5 Music Business Lies That Hurt Your Music Career

5 Music Business Lies That Hurt Your Music Career

By Tom Hess

Wish your music career was moving ahead much faster? Stop accepting these false claims about the music industry:

Music Career Myth #1: You have to be generally young to get far in the music industry.

Reality: People and bands in the music business don’t care much about age. There are many successful musicians who are above thirty who are growing excellent careers. Age is just a number.

At the end of the day, the music industry is a business. Like any other business, you can achieve success regardless of your age as long as you have a solid work ethic, commitment and a tons 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Reality: A lot of people buy music, but if you want people to buy yours, you shouldn’t use outdated music business models. To become successful at selling music to your fans, here’s what you need to do:

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 your fans to purchase your music

Music Career Myth #3: You have to develop your musical skills to an advanced level before you can be successful in music.

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 these kinds of results when you work closely with a mentor who has accomplished these things already.

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. Good connections are crucial for the growth of a successful music career.

Reality: Music industry connections do not always lead to significant results in music. For instance, if you just happened to meet the president of major music company, would that lead you to a record deal? Chances are slim, unless:

1. You’ve already built up tons of value to offer.

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.

Learn how to get your fans to purchase your music so you can add more stability to your music career.

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