Do You Need A Music Career Mentor?
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I’m often asked, “Should I get a music career mentor?” or “Should you get a music career mentor if you want to have a career in music?”
The answer may surprise you.
As a music career mentor to musicians who want to start a music career, you’d probably expect that I’d always reply, "Yes, everyone needs a mentor to start a music career and grow a career in music".
The truth is only some people need a mentor.
If you want to increase your chances of success dramatically, then yes, you need a mentor to start a music career.
If you want to decrease your chances of succeeding substantially (in your pursuit of a career in music), then no, you don’t need a mentor for that. But remember, wishing, dreaming, hoping, and luck are not a plan.
- Asking if you need a music career coach is no different than a football player asking whether he needs a coach to play in the NFL.
- Asking if you need a music career coach is no different than a gymnast asking whether she needs a trainer to make it to the Olympics.
- Asking if you need a music career coach is no different than an entrepreneur asking whether he needs a mentor to guide him through starting (and succeeding) his first business.
EMAIL TO GET ACCESS
By submitting your info, you agree to send it to Tom Hess Music Corporation who will process and use it according to their privacy policy.
The chance of success (especially over the long term) is much higher with a music career coach, trainer or mentor.
Why is this true?
How does a music career mentor help you become successful?
- First, an experienced mentor will help you develop a success mindset – a crucial aspect of what you need to make it in the music business.
- Second, your mentor should guide you to become who you must become to have the greatest chance to create or seize opportunities in the music industry.
- Third, he ought to teach you how to think like a successful person to navigate all the challenges and take the right actions in the proper order and at the right time.
- Fourth, your music career coach will guide you to avoid all the common mistakes musicians often make at every stage of starting or growing their music careers. There are so many pitfalls that stop most from becoming successful. A good mentor knows what these are, where they are, and how to avoid or overcome them if you fall into one.
- Fifth, a great music career mentor trains you to take the next step, then the next, then the next at every stage of your journey so that you aren’t struggling to figure everything out on your own and get things wrong along the way.
- Sixth, a great music career coach can often see far beyond the horizon, around corners, and over obstacles. He can usually see the path through the music career labyrinth that an inexperienced musician cannot yet see and won’t find in a book or a college class.
- Seventh, he usually has relationships and access to people and companies that you do not. Those relationships can be worth their weight in gold to you if and when you are ready for them.
“Tom Hess, can’t I learn all this at a university if I pursue a music business degree?”
Answer: No, music school is no substitute for a music career mentor. Look at the track records of most universities and guitar schools. Sure, they do a pretty good job helping people (such as myself when I was in university) develop their musical skills. Still, the vast majority of musicians (especially guitarists) who earn music degrees (even music business degrees) never make it in the music business, and even fewer are successful long-term. Most end up doing something outside of music for their career.
Music schools DO have value; there are some good things about them. I have two music degrees, but what I learned about success, the music business, wealth building, and many other incredibly useful topics didn’t come from the university.
I answer the above question above in more detail in this article: Do You Need A Music Degree To Become A Professional Musician.
Learn how to build a thriving music career with music career training.
