Most people in the music business didn’t start in the music business but came into their careers while working their “day job.” After all, it’s important to have some income, right? But the choice of the “day job” can sometimes mean not being able to get into the career you want. Tom Hess looks at typical “safety net” strategies and the problems that can arise from them. Plus, he gives great tips on how to avoid most of the problems of transition by focusing on the end goal from the start.
You often hear that success in the music business is not about what you know as much as it is about who you know. So how does one go about getting to know the “whos?” How do we make contact and who are the right people to make contact with? Tom Hess gives some very valuable tips in this article.
At its heart, the music business is a business. Silly as it sounds, if you go into the business knowing this and knowing how to become a partner with your record company, you stand a lot better chance at being successful. Tom Hess provides a lot of valuable information in this article, taken from his personal experience in the music industry.
You can sit around and hope things happen, usually talking yourself into believing they wont’ – or you can start to take important steps now that will help you get where you want to go. Tom’s advice is great for everyone, whether you plan to have a future in music or just simply have a future!
As almost every aspect of the way people create, consume and listen to music is changing, it’s good to know there are certain trends that are likely to hold true for some time to come. This excerpt from Peter Spellman’s Indie Marketing Power highlights some of the ground-shaking and enduring trends that are currently shaping the music biz.
Music is too big a world for a one-size-fits-all model of music career success. Musicians’ career paths are as unique as their individual finger prints. Peter Spellman shares his guidelines for anyone trying to make a career out of their love of music.
Seeking a distribution deal for your indie CD? Kevin McCluskey from the Berklee College of Music provides an analysis of the costs versus the potential career benefits.
This is the first in a series of articles for Music Careers, where Peter Spellman reflects on where things may be going in the music industry. Peter Spellman is director of the career development center at Berklee College of Music, Boston and the author of The Self-Promoting Musician, The Musician’s Internet, and several other career-building books.
Chris Juergensen describes the current state of affairs in the music industry and shows us why the internet is one of the greatest tools for the aspiring musician and why now is a great time to be producing, marketing and selling your own music.
Here’s an inspiring tale from an inspiring person. In her first article for us, Sonata Jones tells us how she went about starting up her own record label and then producing her own CD.
Professional musicians will one day need to satisfy both financial and artistic needs. Chris Juergensen, the Director of Education at the Tokyo School of Music, shares all sorts of advice gleaned from his years as a studio musician and guitar teacher.
Ever see some pop or rock star in an interview complaining that he/she has no money? You’re thinking “yeah, right!”. They sold so many albums that they have to be rich. Let’s see how it works.
Many aspiring musicians have the misconception that being a star means they won’t have to worry about business, corporate dealings, and the usual rat race that every other career has. Hans Fahling writes about a wider range of skills that have served him well as a professional musician.
