Success in the Music Industry
Jillian Rotsky MUSC 244-01 Midterm Essay October 11, 2009
"Modern music is people who can 't think signing artists who can 't write songs to make records for people who can 't hear." Frank Zappa
Starting a career in the music industry is a difficult task. There are many important steps that you need to take along the way, and the path is often long and confusing. The people that you meet along the way will guide you along this path, and hopefully help you become a music industry success story. The goal is to not let your message get jumbled and distorted beyond your control and lead you to disaster. The number one person in your path to success is yourself. You need to start the work required to become successful on your own. The first step for yourself is to decide that this is what you want to have as a career. There are many bumps and stumbling points along the way, and you have to be willing to take them in stride. Once you decide that this is indeed the path that you want to follow, you have to decide what success means to you. Are you happy playing in local venues to crowds of dozens of people, or do you want to play to arenas of thousands of people? You also have to be disciplined. You are responsible for knowing your instrument. Whether you are a vocalist or a guitarist, you have to know what you are doing. You should take music lessons, and if you already know your instrument, you need to practice, practice, practice! Often people become advanced and forget to review the basics and start to slack on structure and form. It is also important to do your research and learn from other artists. What did they do to become successful? You don’t want to make the same missteps that artists have made before you. (Rudsenske, 2004) You need to do research and learn about the business aspect of the industry. You want to know the fundamentals of contracting for gigs, negotiating record deals, etc. You
"Modern music is people who can 't think signing artists who can 't write songs to make records for people who can 't hear." Frank Zappa
Starting a career in the music industry is a difficult task. There are many important steps that you need to take along the way, and the path is often long and confusing. The people that you meet along the way will guide you along this path, and hopefully help you become a music industry success story. The goal is to not let your message get jumbled and distorted beyond your control and lead you to disaster. The number one person in your path to success is yourself. You need to start the work required to become successful on your own. The first step for yourself is to decide that this is what you want to have as a career. There are many bumps and stumbling points along the way, and you have to be willing to take them in stride. Once you decide that this is indeed the path that you want to follow, you have to decide what success means to you. Are you happy playing in local venues to crowds of dozens of people, or do you want to play to arenas of thousands of people? You also have to be disciplined. You are responsible for knowing your instrument. Whether you are a vocalist or a guitarist, you have to know what you are doing. You should take music lessons, and if you already know your instrument, you need to practice, practice, practice! Often people become advanced and forget to review the basics and start to slack on structure and form. It is also important to do your research and learn from other artists. What did they do to become successful? You don’t want to make the same missteps that artists have made before you. (Rudsenske, 2004) You need to do research and learn about the business aspect of the industry. You want to know the fundamentals of contracting for gigs, negotiating record deals, etc. You