musicpreneur

3 Things I'm Learning About Being a Musicpreneur

3 Things I'm Learning About Being a Musicpreneur

I always knew I wanted to be a freelancer. I liked the variety of doing different kinds of work: teaching, accompanying, writing, creating, designing.

But I didn’t really know what it meant (from a practical standpoint) to be a music entrepreneur (musicpreneur for short) until I was in grad school.

As a musicpreneur, you wear two hats:

  • You’re the CEO — the money person, the one making big decisions about your brand and values and the work you’ll do, the one paying quarterly taxes and reading about SEO and conversion rates.

  • And you’re the artist — the creative one, the dreamer, the idea person, the one seeking inspiration and doing the work, the one learning the music and planning the lessons and exploring the bounds of creativity.

Is a Freelance Music Career Right for You?

Is a Freelance Music Career Right for You?

In music school, we learn about performance style and theory, analysis and history. We study and read and listen and write. We soak up rich musical experiences and learn to dedicate ourselves to practicing our instrument and refining our musical skill set.

And if we're lucky, we learn about music careers and the business side of things: arts leadership and advocacy and community engagement, taxes and finances and grant-writing, websites and social media and marketing yourself: the extra-musical skills needed to make it in the 21st century music world.

Will you graduate and land one of the coveted symphony jobs? Will you join the ranks of academia and start down the tenure track?

Some of you may. Some of you did.

But what if you want to do a few different things? What if you want to teach and have a podcast? What if you want to perform in a professional chamber music ensemble and run a YouTube channel?

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21 Inspirational Quotes for the 21st Century Musician

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21 Inspirational Quotes for the 21st Century Musician

What does it mean to be a musician in the 21st century?

Steve and I talk about this often. From where we stand, the 21st century requires musicians to be flexible, creative, and versatile, possessing a wide variety of skills that can be used in a wide variety of settings.

Instead of doing just one thing, we (and many of our friends) have built careers doing many different things - teaching, performing, writing/blogging, presenting, directing, and working in arts administration.

Some call it freelancing, others call it music entrepreneurship, or being a portfolio musician or musicpreneur.

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How to Organize Your Finances As a Freelancer

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How to Organize Your Finances As a Freelancer

As any freelancer or small business owner will tell you, managing your finances is a huge part of the job.

From the ebbs and flows of self-employment income to keeping track of all your deductible expenses to paying quarterly estimated taxes, managing your personal and business finances is no small feat.

But, having a clear, organized system for keeping track of everything is a great place to start.

As two freelancers and musicpreneurs, Steve and I have found that sorting our money into different places helps us manage multiple income streams and work toward our savings goals.

It also makes paying quarterly taxes much easier.

Follow along with my creative work and daily adventures: @ashleydanyew

In honor of #smallbusinesssaturday2024, here are my ✨2025 predictions✨ for musicians and creative entrepreneurs: 1️⃣ Pivoting will still be essential: Flexibility and adaptability will define success—embrace change and be willing to evolve.
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