Music Is Not Different: An Open Letter to Classical Musicians

Dear Musician Friend,

If you're skeptical about this whole music-career-as-a-business thing, I get it.

If you're skeptical of anyone who calls themselves a coach saying that they can help you market your music and have a more rewarding career as a result, I also get that.

Because we’ve been told there is a certain way to do things: you get your degree(s), you do the audition circuit, do a few programs, eventually get noticed, and then have a successful singing career. 

We’ve been told not to talk about things like money.  Talking about money is gauche or taboo.  Besides, we’re told, if you’re talented and skilled enough, you’ll get enough work such that you won’t have to worry about it

We’ve been told that we should stick to these industry norms, with the implication being that if we deviate too far from those norms, if we become too different, if we move too far outside the box - we’ll somehow be written off, or worse, blacklisted.

In addition to that, in this day and age, there are tons of folks out there on the Internet who call themselves coaches who claim to help anybody and everybody make tons of cash or solve their life problems overnight.  We see all kinds of marketing telling us that all we need is this coach’s method or this guru’s templates or this person’s program, and we could be well on our way to success.

Putting aside the fact that almost none of these people are artists and don’t understand the music industry (a problem I will address in a minute), it all feels scammy and weird and kinda gross, right?  Because it is.  It is so very icky.  And if you’ve ever fallen for it and invested in one of these workshops or programs or any other kind of mentorship and walked away disappointed - I’m so very sorry.  I get it, because I’ve been there.

So, I completely understand that when someone - even a fellow artist - says, “You need to treat your music performing career like a business and get some business training,” it, at best, elicits some eye-rolls.  You wonder if this person is even really a legit artist or not.  If they were, they’d be focused on their art and their performing and wouldn’t be talking about business, right?

And deep down, I know there are feelings and fears about it.  “I don’t know how to run a business!  Do I really

have to view my performing career as a real business?  It can’t be as necessary as this person says it is.  How can I possibly say I run a business when I don’t perform full-time?  Where can I even learn business skills?  This feels daunting.”

You’re right, artist friend.  It IS daunting.  Business ownership - much like being a musician - is not for the faint of heart.  But it’s a necessary part of being an artist in this day and age.

I started out like many of you.  I went to college for voice.  I pursued auditions.  I got a church job.  I went to grad school.  I did some local programs and took all kinds of gigs just to be doing something.  There were times when things were going well, and times when I was burned out and riddled with self-doubt about my career choices.

Concurrently, however, I’d started teaching.  At first it was part-time (for a while, my full-time job was working on the sales staff in a music retail store), but in a matter of just a couple years, it grew into full-time work.  It was where I made most of my income.  

But I didn’t view it as a real business - because, I told myself, music isn’t business.  Music is art and I just happen to make money from teaching music to others.  Music is different, I told myself.

After reaching a point in my career where I knew I needed a change, or at least a breath of fresh air, I decided to embark on a parallel career track as a holistic wellness coach.  When I enrolled in my first coaching certification program in 2019, I got business training for the first time in my life.  I felt like my eyes were opened.  I felt like I finally had some tools to apply to this new career path, and that I’d be able to do something I loved and make money doing it without the burnout I’d been experiencing as a music teacher.

But at the time, I couldn't see how any of it applied to my music business - performing OR voice teaching. Because, I told myself, music is different.

However, having been emboldened by what I’d learned in my coaching certification, I eventually finally acknowledged that my voice studio was a real business, and that, if I wanted to keep it going in a way that was sustainable both for it and for me, I needed some help.  In 2020, I joined the Speakeasy Cooperative, where I got (and still do get!) tons of business training that has helped my voice studio tremendously.  I was able to restructure my offers and my rates to attract ideal clients (and repel non-ideal clients), as well as up-level my pedagogy.

But I still couldn't see, at the time, how any of it could be applied to a freelancing classical singing career. Because, I told myself, music is different.

A couple years ago, I hired another business coach, enrolling in their business boot camp program, and then joining their mastermind.  I was feeling stuck in my coaching business and having a hard time gaining any traction, and knew I needed some support.  I learned - and continue to learn - tons and tons about all things business, AND am supported and challenged to grow as an entrepreneur and as a human every single day.

