Relentless Pursuit of Success in the Music Industry
As music producers, the path to turning a creative passion into a sustainable career can feel overwhelming. While there’s no shortage of tutorials on mixing, mastering, and branding, what’s often missing is guidance on how to strategically approach the industry as a professional. This article focuses on the mindset and process behind building a successful career—securing collaborators, finishing projects, and converting your skills into reliable income. Drawing from my own experience working with artists, brands, and film studios, I’ll share strategies to help you expand your opportunities, stay productive, and approach music production not just as an art form, but as a business.
The Challenge of a Music Creator’s Life
Living as a music creator, it can be hard to find your tribe, especially if you’re driven by a personal vision to create something original. Many people talk about making music, but few actually complete tracks or EPs, and fewer still have the discipline to consistently bring new music into the world.
You may find yourself looking around and realizing your peers in your local scene don’t share the same passion or commitment to finishing their ideas. That’s okay—not everyone is on the same path. But this also means finding a support system of like-minded artists who push you forward is crucial if you want to reach the goals you’ve set for yourself. When you do, those relationships create a momentum: sharing updates, solving production challenges, sharing networks, and celebrating milestones like releasing a new track.
If you don’t have that community yet, that’s part of what I hope my community can offer. My goal is to inspire and encourage you while showing you processes and mindsets that can help you stay productive and get your music out there.
The Mindset: Think Like a Producer
Definition: Music Producer – works with artists, songwriters, and recording engineers to shape the sound and direction of the music.
The first step to leveling up is treating all media as the competition. Every track, EP, or sound you encounter—regardless of your personal taste—was intentionally created by one of your professional peers. Begin analyzing these works with a producer’s mindset:
Why was this made? Was the track designed to evoke a mood, tell a story, or explore a genre? Start thinking about your music with the same clarity of purpose.
How was it made? Dissect the production techniques of successful tracks. Is the magic in the drum pattern, a synth patch, or vocal effects? Break it down to understand how it became the right product for its intended audience or client.
How could I make this better? Challenge yourself to see if you could fulfill a similar brief. Could you deliver work at this level if the opportunity landed in your lap? Use these reflections to refine your skills and expand your portfolio.
Inspiration: Flying Lotus
Flying Lotus expanded his reach by curating his own radio station for Grand Theft Auto V. By doing so, he showcased not only his music but also his ability to curate a unique soundscape for a massive global audience. This opportunity positioned him as more than a producer; it demonstrated his understanding of cultural influence and his ability to innovate.
What Can You Make With Your Musical Palette
Once you’ve developed the builder mindset, the next step is figuring out what your abilities actually are as an artist.
Find your opening. Look around you. Opportunity is everywhere if you’re willing to search for it. Start identifying skills you have in audio and asking how those can be applied to a broad variety of projects. Think outside your own box and into other people’s projects. Then, go find people who need YOU to complete their vision. You’re someone’s missing puzzle piece.
Bring your own touch. It’s not just about imitating what’s already out there. Think about how you can make it your own—whether it’s adding unique textures, blending genres, or breaking conventional song structures.
Experiment with purpose. As you develop your signature style, let experimentation be your guide. Try unconventional workflows, collaborate with different artists, and always approach projects in new and exciting ways that will set you apart. These experiments will feed into your vision.
Inspiration: Hans Zimmer
Hans Zimmer, a film scoring legend, has frequently collaborated with electronic music producers to give his scores a fresh, modern edge. These partnerships showcase how even established professionals benefit from cross-genre innovation. For your work, consider how collaborating with someone outside your genre could create entirely new opportunities.
The Power of Focused Work
To see success as an artist, you need a system for staying productive amidst life’s distractions. I know how hard it can be to balance music with a day job or family commitments, but I’ve found that even small pockets of time can be incredibly productive when used well.
Create a routine. Set aside a dedicated time each day or week for music as business. Even just one focused hour a day contacting prospective labels for releases, musicians to convert to clients, game developers who may need music, etc., can rapidly begin to increase the number of professional opportunities you are getting in the industry.
Limit distractions. Treat your creative time like an actual job. Turn off social media when it doesn’t apply to the task at hand, mute your phone when your friends call during business hours, and immerse yourself in the job, be it creating beats, securing clients, or scaling your business.
Prioritize finishing. Perfectionism is the enemy of progress. Give yourself permission to call a project “done” and move on if it will satisfy the requirements you were given. Not every project has to be your masterpiece. It’s about satisfying the demands of the clients and the audience sometimes. Save the passion for your own work.
Finding Hidden Opportunities in Music Production
To truly thrive as a professional music producer, you need to look beyond your immediate network and think expansively about where your skills can make an impact. The industry is brimming with opportunities that go untapped simply because they’re not part of the traditional “producer hustle.” Expanding your focus can open doors to sustainable, income-generating contracts.
