10 Tips for Successful Collaboration in the Music Industry

Hardly anything moves your music career forward as quickly as the right collaboration with other artists. New fans, new sounds, new contacts – and often this is where the songs are born that people still remember years later. The problem is usually not the will, but the question: How do you find the right musicians, and how do you build a collaboration from that which both sides really benefit from?

Here at OneCrewRecords, we see again and again with our artists how much a well-planned collaboration can achieve – from a small feature to a joint EP. Here are ten ways you can get active yourself.

1. Swap gigs

Get in touch with a band or an act from another city and suggest shows to each other. You bring them to your hometown, they bring you to theirs – that way you both play in front of an audience that didn't know you before, without having to organize a whole tour.

2. Record a track together

A guest part on a song can open doors you would never have reached otherwise. It doesn't even have to be the obvious genre match – sometimes the most interesting tracks come out of unusual combinations. The only thing that matters: both sides bring their fanbase, both benefit.

3. Use platforms for music collaborations

There are now quite a few apps and communities that specifically bring artists together to make music – for jamming over other people's beats, for spontaneous remixes, or simply for getting to know people with a similar sound. Instead of just sending other artists your latest release, you bring musical added value right away. Who knows what a single idea can turn into once several people work on it.

4. Work with filmmakers

Almost every creative person knows someone who makes films – whether short films, skate videos, or YouTube content. Good visuals need good music, and in return you get a completely new medium through which people can discover your music.

5. Plan a joint release

Do you have unreleased material lying around? A split release with another up-and-coming act might be just the right thing. Whether as a limited edition that's only available at shared performances, or as a regular digital release through your distributor – that's true independent spirit, and fans love it.

6. Add spontaneous performances

Most of us know people in other bands somewhere in the world. Traveling is easier than ever today – so why not ask a friend's act whether you could perform a song together on your next visit? Small gestures like this stay in people's memory.

7. Produce each other

Professional production costs money – for good reason. Especially for up-and-coming artists, it's worth producing each other. You reach both fanbases, learn an enormous amount along the way, and at the same time build a closer relationship with other musicians.

8. Share visibility on social media

Go to a concert by your favorite local act, take a few clips, and post them with an honest statement about why you love this music. Tag everyone involved on the relevant platforms. That way, both fanbases get the chance to discover the other act.

9. Cover a song

Why not cover something from the independent scene instead of playing a classic for the hundredth time? It doesn't have to be an elaborate studio production – even a stripped-down, acoustic version can come across as a big sign of appreciation for the original artists. Not infrequently, the songwriters themselves share such a cover with their own fanbase.

10. Write together

And finally: co-writing. Many good ideas get left on the shelf and forgotten because nobody finishes them. If you keep track of open song ideas and deliberately involve other songwriters, you'll learn new writing techniques and end up leaving far fewer songs unfinished. At least most of them.

Have you had your own experiences with music collaborations? Here at OneCrewRecords, we're always happy when our artists support each other and grow together.