5 People You Meet in the Music Industry & How to Deal with Them

The longer you stay in the business, the more you’ll encounter specific types of people — some good, some bad. It’s important for an artist still learning the ins and outs of the music industry to be able to recognize the archetypes, and how to properly react to them.

Below are 5 common types of people you’ll meet in music, how they operate, and how to avoid (or find) them.

The Scammer

Scammers pop up in every industry where people are desperate enough to fall for their tricks. I’ve talked before about peeping their game. The easiest way to spot a scammer is by asking yourself: Does this sound too good to be true? Scammers play on artists’ common weaknesses: wanting to be liked, ambition and drive to succeed, and their utter need to be at the top now. Don’t fool yourself, it takes a lot of hard work to succeed in this industry, and anyone making promises that put you at the front of the line is very, very likely trying to take advantage of you.

People may dislike Justin Bieber on a monumental scale, but the kid performed on sidewalks for years before he was annoying his rich, SoCal neighbors with fireworks.

Another dead giveaway for scammers: they promise you the world, for a fee. Beware anyone that guarantees you…