Explore Adjacent Industries. Your skills as a music producer are highly transferable. Consider areas like:
Video Games: Indie developers often need atmospheric tracks, sound effects, or dynamic music for their projects.
Advertising and Branded Content: Companies need unique soundtracks for commercials or social media campaigns.
Film and Television: Indie filmmakers and small studios frequently seek original scores or tracks.
Collaborate with Non-Traditional Artists. Work with visual artists, choreographers, or content creators who require custom audio.
Build Relationships with Music Libraries. Upload versatile tracks to platforms like AudioJungle or Artlist for licensing opportunities.
Direct Outreach to Clients. Use personalized pitches to connect with small businesses, developers, and independent creators.
Inspiration: RZA
RZA from the Wu-Tang Clan carved a niche in film scoring, composing for movies like Kill Bill and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai. His success proves how a distinctive sound can translate to other mediums.
Inspiration: Daft Punk
Daft Punk’s Tron: Legacy soundtrack is a prime example of crossing into adjacent industries. By translating their electronic expertise into a cinematic score, they created a timeless body of work that pushed their artistry into new territory.
Invest in Your Craft
One of the most transformative mindsets is viewing your resources—time, energy, and money—as investments in your music. How you allocate these resources can make or break your progress. Here are some examples to help you evaluate whether your choices are moving you toward your goals:
Positive Allocations of Resources
Time: Spending an hour each day pitching your music to potential collaborators, game developers, or film studios rather than scrolling social media.
Energy: Focusing your creative energy on finishing a track for submission to a music library, even if it means delaying a personal passion project for a week.
Money: Investing in professional mastering for an EP you plan to pitch to labels, ensuring it meets industry standards and improves your chances of success.
Negative Allocations of Resources
Time: Spending hours tweaking a single snare drum in a track for no practical reason, while more pressing projects go unfinished.
Energy: Channeling your energy into repeatedly starting new projects but never completing them, leaving a trail of half-finished ideas that don’t generate opportunities.
Money: Purchasing expensive gear or plugins you don’t immediately need, instead of using those funds to hire a session musician or promote a completed release.
By reallocating your resources—both mental and financial—toward completing and releasing your work and finding new opportunities in the music industry, you’ll see more tangible results. Always ask yourself: Will this use of my time, energy, or money move me closer to my professional goals?
Self-Reflection: Applying These Strategies to Your Career
As you work toward making music production your full-time career, it’s essential to regularly evaluate your progress, mindset, and opportunities. Use the following questions to identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for growth. These reflections can guide you in applying the strategies we’ve discussed and refining your approach to the industry:
Expanding Your Opportunities
Are you actively looking beyond your current circle for new opportunities?
Have you researched industries like film, gaming, advertising, or live performances where your skills could be applied?
What steps can you take to pitch your work to new clients or collaborators outside your usual genre or scene?
How diverse is your portfolio of work?
Are you showcasing projects that demonstrate versatility, such as music for different media or audiences?
What additional types of work (e.g., sync placements, branded content) could you add to expand your reach?
Improving Your Productivity
Do you have a system in place to manage your time effectively?
How often do you dedicate focused, undistracted time to advancing your career, such as networking, refining your craft, or pitching to clients?
Are you prioritizing finishing projects that align with your professional goals over striving for perfection in every detail?
Are you balancing your artistic vision with professional demands?
How well are you compartmentalizing personal creative passion projects from client-driven work?
Are you effectively delivering what clients or collaborators need without letting perfectionism slow you down?
Investing in Your Growth
How are you currently investing in your career?
Are you spending your time, energy, and money on tools and strategies that directly contribute to completing projects and securing work?
Have you identified areas where upgrading your skills, resources, or connections could make the most impact?
Are you actively learning from others in your field?
Have you studied successful producers and analyzed their transitions into new areas of the industry?
What lessons can you apply from examples like Flying Lotus, Daft Punk, or RZA to guide your own growth?
Evaluating Weak Spots
Where are you falling short in your current hustle?
Are there gaps in your technical skills, network, or branding that may be holding you back?
Do you struggle with maintaining focus, finishing projects, or identifying new opportunities?
What feedback have you received from peers or clients?
Have you taken the time to gather constructive criticism about your work or approach?
How can you use that feedback to improve your processes or reposition yourself in the industry?
By regularly asking yourself these questions, you’ll stay aligned with your goals while identifying the adjustments needed to grow. Remember, a successful career in music production requires not just creativity but strategy, discipline, and the ability to evolve. Use these reflections to push yourself forward and ensure you’re making the most of every opportunity.
