Chuck D: Get Yourself Out of the 90s

I finally sat down and spent some time going through the Red Bull Music Academy interview with Public Enemy’s Chuck D from October of 2008, and while it is long (more than 120 minutes!), it’s worth spending some time with. Besides providing insight into the early days of hip-hop and the history of P.E., as this was the Red Bull Music Academy, he also delves into what it means to be a modern musician and how to become a successful independent artist…

Musicians Library: Hightlights from Around the Web (13 April 2009)

In our Musician’s Library features, we highlight books, articles and essays that can help musicians as they strive to earn a living from their music. Today, we feature some of our favorite articles from around the web from the week of April 5th…

Smackdown: Music Is My Day Job vs. The Huffington Post

Mike McCready’s essay for the Huffington Post on the future of the music industry demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of the opportunities and possibilities that artists now have access to: you don’t need mass exposure, and you don’t need the support of a major label. Build your tribe and create your own success.

Musician’s Library: Highlights from Around the Web (16 Mar 09)

In our Musician’s Library features, we highlight books, articles and essays that can help musicians as they strive to earn a living from their music. Today, we feature some of our favorite recent online articles that we think you should consider adding to your library.

Musicians: how do you define success?

Today, you can successfully earn a comfortable living as a musician, and despite what you may think, it’s not that much more work. However, you have to have a different definition of success.

After looking at Rollo & Grady’s interview with marketing genius Seth Godin, we examine how success as a musician today is different from what it was in the 1980s and 1990s.