People believe this myth because we now live in a streaming and file-sharing era. With Youtube, radio, and digital formats, people think no one buys music anymore. Nothing could be further from the truth! The reality is consumers love to consume the music & products they love in multiple formats.

Physical music and merchandise is still one of the leading revenue streams for musicians around the world. Streaming enhances this relationship and plays a big role in our sales today! The key is to have a strategic plan that incorporates ALL streams of income, including digital & physical formats.

I built a multiple six-figure music career without touring, labels, or licensing deals all because she embraced the fact that people STILL BUY MUSIC from artists they support, and die-hard fans want everything you have, including all merchandise you make available!

If you think you need millions of fans to accomplish your dreams, you’re wrong. For example, in my last crowdfunding campaign, I raised close to $90,000 in only 30 days with less than 1500 fans! You only need to be “niche-famous” to a small group of fans who are CRAZY about your music.

The third myth is that you have to tour or play live all the time… or as many gigs as you possibly can to get exposure.

Now this one I really get. I used to believe that I HAD to tour in order to be successful, to sell any music, to get exposure.. and it’s just what musicians did!

Now, don’t get me wrong. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with touring. HOWEVER… the more you understand the real costs of touring, you discover how LITTLE artists make and the payoff is really not what it used to be. Even popular bands have written about barely breaking even, and most lose money, even on a successful tour. Touring may have its purpose, but for 90% of bands, you will not make a full-time living with this method.

If your reason for touring is to shake hands and get your name out there, I can tell you there are FAR more effective ways to do this… and on a GLOBAL SCALE that pales in comparison to playing for 20 people in a dive bar (who are all scrolling on their phones anyway).

Launching your music career online is the way to do this and leverage your time and talent. Imagine gaining hundreds of new fans while you’re sleeping. That’s the power of The Online Musician at work.

Yeah, I used to think that too. After I had kids I certainly didn’t fit the supermodel package I used to see on MTV and I thought no one would take me seriously. The good news is more than ever, people want to connect with music that is meaningful to them, and they don’t care what you look like or how old you are. Just look at shows like America’s Got Talent or The Voice and you see incredible people of all ages, ethnicities and body types — the crowds love them all! I’m living proof that even after having 5 kids and well into my 30’s — you can still build a music career of your dreams. I’m living the dream and I don’t have to hold back because of a limiting belief I used to have.

I agree 100% that good music is the absolute foundation and heart of why we’re here. No one is going to get anywhere with bad or mediocre music. Your music must be good. It must stand out. It must be excellent. Now, having said that, I’ve noticed there’s often a false mentality that goes along with this. It sounds like this:

“In order to become successful, you have to eat, sleep, and breathe your music 24/7. Play anywhere and everywhere 7 days a week. Do this for 5-10 years and then you MIGHT get noticed. And any other way is BS.”

That was an actual comment from Facebook! But you know what… what this guy described was the OLD way. That was how things were in the Old Music Industry. That’s the old-school way of thinking now and it will seriously limit you!

Now we have entered what I call the New Music Industry. This means new opportunity like never before! Never before have we ever had access to people at any moment in any country around the world in an instant. That is NEW.

Never before could you write a song, upload it to the internet, go to bed…. and someone across the globe in another world discovers you while you’re sleeping… and buys your song, and becomes your fan. That is NEW.

This is an extremely exciting time we live in for musicians, old and young. There’s actually a market for EVERYTHING.

Every kind of music is wanted. Someone somewhere is searching for the most obscure niche music and wants to come across what you’ve just created.

And while the internet can feel like a huge ocean, and it is… If you do things RIGHT, you can seize an incredible opportunity to connect with the RIGHT fans who are already looking for your music.