GIRLS IN MUSIC

With thirty-five Grammy awards, being the first black female artist to win Best Country Album of The Year, and being named “Greatest Pop Star of the 21st Century” by Billboard, Beyoncé has solidified her place as one of the biggest artists of this generation.

Being in the music industry for close to thirty plus years, Beyoncé boasts many accolades and has a deep understanding of the music industry. But what can smaller, growing artists learn from such a massive success?

1) Start Small…Take and Manage Creative Control

Beyoncé is the owner and founder of Parkwood Entertainment. This business gives her the ultimate say on what she decides for her music, videos, and albums. It allows her to express creativity without worry of a large record executive. Of course, this is a big leap for a smaller artist. Instead focusing on copyrighting your music, registering your songs with ASCAP of BMI, trademarking your stage name, and investing in basic branding to ultimately build upon your identity as an artist.

2) Unique Marketing

Beyoncé is widely known for her surprise album drops, disregarding common release strategies. She finds unique angles to create more frenzy around her music. To apply this yourself, create a schedule, along with ideas on how to bring wider audiences in. Can you create a “demo a day” challenge for yourself on TikTok for others to look forward to? What can make you stand out? Are you posting every day—every other day? Create a cohesive and fixed plan for yourself so that you can easily find ways to build your audience and create these “surprises”.

3) Empowerment and Authenticity

Beyoncé is known for both her catchy melodies as well as her more meaningful and powerful music which focuses on uplifting women, highlighting black culture, and dealing with vulnerability and betrayal. Songs such as “BROWN SKIN GIRL”, “Run The World (Girls)”, and her album “Lemonade” shows a deeper and more relatable side. She strengthens female power while also exposing her more raw and emotional side, not limiting herself to one specific style. Attracting audiences with viral trends is useful as a small artist, but authenticity keeps people coming back to you, wanting more.