Understand that there is a difference between Music and The Music Business

PURPOSE: a piece of wisdom that I wish someone told me when I was getting started in music.  

BLOG:  

In the world of professional musicians everybody is good.  Not everybody is having financial success.   Music and the business of music are two totally different things.  One can be an amazing musician and not have any financial success or one can be a decent musician and have tremendous financial success.   If you go into the music business thinking that you will make money just because you are a great musician, there is a good chance that you will be very disappointed.   If you look around and realize that you are as good as most of the successful musicians out there but you are not having success yourself, then music is probably not the skill that you need to hone.   Start to look at the business as it’s own entity.  As someone wise once advised me: “Wear your musician hat sometimes and wear your business hat other times, but never let them in the same room.”

APPLICATION:  Make a study of the business of music in a similar way that you study music itself.