Here's how you can spot and seize emerging music industry trends as an entrepreneur.

If you can learn to detect the patterns, you can determine your direction....read that again. Experiments become more common ground and you'll quickly understand the flow and ebb of the industry and plus. Understanding the direction of groups of people can give you an advantage. You'll know how to connect with these groups and stand out. Trends often create more opportunity than you'd see on the surface.

As they tend to happen over a period of time, trends are best analyzed in exactly that way - over a period of time. That allows for a more holistic view and thus more comprehensive insights can be drawn. Incorporate trend analysis into your daily routine -separate but connected to your research time as an entrepreneur. A daily 5-10 minutes, dedicated solely to analyzing trends, compounded over a month will teach you how to think and move as trends evolve and provide you a stronger foundation for forecasting and capitalizing on future trends.

Collaborations are the gates of the industry. People talk, people connect and create together an interesting vibe. Finding the people you vibe with, work well with and understand is a VERY important part of the music industry. You can gain traction, give support and drive creative imagination together which is the heart of any art.

Data driven decisions are definitely non-negotiables - for example, did you know that 100% of all convicted felons in the US drink water? Cheeky, but goes to show you how, even if your data is correct, it does not mean that the conclusion drawn from it - and the action taken as a result of it - is the correct one (or even a relevant one, in this case). Analyze the data and utilize it to strengthen your decisions but make sure to always approach challenges with an open mind. In other words, don't come into the process with a preconceived notion or bias - you'll ultimately end up skewing the data to "validate" your decision, rather than undertake a fact-finding mission in earnest. The best solutions can come from the places we least expect.

I naturally disagree with social listening and its affects here in the music industry. People talk about a lot of great things and a lot of great ideas come out of nowhere, from people who aren't as well known. But also people will always fill your head with keys about themselves, it can be beneficial but you can also lose track of who you are, what you desire to express if you listen to too much of the world. I think being able to be authentic stems from not diluting your mind with everyone else's opinions, information, and direction. It's rare to find people who actually know what they are talking about and can direct an artist to the right path. It's known that people grow cold when you are succeeding. They can't support it sometimes.