With the New Year comes planning for the next twelve months. While you likely have a number of items on your to-do list for 2012, one of your highest priorities should be to make more connections with others in the music industry. As an indie artist, making the right connections is one of the most important and impactful things you can do to help further your career. As you know, it’s about who you know.

This week, sit down and make a plan for the year. What are your goals? Record an album? Find a manager? Hire a booking agent? Then, sit down and think about who can help you achieve those goals. Who would it be helpful to meet? Sound engineers, producers, bookers, managers, and other musicians are likely on your list.

But how do you meet them and make a lasting connection? Here are a few tips:

• Identify: As mentioned above, you need to think about who you want to meet. Identify the people with whom you want to connect and make a short list of those that can help you achieve your goals.

• Introduce: A great way to locate the right people is through social media sites like Linked In or Facebook. Find the people you want to connect with and send them a message introducing yourself, with a note about your upcoming plans (album release, tour, etc).

• Interact: After you’ve exchanged messages, ask to meet in real life. Set a coffee date so you can meet face to face and engage in conversation. Get to know the other person.

• Keep in Touch: After your initial meeting, send a follow up note thanking them for their time and willingness to chat. Drop them a line every few months to say hello with an update on your progress or plans. Then, when it comes time to work together or to ask the person for help, you’ve already established a rapport.

Additionally, another great way to make connections is to join a networking or professional group. Choose a group (or two) within the music industry that will put you at the same events as the people you’d like to connect with.

Get your New Year off to a great start by meeting the right people to help move your indie music career forward.

Tell us what you think! Have you made an active effort to make connections to help your career?

Up next: It’s tax time!

The SongCast Crew