But, even still, at the time, I didn't think any of it could apply to my singing career. Because music is different.

Until… 

At some point, I realized that the way I was showing up online for my coaching business was starting to get me more singing and performing work.  I was getting solos, gigs, and features, as well as offers to speak at workshops and lead panels - all from what I’d written on social media and on my blog.  

It forced me to stop and think about whether music really IS different. 

And here's the conclusion I've come to, friends:

Music IS different. And if there is one common thread I've noticed among the non-musician business coaches

I've hired, it's that they don't understand - and sometimes don't even believe - that the music industry, and especially the classical music industry, has its own unique challenges and systemic issues that plague it and make it VERY difficult for even very skilled, talented people to succeed. They don't understand, completely, where artists are coming from.

And of course - how could they? It's not their fault, it's not their area of expertise, and if they have no direct experience with our world, then OF COURSE they are not going to fully understand.

And so if you're skeptical of anyone who calls themselves a coach saying they can help you with your classical music career - I super, super get it. Because music is different.

BUT. It is not as different as we think it is.

Hear me out.

It’s no secret to anyone that our industry is riddled with systemic issues and toxic BS in nearly all sectors and at virtually every level.  Despite more grassroots movements over the past decade or so, there are still a lot of gatekeepers at the highest levels, leading to issues of equity and access.  There are still deeply entrenched unhelpful mindsets and outdated beliefs that are perpetuated and handed on to our young students about what it means to have a career in music.  There is still a belief that all artists - except for the most successful ones - should be poor for the sake of their art.  There is still a belief that somehow, we can make the current system work in our favor.

Here’s the truth, musician friend: the system is NOT designed to work in our favor.  Whether it was conceived to, or ever did, is a moot point, because in its present form, and in this day and age, it is not working.  When they tell you there is very little chance that you will succeed as a “famous” professional singer at the highest level, they are right.  It is one of the few things they are right about.  Because the system that they have built, and the one that we have all participated in and that many continue to perpetuate, is not designed to work in your favor.  It is not designed to help you succeed.  It is designed to keep the gatekeepers in power and keep all those who have been deemed unworthy of entering the highest, most exclusive echelons of the classical singing industry outside and alone, wondering what in the world to do with themselves.

Here’s the thing about systems: they only continue if people choose to participate in them and perpetuate them.

Imagine if we all stopped participating in this charade.  Imagine if all artists took ownership of their careers in a radical way - a way that was aligned with their skill sets, their values, and THEIR career goals, rather than the goals that are often imposed on us by the industry.

I firmly believe that if there is one thing that is going to build up our industry and begin to rid it of the toxicity we are all used to putting up with, it is artists taking full responsibility for their own careers and learning to advocate for themselves, lean into their strengths, and find niches where those strengths are valued and maximized - so that they can create fulfilling, rewarding careers for themselves and, in turn, empower fellow artists to do the same. 

In other words, the thing that’s going to build up the industry is artists embracing their careers as businesses.

Because, when it comes to business principles, music, it turns out, is actually not all that different.

Business principles are the same pretty much everywhere, friends. The basic needs and structure and even the very definition of what a business is, are all virtually the same across all fields. 

You have a product or service that you sell, an audience to whom you market that product or service, customers who buy it, and a brand that makes you trustworthy and memorable.

If you're still scratching your head wondering how this relates to what we do as musicians, think of it this way: 

You, the artist, are a service provider. Your music, in whatever form that takes, is the service you provide. Not only do you provide it, but you expect to be compensated for it - by audiences, directors, and collaborators of any kind. 

In order for people to know about this service you provide, you have to make them aware that it exists. You have to market it. And yes, you have to sell it.

And in order to do that in a way that targets the audiences and collaborators who are most likely to value your work and compensate you accordingly, and in a way that aligns with your skill sets and career goals, you need to be strategic about how you market and sell it.

And - in addition to that strategy, you need a brand that can serve as the vehicle for your strategy, so that you

can help potential buyers get to know, like, and trust you as quickly as possible - in other words, build and bolster your reputation, because we know that reputation is everything in this industry.

