Music Entrepreneurship Helps Young Musicians Chart Careers in a Crowded Market

This article, by Andrew Druckenbrod, was published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on August 9, 2009. Overpopulation, poverty and stagnation: The way the classical music industry is described these days you’d think it’s a Third World country. The recession has made an already tough existence even tougher for music students and those already...

Think Like An Entrepreneur

This article, by Louise Lee, was published in Strings Magazine in the August 2009 edition. It’s a common dilemma. You’ve had excellent musical training. Your playing sounds great. But you’re still figuring out how to start, or jump-start, a career. The answer, says David Cutler—author of the book The Savvy Musician: Building a Career,...

The Best in the World

Practice makes perfect. And heaven knows, you need to be perfect. How else will you become the best in the world, and therefore earn the work and opportunities you desire? So you lock yourself in the practice room and “shed” 12 hours per day. Problem is, no matter how hard you try, there’s always someone better.  Actually many, many...

Inward Artist, Outward Artist

My last posting stressed the importance of becoming a “you, you, you” outward artist, as opposed to a “me, me, me” inward artist. The attitude you adopt affects every aspect of your artistic life, from product development and projects pursued to marketing and sales. Which kind of artist are you? Please note: though feminine pronouns are...

The Outward Artist

Yes, the subject of arts entrepreneurship is in vogue these days. It’s no longer gauche to discuss the business aspects of a career. That’s great news for artists that prefer not to live a destitute existence. But what exactly does arts entrepreneurship constitute? For universities embracing this topic, classes typically cover a lot of ground:...

Music Entrepreneurship? Um, why should I care?

Entrepreneurship is quite the buzzword these days. Even in the music world. There are now music entrepreneurship courses, conferences, books, discussion groups, think tanks, and websites. Well, it is a cool word (if you could only learn to spell it…), but it sounds so “business-y.” Didn’t you become an artist, at least in part, to embrace...