How pop artist Noella Nix is giving back

I've been following the good work Noella Nix does for a while now. Not only is she an exemplar independent pop artist herself, but she is a guiding light for budding music artists and producers.

What got you started in music?

I can’t recall a defining moment as I’ve always loved making music for as long as I can remember, but my step-dad was a professional drummer and we had a Sonor kit in our spare room so I was taught to play drums at a very young age and had a very keen interest in repairing and playing around with musical equipment such as vintage mics.. My mum had a lot of musician friends that used to donate old gear to me to play around with when I was about 10 years old.

In 2002 I completed my first Sound Engineering course and it was kind of on and off for a decade after that getting distracted by life and then from 2014 it was full steam ahead making music and releasing singles.

What should artists be doing to build their careers?

I guess it really depends on what your goals are in your career and what you want to learn or what you’d prefer to outsource.

I personally love learning every aspect from production to marketing, but I suck at graphic design and mixing/mastering so those are the things I outsource to a professional.

First and foremost you need to define your goals, get good at what you do and whilst practicing your craft engage with others and learn to network and become a great communicator. Having strong communication skills is a must!

Then you can decide what you’d like to learn or what you’d like to outsource and focus in on the things you want to become better at.

Learning to self-market is one of the most beneficial skills to build your career, you can have all the talent in the world but if you don’t know how to package and market yourself you will struggle to grow.

What motivated you to start doing the eBooks?

Funnily enough I never actual had any plans to make ebooks.

The initial idea started out because I had so many friends asking how to grow organically on Instagram since I’d had so much success with it, I said I’d throw something together quickly. Once I'd started writing it I couldn’t stop, I was enjoying the process so much I ended up writing 50 pages! So I figured if I was going to release this into the world I had to at least make it look good, so I hired a graphic designer and the rest is history 🙂

Does publishing these ebooks put more pressure on you to be successful — as proof your books work?

I write about previous experiences and successes so all of my ebooks are based off what has already worked for me and others. I wouldn’t write about something I haven’t already had a lot of experience in so I don’t feel any pressure no.

What was your biggest breakthrough moment, how did you make it happen and what did you learn from it?

My biggest breakthrough moment was when someone tipped me over $600 after reading one of my ebooks. I realised that I really was making a difference to peoples lives so I shifted my focus from then on and ended up getting my Diploma of Social Media Marketing. I spend a lot more time helping people with their careers than I do being an artist now but it makes me really happy seeing others reach goals. I realised I could make more money helping and teaching others than I could from music, so I shifted my focus a little in order to create a better life for myself.

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What are the pros and cons of being self managed and totally self sufficient?

Pros;

Huge sense of achievement knowing you achieved things all on your own
You save a lot of money when you learn how to do things yourself
You make a lot more money as you don’t need to split or share profits

Cons;

I feel like I never switch off from work or I have a hard time turning off my laptop and just taking a good breakWearing so many hats is mentally exhausting so it’s really important to take those breaks
Always learning (not that this is a bad thing) but it can be mentally exhausting being in a constant state of learning

What would you say to an artist who doesn’t want to get involved in the business side of something they think should be purely creative?

I mean, you need to at least have some basic business skills or record labels will take you for a ride if you ever decide to sign.

It’s really important to know how to collect royalties, the different types of royalties and the basics of copyright law.

I see so many people get taken advantage of even when dealing with PR firms, managers and “playlisting services”

I always advocate for trying to learn as much as you can about the business side of things so that you can maximise your income and know exactly where your money is going and what the return of investment is.

Outside music, whose approach to creativity do you admire?

I’m really into vintage films so I admire certain film producers and directors such as Russ Meyer. Some of my favourite film genres are sexploitation from the 60s and 70s, arthouse, grindhouse and horror.

Where can people find out more?

You can visit my website noellanix.com or my IG @noellanix