10 Music Industry Rules It’s Time To Rewrite

What if some of the things you believe you have to do to succeed in music are the very things making your career harder?

That is the question behind Do Music Differently.

For the first episode, I invited Dr. April Lynn James, also known as The PhDiva, to help me unpack ten of the biggest rules I have encountered about music, success, creativity, and building a career.

April is an award-winning soprano with a PhD in Music from Harvard. Despite all of that education and experience, she discovered something many creative people eventually discover. Check out more about April here- https://aprillynnjames.com/

Following all the rules does not necessarily lead you where you thought it would.

I can relate.

There was a period of my life when I knew I wanted music to be part of my future, but I wasn't actually building that future.

I was frustrated. I was doing too much by myself. I was burned out. And somewhere along the way, something I loved had started feeling really difficult.

Eventually, I started questioning the rules I had picked up about what a music career was supposed to look like.

That changed everything.

Instead of asking, "What am I supposed to do?"

I started asking, "What do I actually want?"

And that is the question at the heart of these ten rules.

Watch The Episode

Rule #10: If One Solution Doesn't Work, the Solution Doesn't Work

Have you ever said something like:

"I tried advertising and it didn't work."

"I hired someone once and had a terrible experience, so I'm never doing that again."

"I got one expensive quote, so I can't afford to do this."

One experience can quickly become evidence for an entire belief.

But maybe advertising wasn't the problem. Maybe that particular advertisement wasn't effective.

Maybe hiring help wasn't the problem. Maybe that person simply wasn't the right person.

One failed attempt doesn't mean the entire strategy is wrong.

Instead of asking whether something "works," get curious about what didn't work and what you could change next time.

Rule #9: You Have to Be Ready Before You Move

This one is especially convincing if you struggle with perfectionism.

You tell yourself:

"I need to be more confident."

"I need to learn more."

"It needs to be perfect."

"I'll do it when I'm ready."

But confidence usually doesn't arrive before action.

It grows because of action.

April put it beautifully during our conversation: you gain confidence in the doing.

You don't have to know everything before taking the next step. Sometimes you learn much faster by stepping into the experience, seeing what happens, and adjusting from there.

Done can be far more useful than perfect.

Rule #8: More Is Better

Post more.

Release more songs.

Play more shows.

Use more platforms.

Get more followers.

Work more hours.

Take more classes.

Add another project.

More. More. More.

It's easy to assume that if something isn't working, the answer is simply to do more of it.

But more can also become the road to exhaustion.

The better question might be:

What is enough?

What would actually create the result you want?

You may not need more. You may need focus, clarity, a better strategy, or permission to stop doing something that isn't helping you.

Rule #7: Independent Means Doing Everything Yourself

This is one I hear all the time.

Somewhere along the way, "independent artist" became confused with "person who must personally do every job in their business."

Booking.

Marketing.

Social media.

Graphic design.

Recording.

Editing.

Accounting.

Email.

Website management.

Networking.

And, somewhere in there, you're also supposed to find time to actually create music.

Being independent doesn't mean being alone.

In fact, one of the patterns I have noticed among music professionals who feel successful is that they have people around them.

Teams look different at different stages of a career. Your team might include collaborators, mentors, contractors, musicians, volunteers, business partners, or simply a community of people who help one another.

You can be independent and still ask for help.

Rule #6: There Is One Right Way to Succeed

Get signed.

Go to school.

Tour.

Build a huge following.

Get radio airplay.

Teach.

Become famous.

Pick whichever path your corner of the industry considers the "right" one.

April experienced this in classical music. She followed paths that were supposed to lead somewhere specific, only to reach the destination and wonder:

Where is the reward I thought was waiting here?

The music industry has changed dramatically, and there are more ways than ever to build a life around music.

The question isn't necessarily, "What is the right path?"

It might be:

"What is the right path for me?"

Rule #5: Your Worth Is Determined by Other People's Response

This rule can show up as imposter syndrome, comparison, rejection sensitivity, follower counts, ticket sales, comments, likes, streams, or simply watching someone else's career and wondering why you aren't where they are.

