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You can choose to work outside the industry. I left the industry in 2013. I saw some of that toxicity and bleak future that you described. This year I am star

by jcpst 4y ago

You can choose to work outside the industry. I left the industry in 2013. I saw some of that toxicity and bleak future that you described. This year I am starting to get back into a music side career, treating it like a bootstrapped startup. Using email marketing funnels to sell digital or CD, being cautious about investing into it. Haven’t proven it out yet, but I think I will enjoy trying. If anything, it’s a good excuse to learn digital marketing, which would come in handy if I want to try selling anything else online.

winternett 4y ago
Life as a musician is fun if you have cashflow from other sources or savings that pad you well from harsh life... It's a great way to kill time. When people cite corruption though, they're talking about the tolls on people who don't operate off of a safety net. It's important to keep the perspectives distinct. Most people don't have the luxury of being able to fail at something they work hard on, this is why I feel it's supremely important to be honest about music background and experience, which many artists aren't. The majority of "successful" musicians in public life right now had industry connected family members, or prior wealth as an assist to their current career. Upward mobility (financially) without cash and connections is severely limited in today's music industry, as well as in many other professions like acting etc...
- jcpst 4y ago
  That’s what I learned too… Working in the music industry shattered a lot of the glamorous illusions. I also learned that from peers who were chewed up and spit out by the major label machines. For those 7 years, I was constantly broke, and being taken advantage of by people in the industry with more leverage. Then I met someone in the office that thought it was crazy that I had a music career before I became a programmer. But it’s the same reason they’re in the office too! It’s really hard, and even if you have that special “it” factor, it can require more runway than most people are willing to give to get there.

by jcpst 4y ago

winternett 4y ago

Life as a musician is fun if you have cashflow from other sources or savings that pad you well from harsh life... It's a great way to kill time. When people cite corruption though, they're talking about the tolls on people who don't operate off of a safety net. It's important to keep the perspectives distinct. Most people don't have the luxury of being able to fail at something they work hard on, this is why I feel it's supremely important to be honest about music background and experience, which many artists aren't. The majority of "successful" musicians in public life right now had industry connected family members, or prior wealth as an assist to their current career. Upward mobility (financially) without cash and connections is severely limited in today's music industry, as well as in many other professions like acting etc...

jcpst 4y ago
That’s what I learned too… Working in the music industry shattered a lot of the glamorous illusions. I also learned that from peers who were chewed up and spit out by the major label machines. For those 7 years, I was constantly broke, and being taken advantage of by people in the industry with more leverage. Then I met someone in the office that thought it was crazy that I had a music career before I became a programmer. But it’s the same reason they’re in the office too! It’s really hard, and even if you have that special “it” factor, it can require more runway than most people are willing to give to get there.