The Importance of Developing a Plan
I’ve mentioned planning a lot so far. But what should your plan include and how do you
put one together? A fair question. A plan is, by definition, a detailed proposal for doing or
achieving something. It’s like a road map you use to guide your direction and decisions,
while providing a measuring stick for your success or missteps.
Developing a clear, well-thought-out and sensible plan can, almost automatically, put
you ahead of the pack. That’s because the pack didn’t take the time and effort to draft a
one. They simply let their musical career happen to them, rather than taking control of
their destiny. Sure, they have hopes, dreams and hazy ideas, but nothing in writing that
will hold them accountable and responsible for realizing those high-minded hopes.
It’s important to remember that a plan isn’t meant to stifle your creativity or be a
spontaneity crusher. It’s not selling out or boxing you into a concrete container. A good
plan is flexible and should be malleable, based on current circumstances, while still guid-
ing you where you want to go. While music is art, professionally, it’s also a business and
your career should be treated as such.
By now, perhaps you have some goals and objectives. You may have defined your
musical niche and your fans. That’s a place to start. A band that sounds like Metaloca-
lypse’s Dethklok is going to have a reasonably different plan from somebody who sounds
like Woody Guthrie. There may be some common points, but the specifics will, and
should, vary in order to successfully reach and impact their audience of fans, influencers,
booking agents and such.
Developing your plan will be addressed in detail in Chapter 3. But, for now, here are
some of the components of a typical plan.