The music industry has changed dramatically over the past decade. The rise of streaming services, social media, and crowdfunding platforms have all changed how we consume music and what it means to be a successful musician.

Despite these changes, one thing that hasn’t changed is that it’s still challenging to build sustainable careers as musicians. Most artists will never make enough money from their art to support themselves without having another job or taking out loans for living expenses (or both).

That’s why new artists need to understand how building a successful career works—and what steps they can take early on in their careers (with regards to their work) so that they don’t find themselves struggling later down the line when they’re trying to make ends meet off of album sales alone.

Study The Greats

The first thing you must do is learn from the masters. Study the greats and learn from their mistakes. There is no need to reinvent the wheel. Still, your education should include some basics, such as knowing the history of your craft, having an understanding of what is currently working in that field, and having a basic knowledge of where it came from. This will help you avoid making unnecessary mistakes that could cost you time and money marketing your music.

Don’t Be Scared Of Criticism

Too often, musicians are afraid to show their work to others. They don’t want anyone to see their songs or hear their music because they are afraid of what people will say. But criticism is not a bad thing; it can be helpful and even encouraging!

Here are some ways that criticism can help you:

• Criticism will help you improve your work
• Criticism can help build a better product
• Criticism shows fans care about what we do

Collaborate With Other Musicians

You can collaborate with just about anyone who wants to work with you! If the person has some skills in music production or songwriting, then collaborate with them! Collaborate with those who can access resources to help make better recordings or videos for promotional purposes (like YouTube or Instagram).

Practice Every Single Day

Practicing every single day is so important. It improves your skills, makes you more confident, and helps you get better at what you do. It helps musicians become more confident with themselves and their music!

Do not treat your Work as Just a Hobby

There is a common misconception that being a musician should be treated as a hobby, while your “real job” is where you work to make money. I can understand why some people may think this way—after all, music is often considered an art form or passion, not a career. But if you want to become successful in the long run and have some financial freedom from your music career, then you must treat your passion for making music as much as any other business.

So, if you’re a musician who is serious about making it in the music business, it’s time to put these tips into action. Keep working hard and find your voice through trial and error. Treat every show like an audition because that’s exactly what it is!

Seek out honest feedback from others in your field who have made strides toward their goals—they can offer valuable insight into how they did so successfully while also motivating to keep going on this journey with them as partners along the way.

If you’re a musician, you know the industry is cutthroat. There’s little room for error and even less room for failure. The only way to succeed is to constantly learn from your mistakes and build upon the successes of others.

If this sounds like an intimidating process, don’t worry! We’ve put together a list of tips that will help guide new musicians in their journey toward success.

Be a Student of the Game

Once you have a basic grasp of the fundamentals, it’s time to be a student of the game. That means listening to music and watching videos, reading books about music theory, taking classes and workshops (if possible), practicing every day, and getting feedback from other musicians on your work.

The more you learn from others who are more experienced than you will make YOU BETTER!

Know Your Purpose

Knowing your purpose will help you stay focused on your goals. It will also help you prioritize your time and make decisions more quickly. Knowing your purpose can even make a difference in the choices you make in life.

Be Teachable

You can’t do it all, and you won’t do it all. You will make mistakes, but that doesn’t mean you should stop trying. If you give up because of an error, then you are missing out on the opportunity to learn from those errors and become a better musician as a result.

If someone is willing to teach you something, it isn’t because they want to make sure your musical career fails; it is because they want to help you succeed. Learning from other people puts us in touch with our peers and keeps us humble about our abilities (or lack thereof).

Be Patient

Patience is a virtue and one that you should practice if you want to be successful. Success takes time, and there’s no way around it. So don’t give up on your dreams just because things aren’t working out exactly how you imagined them in the beginning.

You have to be willing to work hard and wait for results, especially when it comes to music—it could take years before your songs are good enough to record or release!

Don’t rush into anything too soon. Keep practicing (or learning) what you’re doing until it sounds right, whether it’s playing an instrument or writing lyrics, or performing in public. More time spent practicing now means better results later on down the road–so keep at it!

When starting as a musician, don’t expect any overnight popularity or success; there will likely be many long hours spent working hard before that happens–but if this truly makes YOU happy, then do not let anything get in YOUR way!

Find a Mentor

Your mentor can help you avoid mistakes, stay focused, and reach the next level. Mentors are inherently good people who are often willing to share their knowledge with others. There’s no one right way to find a mentor—you may already know one in your circle of friends or family.

If not, try reaching out on social media or contacting an influential figure in your field who might be willing to meet up for coffee or lunch. You’ll most likely benefit from having more than one mentor—having multiple points of view will help keep you grounded and prevent tunnel vision when making decisions about your career path, especially when starting as an independent artist without much in terms of resources at hand (e.g., labels).