Guest post by Patrick McGuire. This article originally appeared on Soundfly’s Flypaper

For some, it’s the ability to pay one’s bills exclusively through making music. Others think they’ll find it once their songs hit a certain number of plays over streaming platforms, or once they sell out of a run of physical copies of a new album. I personally love being on the road, and am always striving to feel like the crowd out there is really excited to see me play my music. That’s when I feel truly successful.

Success means something different to every musician, but one thing is clear: Musical success is no longer, and may never again be, what it used to be. I’ve been thinking about this question a lot, what success really means right now. Here are my thoughts on the matter.