Music? I don’t think I’d want that job

Good piece here in the IT on music as a career. Those of us who have been musicians, or know musicians, will be aware that career is perhaps the least appropriate word for the work that has to be done. A mental health charity in the UK, Help Musicians, has started to do a study on the area…

Gross characterises the music industry as a “hypercompetitive market” that’s also economically challenging. Yet at the same time, musicians are told “we’re responsible for ‘living our dream’. The X Factor is a perfect example – no one tells singers more often that they should believe in themselves and follow their dream. These competition shows that have exploded in the last decade have entered our consciousness, to such an extent that you judge yourself by whether you’re winning. But there are also variables that come into play – like financial support and luck – and these factors are more important now than ever.”

And say one does get through the multiple hurdles and becomes successful…

Gross’s research also found that even when musicians hit the big time, they have to handle another set of pressures, such as intensive tours, higher expectations, fear of losing their place, the blow of a bad review and trolling on social media – not everyone has James Blunt’s ability to turn it to their advantage.
“When successful people come out talking about problems like life on the road and being away from their families, they seem to get a lot less sympathy. People think, what do they have to complain about, but musicians around the world share the same problem.”

I was thinking about touring internationally, stuck in hotel rooms (at best), constantly on the move, performing the last album and having to think of the next, stuck with people you might not get on all that well with on a daily basis. Any real world experiences to soften that analysis, or support it?