Legitimization Checklist:

1. Do you have a head shot?
2. Do you have a profile?
3. Do you have a CV, portfolio or press kit?
4. Are some of your projects publicly accessible?
5. Do you have any kind of endorsements?
6. Do you have any kind of formal credentials?
7. Have you made any professional recordings, if not do you have strong demo material?
8. Do you have a website?
9. Are you active on social media?
10. Can people reach you?
11. Do you know your "community" and are you connected within it?
12. Are you knowledgable, and does knowing you have some kind of value to others?
13. Have you paid dues?
14. Is there some kind of clear to what you do?
15. Do you have a story?
16. Have you made an attempt to mentor others?
17. Have you sought mentorship yourself?
18. Do you have a mission and can you state it clearly?
19. Do you have a statable niche?
20. Do you have some kind of presence or aura that says you are what you are?

note:  Not all musicians are going to have each and every one of the checklist, but be wary of any you don't have. 

As an example, Musician Y "doesn't do social media"... and Musician Z does.    Musician Y is a famous musician who has been out there for years and knows just about every club owner in town.   Musician Z is an up and coming start who works social media quite well, effectively promoting himself using many a wide variety of platforms.   The needs of these two players will be very different and each has some assets to offer the other.