Want to grow a successful career in music much more quickly? Don’t accept these false claims about the music business:
Music Career Myth #1: Your age is a big part of your success in music.
Reality: How old you are actually does not matter much to people in the music business. There are 1,000’s of successful musicians ranging from 30 to 60 in every area of the music business. Age is only factor if you allow it to be.
The music industry functions just the same as any other business. You can become successful at any age as long as you have a strong work ethic, dedication and a lot of value to offer.
Find out what people in the music industry look for in musicians and start working to improve these elements. This is crucial for getting people in the music industry to work together with you.
Music Career Myth #2: People don’t actually buy music anymore.
Reality: Fans do buy music these days, but old music business models for selling it do not work. To sell music to your fans (and make good money), you must:
1. Discover how the music industry works right now, NOT how it worked 20 years ago.
2. Think like an entrepreneur and be creative. This is how you will identify new ways to sell your music.
Learn how to get more fans to buy your music.
Music Career Myth #3: Good connections are crucial for the growth of a successful music career.
Reality: Connections often do not lead down the path of music career success. If I introduced you to the lead singer of your favorite band, would this do a lot for you? Not likely… unless:
1. You have tons of value to offer above most other musicians.
2. You’ve already made a reputation for yourself and are known for being loyal, have a hard work ethic, can be trusted and has a solid mindset for business. People in the music business always check these things first before deciding to work with someone.
Music Career Myth #4. You need to live in large city to become a successful pro musician.
Reality: It doesn’t matter what city you live in. YOU are the key element.
It is extremely common for music companies to work together with musicians who live thousands of miles away or further! Discover the principles that help you build a successful music career and apply them in your own life. This will help you achieve success no matter where you live.
Music Career Myth #5. Before you can build a music career, you must become an excellent musician.
Reality: There are tons of factors for becoming successful in music besides having “excellent musical skills”. In fact, a lot of pro musicians are not advanced at their instruments ….and even more highly talented musicians don’t ever see success in their careers.
The following video shows over twenty things the music business looks for:
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Key thing to learn: develop your musical skills at the same time that you work on other areas on your music career.
Keep in mind that you don’t need to go to university in order to become a successful pro musician. In reality, attending university is really only good for helping you become a better musician… NOT for understanding how to build a career in music. A lot of people spend years in college getting a music degree only to end up working normal day jobs.
You can also develop your musical skills to a high level without going to school. Taking guitar lessons with an excellent teacher will help you become a better guitarist very fast.
Question: “But Tom Hess, can I just get a degree in music business?”
Answer: In general, professors who teach in the area of music business do not actually have successful music careers. They merely educate on the subject. They teach you about the music industry, but do not actually know how to grow a long-term successful career in music. For example, they might be able to tell you how music industry contracts are put together, how tours are promoted and how publishing deals work. This information can be helpful… however, it won’t really help you:
*Actually get signed to a recording contract.
*Put together a successful tour.
*Get publishing deals.
*Get into the band you want to play in.
*Make tons of money in music.
*Stay successful in music for the long haul.
You only get these kinds of results when you work closely with a mentor who has accomplished these things already.
Learn how to get more fans to buy your music so you can make your music career more secure.
About The Author:
Tom Hess is a recording artist, music career mentor and virtuoso guitar player. He trains and mentors musicians of all different experience levels on how to develop a successful career in music. Visit his musician website to get free music career building tools and read professional music business columns.