Is the Music Business Dead? (For the Love of the Music)

Well, it may not be dead, but it isn' alive like it used to be. The Internet has changed all that. The big record companies are gone and there is no support for new musicians. The fans don't feel they have to pay for music anymore. Many of them feel that anything a musician (or other artist for that matter) creates is free for the taking. That's bullshit, of course, but it's the way a lot of people feel. This makes it nearly impossible to earn a living as a musician. Not that it can't be done, but it certainly isn't going to be done on the level it used to be done on. There are avenues of income for musicians. You can make some money as a songwriter, you can make money doing shows, and if you have at least a small fan base, maybe you can sell some CDs. You're just not going to get rich doing it.

Today we (the artists) do it for the love of doing it. Go ahead and pursue it as a career. Write songs for TV shows, commercials, and other artists. Play in the bars or at the fairs. Sell a few CDs if you're lucky. That's all good, but remember one thing. Do it first because you love it. If you are expecting fame and fortune, you're expecting too much and going at it the wrong way.

Maybe some day people will start respecting the artist again and stop taking our work. Maybe they'll start paying us so we can earn a decent living. Until then, though, keep doing it because you love it. That's why I write songs. I don't want to sound bitter. I'm not. If I didn't love what I do, maybe I would be, but it's the love of that craft that keeps me going, and love for the music. That's what it's all about.