10 Door Dash Lessons For Music Artists

In between figuring out my life post college graduation and working part time at a luxurious boutique, I decided to give Door Dash a chance.

Being a Door Dash driver wasn’t my ideal work but I enjoyed the idea of flexible hours and discovering new restaurants. If you read my previous article about having saved over $13K, then you know that this was a point in my life where I was hyper-focused on money. It didn’t matter how I got it as long as it didn’t cost me any morals.

Now, obviously this wasn’t a long-term venture for me.

I found that I kept breaking even and the reward was not worth the wear and tear on my car.

In fact — I think my car’s engine went out soon after I gave up the gig. Nevertheless, me being me, I was able to takeaway some positives from the situation. I was still somewhat active in music so I found a correlation between being a music producer or artist and being a Door Dash driver.

This lesson is geared towards social media activity. Find out when your audience is most active online. What I have noticed from Lil Durk is that he drops his drill music around midnight because he considers himself a wolf (not literally) and it fits the image of his brand.

Not everyone will find success dropping music late at night.

Much like being a Door Dash driver, you have to get a clear idea of your consumer’s activities. When are they most engaged? What area (or platform) does my audience frequent the most?

Take a moment to answer these questions for yourself.

I really hated driving to a highlighted area only to receive no orders.

Wasting gas is one thing, but it was also discouraging sitting in my car with no sense of direction. The thought, “is this all there is for me?” crossed my mind more times than I crossed the street. It reminded me of being an impatient musician who wanted instant fame, fans and fortune.

In the words of Tink (met her in 2018), “you’re going to have some good games and some bad games, but don’t let those bad games get the best of you.”

Aim for a profit.

There’s no point in working hard if you’re not going to see a return of investment. As an artist, don’t be so quick to put your music on streaming platforms without having accumulated a loyal fan base. Stop doing things with the intention of simply doing.

Whether you’re selling merch or tickets to your show, make sure you’re making more money than you’re spending on operating costs.

As Jay Z once said, “if you can’t buy it twice, you can’t afford it.”

When I worked as a Door Dash driver, some days my money goal was as low as $50-$80. For the most part, I just wanted enough money to put gas in my car and order takeout — my part time job was my saving grace for my more outlandish desires. This lesson correlates to being an artist because I have seen artists make $500 from one performance and blow it within hours at the club.

How many times have we seen documentaries about artists being cheated out of millions because of bad management or financial illiteracy?

Be smart with your earnings.

If you’re serious about your craft, investing in yourself shouldn’t be a big deal.

The focus of an artist should be on perfecting his/her craft. You don’t have time to waste your money unless you believe in your Plan B more than your Plan A. Professionalism and dedication are still two very attractive traits in any profession.

You will only get as far as your goals or lack thereof.

Don’t hate me for this — but making money is extremely easy.

Apps like Door Dash, Poshmark and Instacart provide a solid opportunity for income. As an artist, your focus would be more so on monetizing your content. Doing shows, selling merch and collaborating are great ways to get started.

If you don’t feel like you’re at a level where you can make money from your art — explore that ideology.

It only takes one song or one beat to push your life in the direction of your end goal.

Having a schedule is what will set you a part from the competition.

Most artists posts music on the fly. Then there’s another handful of artists who are so caught up in perfection that they don’t release music at all (big mistake). Setting schedules will keep you accountable and keep fans engaged.

Attention spans are too short for inconsistency.

Making money is easy but the effort isn’t always pretty.

Never take the money your art accumulates for granted. The first time I sold a beat for $20, I knew I could sell a beat for $200. As a Door Dash driver, I knew if I could make $100, I could make $200. The area I frequented would not have allowed me to make that much in a day, but maybe over a period of two or three days.

My point is, if you worked hard to get paid, act like it.

This point ties into a few previous lessons because I cannot stress it enough.

I was a recording artist and producer from 2009 until 2019. The amount of artists I’ve come across who struggle between choosing their art and choosing a practical career is almost disheartening. I am not advocating you to be a penny pincher, but I think it’s important to realize the importance of financial stability on your journey as an independent rapper/producer.

Prioritize your craft over everything that’s not conducive to your success.

To be an artist or producer is to be in business.

Some people will achieve success — most won’t. The idea is that you treat yourself as a company (or brand) and see your music as a product. If you treat your career like a hobby, you can expect hobby-ish results.

Be grateful for every bit of support you get and continue to build on top of that.

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