I struggled with this one.

I compared myself to people I had no business comparing myself to and used their success as evidence that I wasn't good enough.

But another person's career does not define your value.

Your audience's reaction doesn't define your value.

A rejection doesn't define your value.

And someone's highlight reel definitely doesn't define your value.

There is information you can learn from feedback, but there is a difference between using feedback to grow and using feedback to decide who you are.

Rule #4: Success Means Bigger, Famous, and More Visible

When I was younger, I thought being a successful singer meant becoming famous.

People would hear me sing karaoke and say things like, "Why are you singing here? You should be famous!"

So success became connected to being known on some massive scale.

Later, I started meeting people who were making a living in music whom most people had never heard of.

That was a huge realization.

You can make music.

You can impact people.

You can create income.

You can build an incredible career.

And you don't necessarily need millions of people to know your name.

How visible do you actually want to be?

Success doesn't have to mean becoming a household name.

It gets to mean what you decide it means.

Rule #3: It Has to Be All or Nothing

Either I make all my money from music or I'm not really a musician.

Either I'm doing music full time or I need to get a "real job."

Either this project becomes huge or it failed.

Why?

Your life can contain combinations.

Maybe you have a job and a music business.

Maybe you perform and teach.

Maybe you write music and run another business.

Maybe multiple interests and income streams weave together into something that doesn't fit neatly into anyone else's definition of a career.

That doesn't make it wrong.

It makes it yours.

Sometimes the most interesting career is the one you couldn't find on somebody else's roadmap.

Rule #2: Success Has to Be Earned Through Sacrifice

You've got to work hard.

You've got to give something up.

You've got to grind.

You've got to sacrifice your evenings, weekends, health, relationships, hobbies, or sleep if you really want it badly enough.

I followed some version of this rule for a very long time.

The problem was that once I believed success had to be hard, I started dismissing easier solutions.

If something seemed simple, my brain would say:

"That's too good to be true."

"That's a shortcut."

"That won't work."

What if instead of automatically asking, "How hard am I willing to work for this?" you asked:

"How could this be easier?"

Not everything will be easy.

But even when you're dealing with something genuinely difficult, looking for the easier path can help your brain notice resources, people, ideas, and opportunities you weren't seeing before.

You don't have to destroy yourself to prove you deserve the outcome.

Rule #1: Music Means Struggle

The starving artist.

"Music isn't a real job."

"You can't make money doing that."

"It's too unstable."

"Music is a hobby, not a career."

Both April and I heard versions of this rule.

And this one can run incredibly deep because it isn't just about music.

It is tied to survival.

When we become afraid that there won't be enough money, opportunities, clients, shows, listeners, or time, our instinct can be to do more.

Take another job.

Post more.

Attend another event.

Start another project.

Work another hour.

Eventually, you're doing so much to survive in music that there isn't much joy left in actually making music.

Maybe the goal isn't to accept that struggle is simply part of being a musician.

Maybe the goal is to start asking better questions about what a prosperous life in music could actually look like for you.

Start Listening for the Rules

Here's something you can begin doing immediately.

Pay attention when you hear yourself saying:

I should.

I have to.

I need to.

That's just how it works.

Those phrases don't automatically mean something is wrong.

But they are excellent clues.

When you notice one, get curious.

Where did that rule come from?

Who taught it to you?

Was it true for them?

Was it ever true for you?

Is it still true now?

Most importantly:

Is this rule helping you create the outcome you actually want?

If it isn't, you don't have to keep following it simply because you've been carrying it around for years.

You can write a more useful rule.

Your Next Breakthrough Could Begin With One New Rule

This is exactly why I created Do Music Differently.

Every week, I want to introduce you to people who are questioning the assumptions they inherited about music, creativity, business, and success.

You don't necessarily need another formula telling you exactly what you should do.

Sometimes you need one new perspective.

One question.

One idea.

One little aha moment that helps you see a possibility you couldn't see before.

So I'll leave you with the same question we ended the episode with:

What rule are you ready to rewrite?

Tell me about it? Book a time here. https://heidzalyncoaching.com/lets-chat

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