Music or Business?

Business student by day, music producer by night; I always seem to find myself in a dilemma when it comes to my career path. With almost 6 years of music production experience at the age of 20 you would think that I would rush to the closest recording studio in hopes to become a super producer, but it’s not that simple…You know how everybody says; “You can’t get anywhere without a college degree?”

Well they’re right!

Both of my parents attended and graduated from college, so I was encouraged to enter college from day one. Now traditionally, one goes to college to become a doctor, lawyer, or a teacher but I wasn’t interested in any of that stuff so, what do I do? Well, with a little help from my older brother, Rob I realized that you can do a lot with a business degree and this led me to major in business. After sampling a little bit of everything business has to offer, I made the decision to concentrate on marketing. So do I put my big dreams aside when I start college? Of course not!

Anyone who knows the story behind Ryan Leslie or J. Cole’s success (both graduated from great universities with academic honors) can tell you that a college degree helps your music career, even if you didn’t study music. There are two sides to a successful music career; the artistic side and the business side. With a firm understanding of business practices (and how to market yourself in my case) you have a great chance for success.

We live in the real world, and dreams don’t always come true so why not get your degree? I know I sound like your mom or your dad right now, but lets be logical. I’ve seen a lot of people skip school to pursue a music career and end up stuck in one spot. Here’s where academics come into play. People like Ryan Leslie and J. Cole would still be able to get great jobs if they didn’t get recording contracts, due to the fact they have that college degree. So it really comes down to deciding where you belong in the job market.

I made the decision to get into the music business one way or another; as a super producer or marketing executive. Either way I’ll be happy to be around the industry I love. So the question still remains…Music or Business? Honestly I can’t answer that right now, but no matter which path I choose, I’m optimistic for the future.