It’s no surprise that so many people want to be a part of the music industry.

From the outside looking in, it looks fun, glamorous, and exciting, though I can tell you right now it doesn’t always look this way from the inside.

Make no mistake about it. Starting a business in the music industry is no small deal, and it will require considerable time and effort on your part.

It’s best not to think of it as being any different from starting a business in another industry, because it isn’t. Depending on the niche you’re planning to get into, it could prove even harder to build a business in the music industry than in other sectors.

But maybe music is what you know best. Or maybe there’s an important message you want to share with musicians. It could be that your skills and experiences are exactly what the industry needs and is looking for.

If you’re passionate about music and can’t see yourself doing anything else, here are several opportunities you can pursue in the music industry.

1. Marketing, Promotion & PR

The need for marketing and promotion is unlikely to go away any time soon.

For one thing, best practices are changing fast.

Things are moving from a “push” approach to a “pull” approach, which involves less hard selling and more value delivered upfront.

For another, marketing is human by nature. It is generated by human beings to appeal to other human beings.

A machine is incapable of fully understanding human beings or their behaviors. So, it’s up to you to understand buying behaviors and sales psychology

I once interviewed former CD Baby founder Derek Sivers, and he shared with me that promotion and marketing are crucial now that recording, and distribution have gotten so inexpensive and easy.

It was about eight years ago that he shared this with me, but I think it’s still a valid point.

Call me out if I’m wrong on this – but it seems to me that most musicians leave school not knowing the first thing about marketing.

Schools clearly aren’t prioritizing the business side of building a music career.

Good promotion is hard to come by. If this is something you can provide for musicians and other businesses, I think you’ll do well.

It can be hard to create proper timelines for your clients or know exactly what to charge for your services, but as you navigate these challenges, you’ll learn to streamline your operations and develop a worthy service.


Watchout for part 2