Why the Music Industry Feels Like a Pyramid Scheme

There's a cycle in the music industry nobody talks about. Some people call it a wheel, some call it a pyramid scheme.

It goes like this. Full-time musicians realize they can't make a living from their music alone, so they start offering services to other musicians: production, mixing, session work, coaching, PR, management and, of course, music marketing.

Think about the music marketers you follow on YouTube and Instagram. Me included, most of them have one thing in common. They make music.

Some of them once had hundreds of thousands of monthly listeners. Today, a lot of them have a few thousand.

They often get mistaken for full-time musicians. Yes, they're musicians, and yes, they make a living in the music industry. But they don't make a living purely from their own music, because that's extremely hard, and they know it.

The wheel

• You start as a musician, full of hopes and dreams, and soon realize how messy and brutal this industry can be.
• You pick up a side hustle inside the music industry, and it slowly becomes your full-time job.
• Your music project turns into more of a hobby.
• Then you help other musicians chase the dreams you once had, until they either quit or start offering their own services.

Is that wrong?

And why am I part of this wheel?

This cycle, where dreamers become coaches, isn't only a music thing. It happens in every field you can think of, from photography to sports. A lot of talented people find more joy in teaching than in doing their talent full-time.

And honestly, we need these teachers. The best ones walked your path and faced the same struggles you're facing now.

It's easy to point fingers and say, "They failed as a musician, so now they teach it. What a sellout." Or, "They were only in it for the money and don't care about anybody else."

That's rarely true, and I prefer to believe otherwise.

Most people reach a point where chasing big dreams gets exhausting. There's no clear finish line where you feel fulfilled. So a lot of talented people choose to make a living in an industry they love and keep their original passion as a hobby.

That's the path I chose too.

Why I got mad once

There's a music marketer who keeps calling themselves a "full-time musician", even though I'm almost sure they make less than $100 a month from their music.

I'll admit it. I once wrote a very angry YouTube comment about it, and I deleted it right after. It felt good to vent, but I didn't want to start drama.

Why did it bother me so much? Because I don't want other musicians to fall into that trap before they're ready.

More and more successful musicians recommend keeping some kind of stable income instead of going all in on music. They know how tough it is, and they know how the industry can take the joy out of creating.

You don't have to go all in

If your goal is for people to hear and enjoy your music, you don't have to go all in. Trust me.

Find a job inside the industry, put the money back into your music, and if it's meant to happen, it will. The best things come when you're not forcing them.

• If you're a guitarist at a 5 out of 10, teach beginners who are at 1 to 4.
• If you're a singer, help other people learn to sing.
• If you're good at content, think about becoming a creator.

For me, one of those side paths was curating playlists, which can pay you through your own streams and through musicians who send you songs for feedback. I teach how I built mine in Label Level Playlists.

But if you already have the money, the talent or the right connections, go for it. I believe in you.

And if you're not there yet, stop stressing. Build a foundation first, and enjoy the journey, because there's no finish line. There truly isn't.

A content idea to try: borrow a hook

Coming up with a strong hook is hard. So here's a strategy that works like magic: borrow someone else's.

I found a viral video, used its opening seconds as the hook, and then cut to my own video right after. It became one of my most engaging posts, and I've seen musicians go massively viral doing the same thing.

• Scroll through Reels until you find a viral video that fits your vibe, or something you can react to.
• Use the first few seconds of that video as the hook, then cut to your own video promoting your music.

It's worth testing on your next song.