As virtually all musicians are aware, this career requires a team. We have teachers and musical coaches and SLP's and ENT's and body work specialists and tons of other mentors, including conductors, directors, colleagues, and so many more.

We know that no one does this career alone. 

As virtually all musicians know, this career requires investment.  We pay for degree programs, pay-to-sings, conferences, workshops, master classes, instruments and their maintenance, equipment, sheet music, supplies, lessons, musical coachings, audition expenses, and so much more.

But when it comes to viewing our music as a business, and hiring a business mentor, and investing in training and resources that will make us more marketable and increase our chances of getting hired and create a sustainable career where we don’t have to experience burnout in order to live, we dig in our heels. 

Because our skill should be enough. Our passion should be enough. Our knowledge base should be enough. Our resume and connections should be enough. 

But, musician friends, these things aren't enough. Not by a long shot.

Please take a moment to acknowledge that, as unique as you are, there are TONS of other artists doing exactly what you do.

They are just as talented, just as skilled, and just as passionate. They are just as experienced and well-connected.

The industry is saturated. 

If you have any hope of standing out (in a good way), then you NEED to figure out what makes you TRULY unique, and figure out a way to promote it - consistently and reliably - so that you can actually get followed, noticed, hired, and re-hired.

So, while music itself is not different when it comes to the business sphere, YOU MUST be different.

You MUST be the one to break out of the aged conservatory mold you were trained in, and step into new levels of power and passion that, if embraced strategically, in a way that aligns with your skills, your values, and your career goals, will make you unstoppable. 

When you are evaluating your team, those people in your corner, consider whether you have anyone who is helping to guide your career in this way.

Not just with advice. Not just with tips on how to navigate the broken system that is today's classical music industry.  Not just with tips on “financial literacy” and budgeting and which expenses you can and can’t write off on your taxes.

But with actual business strategy that is in line with YOU - your skill sets and career goals - helping you to build a reputation and establish a brand that will stand the test of time, and all the twists and turns that will inevitably manifest over the course of your path.  With support, accountability, and a healthy dose of challenge that will spur you on to grow into a version of yourself you never thought possible. 

Being an excellent musician starts with skill and work ethic - but it doesn't end there.

Do not think for a second that it ends there.

And do not think for one second that you have to do the next part - the business part, the marketing part, the self-promotion part, the selling and the branding - alone. 

There are people out there who can help you do this.  People like me, and many others, who are excellent artists in their own right, and who know all too well the challenges and issues present in our industry.  People who know where you are coming from, because they’ve been there.  People who have had their own messy journeys and come out on the other side with knowledge, skills, and experience that they would love to impart to you - not simply because it makes them money, but because they want to see you succeed.  

Business coaches, success coaches, mindset coaches, brand strategists, marketing experts - there is a growing treasure trove of resources out there for you to take advantage of, when you are ready to take the leap and invest.

The question is: will you?

Will you make this investment in yourself, in your artistry, in your career?

It feels unconventional, I know.  But I think our industry needs a healthy dose of unconventional.

So, business skeptics. I see you. I hear you. I know what you are thinking - because I was one of you once.

But I'm a believer now - and I am out to convert. I am out to evangelize all of you, one by one, until the classical music industry is filled with bold artists making big, paradigm-shifting moves that will dismantle our gate-kept

system and bust it wide open so that EVERY voice can be heard.

I am on the move and I am not stopping.

My only question is: are you coming with me?

Musically yours, 

Ellen

P.S. I’d be remiss if I didn’t include a bit of info about how I help artists with their music businesses.  My specialty is brand strategy, with a focus on organic social media marketing and creating content that positions you as the expert artist that you are.  I teach strategies that I’ve used in my own music business that WORK.  If you want to learn more about how to think like a business owner, build credibility in the industry, and attract more great-fit gigs that align with your passions, skills sets, and values, then I would love to talk to you - no strings attached.  You can schedule a time to chat with me here, find me on Facebook or Instagram, or reach out to me at [email protected].