You’re considering a career in the music industry. How can you tell if it’s the right choice for you?

Idk - my friend Bob Ezrin has said it best: “will I die if I don’t do this?” If the answer is anything but yes I’d think about finding a new career.

If you find yourself getting easily distracted from creating or you're making excuses as to why you “can’t” put forth the effort that is needed, maybe it’s time to ask yourself if this is really the right path for you. Maybe you love music, but have situations that don’t allow you to take the time to “work” at it being your business. Perhaps consider another position in the music industry such as a music supervisor, agent, engineer or some other role where you will still be surrounded by music and others that also have a love for it. You will learn a tremendous amount and can revisit the idea of creating your own music for a living again in the future with a new mindset and a new toolbox full of skills and knowledge on how to succeed.

Love Bob Ezrin -- few know the music business as well as Bob. And he's right -- bring passion or go home. It's more a lifestyle than it is a job, live it and love it or get out. You will learn as much from failure as you will success, so fail fast as they say. Jump in! Commit!

Check your motives and uncover your "why." I have found that when my main motive is to look good and appear a certain way to others (essentially rooted in insecurity), things generally don't work out as I had hoped. Building a life on such insecurity results in trying to grow upon an unsteady foundation. Figure out the impact you want to have, and even consider who you do NOT want to be - that way it is easier for you to narrow down who you want to be, and why.

Iniciar qualquer carreira exige resiliência e esfor?o imensos. Um dos grandes desafios da indústria musical é que as pessoas costumam pensar que por amar ouvir música ou amar acompanhar seus artistas favoritos, v?o também amar trabalhar nesse mercado. Nem sempre essas coisas andam juntas. é um trabalho que exige estar disponível em horários extraordinários, que te proporciona menos rotina e está em constante mudan?a. Como em qualquer carreira, antes de come?ar avalie o que você está e n?o está disposto, e se você está aberto a aprender muito. Trabalhar com artistas é trabalhar com os sonhos de pessoas, ent?o desenvolver suas soft skills é essencial para ter sucesso e crescer na carreira.

Your skills are probably one of the crucial keys to being in the music industry. I would explore as much as I can at the beginning and see what I am drowned to. When I know, I would focus most of my time building that skill up and becoming a master of it. Know that any skill or job in the music industry is a constant learning experience.

From the earliest, try to find the best music teachers and life coaches possible. A mediocre teacher will not instruct you to be your best, nor will that teacher have vital connections to share, that will help you advance your career. Be prepared to set aside hours for practice. There's no way around it. Natural talent is a plus but it's essential to put in the work, behind the quiet closed doors of a practice room. Study music theory and the mechanics of how music is constructed. It will help you to collaborate and work well with other musicians. If you live in a rural area, you will need to travel for the best opportunities. Be prepared to get on an airplane for any major auditions on short notice and save the money to do so.

The audition process is one of the most challenging aspects of entering the music industry. Throughout your career, you will need to perform for a new teacher, agent, or famous person. If you are scheduled for an audition, show up, warmed up, no more than a few minutes before entering the room. If you are provided the option of signing up for a time slot, choose the latest slot possible. In this way, you are avoiding the mass of competition, and will avoid becoming psyched out or nervous because you've engaged in idle chatter with a challenger. For your technical preparation, review the 2% of music you don't know. It's the 2 - 3 notes or measures you often stumble through. Correct those mistakes through practice before the audition.

Do you have a passion to be in this industry? The music industry, or even the whole entertainment industry, is widely different from any industry, and getting your feet into it might require a lot of passion, time, and curiosity about how the behind-the-scene actually works.

As exciting as it sounds, music as a career is a rollercoaster ride. Are you willing to walk that extra mile? Do you have the patience & courage to keep moving forward when things are not going your way? Passion is a very interesting word, but it can be taken away from you. Motivation, passion, inspiration; words like these create an illusion that will keep you in the loop, and you will keep searching for it your whole life. Discipline is the silver lining that can beat the talent any day. As a kid, my father said these lines that stuck with me forever "You are stainless steel, it's on you whether you want to become a knife or a plate" Once you enter the rabbit hole, there is no going back. Be curious, ask questions & let it flow (: