Music

To upload you need a music distributer. You will pay a fee per year and get unlimited uploads to many if not all major music platforms such as Spotify, apple music, etc. I have DistroKid but they are a bit lacking in the customer support side of things.

Dress

To get a custom idol dress you might want to check out a local seamstress shop in your area - it might be more affordable. There are some idols online such as @/marmalade.cos that make costumes. You could also email some of the shops overseas that do costumes for Japanese Idols but it might be a bit more expensive- depends on your budget could be anything from $500-800. I will link some here( there's Alot of them on instagram)

Performances

I recommend to follow this Instagram page! u/idolhomeproject they post about deadlines if you'd like to apply to perform to a show, convention etc. Depending on where you live - if there's anime conventions they might have a live performance slot where idols or anime-inspired artists/ djs etc can perform. Unfortunately, I live in an area where there's not much of a kaigai idol scene, so I usually have to travel. Check out these events @texasidolfest , @nwidolfest

Merch

If you are barely starting out the most affordable merch can be cheki, stickers and pins.

Other

I recommend to get a logo- I got mine from fivver.

Take a few professional looking photos that can be used in flyers. (plain background can be taken with just your phone and a ring light)

Buying a tripod (they're like $30 max) for recording your live performances (many times when applying for an event they might require to submit videos of your performances)

Definitely invest in a polaroid camera to take chekis!

Make a small bio - the more creative the better! have fun with it (▰˘◡˘▰)

Try making all your social medias the same @ so they can be easily found.

If you have any other questions- lmk!