Investing in Your Music Career

Adding fuel to the engine

This post is part of The Renegade Musician Series.

Musicians will spend thousands, even tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars on a college education (easily $10,000 to $40,000 per year), recording an album ($40,000 — $50,000 anyone?), festival entry fees, or CD replication. Yet when it comes to buying a $15 book or a $90 course, they freeze up. “That’s too expensive, I can’t imagine investing that amount of money in my career. Let me figure it out for myself.” What’s up with that?

Most schools and courses don’t equip you with the tools necessary to build a successful music career. They may teach theory, how to play an instrument, sing, compose, or write songs. It’s the rare program that gets into digital marketing, setting up a website, building a social media following, booking shows, initiating independent radio or PR campaigns, or anything related to career growth.

Some of the best use of your time in school, in fact, is growing your network. If you build the right connections, you will have gigs and opportunities lined up long after you leave with a diploma or degree. If not, you might be starting completely from scratch with no guidance or direction.

The institutions will happily take your money and give your rear end the boot after you graduate.

Whoever said a good education would lead to a good job lived in a world where they could be chosen by another. Today, you’ve got to choose yourself. No one is going to give you the permission to pursue your dreams, and no one is going to lift you out of poverty to success.

School doesn’t give you next steps. It equips you with a skill. That’s not enough if you’re serious about music. You’ve got to be willing to go further. You’ve got to start taking responsibility for your own growth. You can’t leave it in someone else’s hands. A Renegade Musician takes control.

I have literally spent at least $2,000 to $3,000 per year on my personal growth since 2018 and have consistently spent hundreds in the years prior.

How much of a rut do you want to dig before you commit to yourself?

I get antsy if I feel stuck in my work for more than six months to a year.

You’re willing to live in the same rut for years, even decades, before you even consider something off the beaten path. After six months of feeling stuck, I’m chomping at the bit and willing to spend almost anything to address my pain!

Renegade Musicians intentionally steer clear of the beaten path.

You can’t be mad about “money lost” investing in yourself because the onus is on you. If you didn’t get anything out of the book or program you bought, you probably weren’t looking for answers to begin with. It’s a rare info product that’s total B.S. and doesn’t at least contain a few nuggets of gold.

Take advantage of The Most Incredible Back to School Sale while you still can.

Originally published at https://musicentrepreneurhq.com on October 4, 2022.