Here’s something we can all agree on: trying to make a living off of music is not easy. I’m not talking rock-star wealth & fame…just earning enough to eat & pay rent, and maybe get decent health insurance. So why do it? Why struggle so hard, work like a dog and push yourself beyond your limits — just to “get by”?

Because if you’re like me, you love music. Way down at your core, it has an unshakable hold on you, and tapping into that love is the greatest feeling on earth. Whether you play it, listen to it, dance to it, or talk about it, you don’t just “like” music — you LOVE music. More than most people. More than almost anything in the world. So, do you love it enough to marry it? Read more

This week, Music Think Tank published an interview with Ian Rogers where Ian delineated different “classes” of artists – Emerging, Middle-class, Mainstream, and Legacy – and talked about how it takes a long time to move up the chain of success. He’s absolutely right, but “a long time” is a pretty nebulous period. Soul singer Charles Bradley had to plod along as an Emerging artist for almost 40 years, while Mumford & Sons toiled for less than five. Yes, success takes time, but it also takes work – and different levels of success require different types of work. Read more