MORE THAN A HOBBY?
Do you look at music creation as a job or just something in which you are doing? Whatever it is that you do within the music arena, while it can be fun, there is still a way to make a living at it, but before you try that keeping it as a hobby may simply be appropriate thing to do. In fact this is often the best way to begin – before you even consider music as a calling, If you don’t enjoy the art itself there is little chance of you persevering through the inevitable knocks and set-backs that a music career can have to offer.
　
However, once you step out of the hobby aspect and look to music as a career you need to be prepared to enter the ‘business.’ This means taking it as seriously as any other employment. It is no longer just about singing to amuse yourself and your friends – you now need to start thinking about publicity, marketing, distribution and sales. What’s more you will find that you may need to invest in your career.
　
Still not sure why people join Facebook and MySpace thinking that there success is going to come that way, without having to really put in work. Sure, there are examples of people who seem to have done just that – but don’t believe the hype. There was a lot of effort behind the scenes and often some well-placed connections already in the industry. Think of a swan gliding down a river – seemingly effortlessly – yet under the surface there is a lot of paddling and pushing that you don’t see.
　
You will have to hire someone to handle your product to get it out to the world – and you will definitely need an electronic press kit. The music business is not a cake-walk, if it was everybody would be successful inside it. It is a dog-eat-dog world where talent is sadly not evermore enough to see you rise to the top. However, with some dedication and a love for your craft you can make it. Get yourself a saleable product, create your EPK, stay on top of the business, invest some extra time and money and you might just make it through.
Of course, if you’re not prepared to do all of that, then why not keep making your music as a hobby – after all there is nothing unfitting with that either…