What it means to make it in the music?

“Making it” is defined differently by everyone. To those outside the industry, “making it” means superstardom. If you want to be a superstar, you need a boatload of money, provided by either a label or an investor. And even then, it’s no guarantee.

But to make it as a full-time musician just takes lots of hard work. By the time you’re finished with this book, you will have a clear idea of how you can make it as a full-time musician. Some of you will go on to be world-conquering superstars, and some of you will make solid livings as regional musicians. Neither is “better.”

I love coffee. There’s this great boutique coffee and doughnut shop in SeattleSeattle. It’s not a big chain. But the owners are super cool, the employees all seem to enjoy themselves and they seem to be doing solid business. They have been in this same spot for the past six years. But because they’re not Dunkin’ Donuts, have they not made it? I would say they have.

What about the local bookstore with eight employees that’s been around since the seventies and is well respected in the community? Since they’re not Amazon, have they not made it?

For some reason, music seems to be one of the only professions where the sole definition of “making it” is superstardom. If your uncle Joe’s coworker hasn’t heard of you, then you haven’t made it in his eyes. Well, your uncle Joe’s
coworker hasn’t actually heard of hundreds of bands you would probably deem to have made it. It’s all relative.

Your goal should be to sustain yourself as a full-time musician. The “big break” you’re waiting for will never come—if you just wait for it. If you want to succeed you must put in the work. I know you’re saying to yourself right now, “But, Lari, I’m different! I’m better than everyone else. I am a superstar and ‘they’ will find me!”

The thing is, too many musicians are waiting for those with the answers to come a-knockin’, without actually knowing why. If the reason you’re waiting is that you don’t want to put in any work for yourself, then you should just throw in the towel right now. Because even if Capitol Records somehow stumbled on you singing in a bar and said to themselves “This is the next big thing,” you would still need to put in a hell of a lot of work. But the thing is, Capitol Records doesn’t seek out talent in bars anymore. And even if they did, you’d have to virtually sign away your entire life to work with them because you have absolutely no clout. And no negotiating power.

I won’t deny that a label, at the right time, can help. But not any label. And not too soon.

You don’t want a record deal. At least not yet. You want to build your career to the point where every label is pounding down your door begging to work with you. And then, at that point, you can decide if you’re better off continuing to go at it on your own, or signing.

You have officially “made it” when you’re using your creative talents to pay all of your bills. Not when you perform the Super Bowl halftime show.