Chapter 14: Pro Advice on How to Succeed
Here’s a news flash. If the music business was easy, everybody would be a rockstar or the
next pop sensation. It’s never been easy to get signed, write and perform a massive hit,
buy mansions, cars and the accessories that go with being a star. Yet, as you read this
book, my hope is that you’ve found that musicians no longer need to play by the old
rules. Sure, the competition is as fierce as ever. Probably even more so. But, thanks to
technological advances and a traditional music business that’s in chaos, there are many
opportunities to find success doing what you love.
The Future of Music Coalition is a nonprofit group that advocates for musicians. The
Coalition began to conduct a survey in 2010 to learn about how musicians are generating
revenue. The ongoing study has, so far, found forty-two different revenue sources. That’s
more than incredible. As Mr. Zimmerman said, “The times, they are a changing.” And
that they are. No doubt, they will continue to keep changing and evolving.
The Internet has changed the distribution model and more. For example, the study
found that fifty-six percent of respondents felt the Internet made it possible for them to
manage their own career, while sixty-four percent said the Internet also made the music
world more competitive by creating a massive quantity of music for consumer consump-
tion. On a somewhat sadder note, thirty-seven percent of the musicians surveyed said that
they were spending more time on promotion and less time making music. You can find
the survey (if still open) at, futureofmusic.org/article/research/artist-revenue-streams.
The real burning question, that wasn’t answered by the Colalition’s survey, is whether
or not artists are better off today, even though there’s usually a lot more work involved