Why You'll Fail in the Music Industry

The music industry is a monster filled with different motivations and ambitions ranging from a need of creative expression, delusions of money, or egotistical influence. The harsh reality of the business reveals you have a greater chance of winning the lottery as opposed to making it as a musician. So in a nutshell- you will fail.

I recently stumbled upon an excellent blog written by Loren Weisman, titled The Top Five Reasons You Will Fail In Music. This harsh article exposes many of the horrors that musicians shun away from; but as bitter as the writing may be, unfortunately it’s true. For whatever reason, artists reject this truth despite they fact it is offered as insight into the minds of industry executives and the dark shadows of reality. As the article uncovers Wesiman’s version of the five industry pitfalls, I agree with many and strongly oppose others. Elements such as (1) don’t listen to your families/friends opinion on how great you are, and (2) pay attention to what you’re signing- may prove to be obvious hazards, there are several blanket tips that can help musicians mentally prepare for the industry battle. As I commend Weisman for being unsympathetic, I want to provide more encouragement and industry tips in order to help musicians avoid the industry snags.

After viewing the industry from a variety of angles: indie record executive, consultant, studio manager, entertainment law, manager, booking agent, and a variety of others (non of which involve being a musician) there are several consistencies that allow musicians to avoid the failures.

1. Stop blaming others – As the referenced blog highlights this point, blaming others is the fastest ticket to failure. From a mental standpoint, musicians feel cheated, anxious for stardom, and anger towards the people who couldn’t break them. This isn’t healthy, but above all it is a creativity killer. Step back and embrace the reality of the business- more artists fail than make it. Knowing it’s a crapshoot going in allows for a creative out of the box thinking that encourages you do to things different. Not following the trend millions of other bands have set may allow you to increase chances of exposure. Creativity is the formula that allows this to happen. Touching on another angle, blaming others causes a piss poor attitude that provides a swift dismissal by anyone you’re trying to impress. If a band walks into my office who’s angry they haven’t made it big, regardless of their musical ability, they’re an immediate turn off. Anger is baggage, and baggage requires more effort and energy for managers, agents, and lawyers. Musicians forget, agents, managers, and lawyers benefit from a musicians success and fail when the musicians fails. If a working professional acknowledges you’ll be a headache on the front end, they know it makes their job that much harder. Just as the industry is a crapshoot for musicians, it’s a crapshoot for business professionals as well so any extra baggage only lessens your percentage of success.
2. Succeeding depends on your problem solving skills – This industry is constantly reinventing itself and so should you. When things aren’t going as planned, step back, put your ego in check, and evaluate why things are working for you. At its core, the industry requires simple problem solving skills. Really that’s it. As some problems are clearly harder to solve than others, successful problem solving skills insist on providing new techniques to resolving complicated issues. If you need more gigs, ask yourself what you’re currently doing and how you can mold the plan to acquire different things. Obviously this is more difficult depending on the level of success and individual responsibilities, but when everything is stripped away it still just boils down to problem solving.
3. You NEED managers, agents, lawyers, and most of all a record label. In the age of “damn the man”, musicians want to control all aspects of their career. Rightfully so, the major labels haven’t provided the most positive motivation in molding musicians minds. These elements prove necessity for a variety of reasons. As Weisman and I part ways on this topic, signing contracts doesn’t equate to signing away rights. A strong opposition to sign contracts that may elevate your career is the view of a creative control freak that will remain stuck a decade later. View contracts as delegating work rather than signing away your life. This doesn’t encourage musicians to sign absurd contracts with local untrained managers, lawyers, and copycat labels, rather make smart moves. Read about why musicians need a record label.