daunting, but don't let that stop you from sharing your music and build your career. Getting started with YouTube is easier than you think! To learn how to do it, you can get the course "Mastering YouTube for Musicians" right in this website and learn:

• How to create your login.
• What is where in your YouTube channel.
• How to upload your videos.
• Security tips.
• What to type in the boxes of the form for your uploaded videos.
• Things to say at your performance or post for attracting subscribers.
• 3 tips for maintaining your channel.
• 9 tips for sharing your videos and getting views.
• 6 tips for
...

Millicent has been part of the Musicians’ Union’s Executive Committee for a few terms now. The current one finishes at the end of December this year, and she has taken the decision not to continue because she successfully got on the NatWest Accelerator programme offered by NatWest Bank, which runs for six months. 

The programme supports and empowers entrepreneurs of the United Kingdom to scale their businesses to the next level. Millicent joined to boost Success Beyond The Score as a whole, but in particular Time For My Music, the online community for emerging female musicians that you can find in this link. 

The NatWest Accelerator sessions run on Wednesdays, which makes them overlap with the monthly sessions of the Musicians’ Union’s Executive Committee. Given that Millicent has already had the opportunity to contribute to the union through that committee for a meaningful and rewarding time, she decided to step down and focus on the NatWest Accelerator in order to complete it succe...

As musicians, we require that the venues where we play provide us with certain things in order for us to be able to offer our best performances. Some examples are tables to locate our equipment, dressing rooms to get ready after a long ride to the venue, parking space near or in front of the venue with the possibility to offload, ramp access, etc. While some might think those are a given that all venues offer by default, the truth is that many of them do not. This is particularly troublesome for musicians with disabilities. After all, if you require certain accommodations due to a disability, you might be hesitant to try your hand at gigging due to fear of venues ignoring your needs.

First of all, rest assured knowing that all musicians have the same right to perform at public venues, no matter whether they have a disability or not. To ensure that this is a reality, the key is that artists and venue owners communicate in advance to clarify the needs of the show and take action for ...

Here is the transcription of episode 1 of season 3 of the podcast "Success Beyond The Score". Happy reading!

- Watch the video of the episode here: YouTube 

- Listen to the audio of the episode here: Kajabi

PODCAST INTRO

This is “Success Beyond The Score”, a podcast giving insights and tips to help you learn how to build your music career, from the best in the field, by Millicent Stephenson. Millicent is a multi-award winning saxophonist and endorser of Harry Hartman's Fiberreeds who is currently serving on the executive committee of the Musicians Union. With over 40 years of experience in the creative industry, Millicent has honed her performance and business skills. She provides personal development, training and coaching via her online platform: www.successbeyondthescore.com.

EPISODE INTRO

Hi! I am Millicent Stephenson and there are three things I absolutely believe in (apart from technology, which would the fourth thing). Number one, I believe every musician, whether you ...

Gigs! I’ve had the opportunity to play so many this year that I can’t do nothing but feel blessed (and a bit exhausted, haha!). No matter if big of small, I bring everything to the stage and I have the time of my life, as you can see in the header photo of this post. It was taken during the Birmingham 2022 Festival by Laurence Stephenson. The event was incredible! If you want some specifics on how it went, I wrote a little recap on my personal website.

Such occasions would not be possible if I was not confident in my ability to pull a crowd and make the experience unforgettable for them. It is incredibly rewarding, and that’s why I want you to be able to do the same: to appear confident and get people’s attention, to make them remember you, look you up after the gig and talk to their friends about you. For this reason, I put together a course called “Showtime! The best ingredients for giving a great performance“, in which you can learn:

• How to get comfortable with your music and pe
...

Recently, I have had quite a lot of gigs. The occasions are different and so are the circumstances. Sometimes, I am playing on a terrace, some others, on a function room, or a hall, or at a bar... As I usually have to bring my own PA system, and even when I don't, I have to think about the safety of everybody involved, including myself, when I set it.

A few weeks ago, in London, I arrived to the venue where I was going to play when the guests were already at the bar, coming from the wedding ceremony to attend the drinks' reception. I had to survey where the plug points were, and think where to set up, without the guests seeing me directly. I had to make sure that my speakers were firm on their stands and that the cables connecting them to the console were not a tripping hazard for me or other musicians coming on stage.

Sounds a bit nerve-wracking, doesn't it? Well, it is not too bad, especially not after years of practise, but you have to be attentive and careful, and always make sur...

Some time ago, Sharon attended one of Millicent's "getting paid" webinars. She applied the principles discussed during the session and got good results, so she wrote to Millicent to tell her all about it. We are very happy for Sharon and want to share her words with you:

Thank you so much, Millicent!

I really should have messaged you before, but here it is: I am so grateful for the tips you gave on the webinar. I followed your advice about mentioning expenses and I received £60 and food for a community event ✊🏾. In the end, it was only required to do a play/workshop for about 15mins. The organiser was very happy 😊. A young woman came to me afterwards and asked if I would record her playing the djembe. She had played dhol drum years back and experienced low self esteem, largely due to family dynamics. She left the event with her recording and beaming 😁. This was a fantastic exchange and made it all so worth it 🤩

Thank you so much again, Millicent! 🙏🏾❤️

Best wishes for both...

Oh, what an adventure it was for Millicent to post the content of the podcast Success Beyond The Score live on YouTube for the third season! Through a bit over two weeks, she talked about many essential things you need to know to grow your music career:

1. Mon 4th July: Welcome and what to expect. 
2. Tues 5th July: Does your music have the juice to pull a crowd?
3. Wed 6th July: Why do musicians get killed by sound?
4. Thurs 7th July: I’m a musician. Why do I need a business plan?
5. Fri 8th July: Three reasons why you should charge for your music starting today!
6. Mon 11th July: Is playing for free a contradiction for musicians?
7. Tues 12th July: Do you have a music hobby or a music business?
8. Wed 13th July: This is why you should video record your Gigs.
9. Thurs 14th July: Stop! Don’t record until you’ve done these!
10. Fri 15th July: Three essentials for putting on your own show.
11. Mon 18th July: Three reasons why you should contact the sound engineer before your Gig.

You can revisit any and al...

It's no secret that the cost of living rises have affected everybody.  It may be that you have to cut back on the amount of holidays you take, or figure out how you will make £1 stretch to purchase necessary items.  Well, here are Millicent's 12 tips to help you manage your money worries.  Don't forget to do you due diligence and seek professional advice to see if these will work for you.  

1.  Sell stuff you no longer need!  Maybe you have an extra instrument, or two, or three, or four in the corner gathering dust.  Do you need it?  Could someone else benefit from it?

2. Cut back on ready meals and takeaways, and cook from raw ingredients.  

3. Call in any I.O.Us. 

4. Look through your insurances, utility bills, bank charges and see if you can switch to a provider who is offering a better deal.  Of course, read the small print!

5. Cancel any subscriptions for services you no longer need.

6. Become more energy efficient.  It takes more electricity to boil a full kettle when you o...