Touche Maestro

So you love music and you want to dedicate your entire life to a career in music; to making music, helping musicians, recording albums and most importantly, getting paid. Well, unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last decade or so then you have no doubt realized that the music business is changing. Digital downloads have led to shrinking profit margins, which have led to less artist development, which has led to major label mergers, which as led to even more downsizing and ultimately less opportunities for those interested in careers in music.

However, at the same time, new and different opportunities are opening up in music as well. While there might be less and less jobs available for would be A&R reps, music managers and producers, there is a new type of opportunity opening up for individuals with a bit of ingenuity and an entrepreneurial spirit.

Traditionally someone interested in a career in music would be looking at a handful of options. One could attempt to make a living as a musician, an artist manager, a record company or record company employee, a producer or a promoter of music in the form of either a radio promoter, publicist, concert promoter or booking agent. There are of course other job descriptions as well but that list covers the main ones.

But more and more it is looking like the music career of the future will be an amalgamation of all of them. Rather than following a business model based around selling millions of albums for a small profit margin, the new model is becoming more about selling a small number of albums for a higher profit margin. When the focus is taken off of MTV airplay and the billboard charts and is placed on developing a smaller and loyal fan base and marketing a number of products to that fan base it becomes easier for the average person to generate an income from music.

In the past it was all or nothing. You either sold a million records or you went no where. Now, with a solid internet music marketing strategy in place, there is a new and very fruitful grey area from which many artists, as well as managers of artists, are making a respectable living and better yet, more secure and autonomous careers in music.